2009 Alexander Valley Estate Zinfandel
Only 396 cases made
From its gorgeous wild berry and cream aromas to its lush flavors of black raspberry, strawberry, red currant, vanilla, coffee and sweet baking spices, this is an inviting expression of Zinfandel. Good acidity gives this wine elegance and a nice refreshing lift, underscoring the pure varietal fruit.
Wine Specs
Vintage
2009
PH
3.86
Aging
16 months
Bottling Date
2/11
Alcohol %
14.4
Stephen Tanzer's
90
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
From its gorgeous wild berry and cream aromas to its lush flavors of black raspberry, strawberry, red currant, vanilla, coffee and sweet baking spices, this is an inviting expression of Zinfandel. Good acidity gives this wine elegance and a nice refreshing lift, underscoring the pure varietal fruit.
Vineyards
Stuhlmuller Vineyards is located at the southern edge of the Alexander Valley, where it converges with two other highly regarded Sonoma County appellations, Chalk Hill and the Russian River Valley. On its eastern edge, the 150-acre vineyard borders the Russian River. Situated in a unique location that is part river benchlands and part hillside, the vineyard benefits from its alluvial gravel soils and the more rocky soils that comprise the hillside sections of the vineyard.
The Clones
At Stuhlmuller, two blocks totaling 2.5 acres have been set aside for growing small amounts of exceptional Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. These vines are head pruned to augment the natural intensity of the hillside fruit. The budwood for this Zinfandel came from the prized 115-year-old Teldeschi clone, a legendary selection from Dry Creek Valley.
The Vintage
Despite rain in early February, 2009 began with a warm, dry winter, which led to an early bud break. Rains in May and June were followed by heat spikes in June and July and a fairly mild August, before a hot finish to the season. The crop was abundant, and to ensure quality, we dropped fruit and picked over a long period in multiple passes to give us a more complex palette of fruit to work with. This approach also helped maintain acidity and to achieve lower alcohols.
Winemaking
Our Zinfandel and Petite Sirah were co-fermented as a mix of whole berries (90%) and whole clusters (10%) in open-top tanks, where they spent approximately 14 days on the skins. The small amount of whole clusters added nuance and pure, forward-fruit flavors, while contributing to tannin management. Aging was done in a mixture of French (82%) and American (18%) oak. The French oak barrels were from one-to-five years old, and the American oak was new. The wine was racked twice and spent 16 months in barrel.
Product Reviews
Shannon
(Feb 7, 2012 at 8:42 PM)
Wow, wow, wow. As a rule, I'm not a huge red drinker but after tasting this, I'm pretty sure I've reconsidered that statement. I had it for the first time while dining in SF and it will definitely be my go-to now... can't wait to stock up! Delicious, aromatic and an incredible flavor.