Alexander Valley is a long, narrow valley that runs from north to south. While the southern part is cooler due to the fog still penetrating there, the northern part has a reliably warm climate, which is particularly suitable for the cultivation of this late maturing grape variety.
The soils have a great variety, from red volcanic soils to the east, to alluvial soils at the bottom of the valley, to rock-ridden clay soils to the west.
This cuvée is made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc grape varieties. After harvesting and fermentation, the Director’s Cut Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 12 months in French oak barriques.
The Russian River Valley climate is defined by a regular intrusion of cooling fog from the Pacific Ocean a few miles to the west. Much like the tide, the fog ebbs and flows, arriving each evening, cooling the area down from its daytime temperatures by as much as 35 to 40 degrees. This natural air conditioning provides for an extended growing season where the grapes mature slowly for optimal development and maintain a good level of natural acidity. The Russian River Valley’s loam and alluvial soil compositions create a very rich and fragrant Pinot Noir that offers pronounced floral notes and a distinct earthy character.
Made with fruit grown entirely in the Dry Creek Valley appellation, where the combination of climate and location produces excellent Zinfandel fruit with intensely concentrated flavor. Half of the fruit was crushed whole, and the must (seeds and skins) was fermented in open-top fermentors for maximum color extraction and flavor enhancement.
Our Zinfandel is unique in that it’s blended with one of our favorite selections of Petite Sirah. Even though the Zinfandel from this terrific vintage showed great complexity on its own, we added Petite Sirah to enhance the structure of the wine. A combination of French and American oak enhanced the fruit’s spice qualities, giving the wine some shoulders as well.
This Zinfandel is dense and complex, with a touch of Petite Sirah to enhance the flavors of strawberry jam and cassis. The perfume of the wine is dark fruit, sweet spice, and toasty vanilla.
