Zinfandel is better in Dry Creek
My dad and I began wine tasting in Dry Creek Valley over 40 years ago (ouch). What was immediately apparent to us then still rings true today – DCV is our favorite place on the planet for high-quality Zinfandel. Why? I’ve tried to distill it down to a few key points here.
CLIMATE
Warm Days, Cool Nights: The region experiences hot, dry days that encourage ripening and flavor concentration, but the cool evenings preserve acidity and balance in our grapes. Nighttime temperatures in Dry Creek Valley are 15 to 20 degrees below Italy’s Puglia (Primitivo) and in Croatia (Crjlenac). Like Vermentino, this diurnal temperature shift gives us a chance at making more concentrated Zinfandel that has better balance.
BLENDING with Petite Sirah and Carignan
Field Blends: Many Zinfandel vineyards are planted with a mix of other complementary grapes like Petite Sirah, Carignane, Grenache, and Syrah, adding to the complexity of the final wines. Petite Sirah adds much needed
tannin structure, color and balance to Zinfandel. Petite Sirah (or Duriff) is not grown in Puglia or Croatia. We are strong advocates of blending a significant amount of Petite Sirah in our Zinfandel. Not only does Petite Sirah add structure and balance to Zin, our PS vineyard block, located next to the Benchland Syrah, adds an extra dimension of blueberry and blackberry fruit. We also blend Barbera for acidity and freshness.
PROFESSIONAL WINEMAKING
Thanks to UC Davis and Fresno State, modern winemaking and viticulture has been practiced in California since the 1960’s. Temperature control fermentations and aging cellars, professional hygiene to minimize spoilage organisms, and aging in small oak barrels have all contributed to making concentrated, full-bodied and fruity Zinfandel. UNTI Zinfandel is from our Primitivo-clone vineyard planted in 1998. We manage crop levels to a minimum of one cluster per shoot. Both variables result in consistently high-quality wine.
We ferment our Zinfandel using natural yeast from the skins and age the wine in exclusively French oak barrels to preserve our Primitivo clone vineyard character. 2022 featured several heat waves making it a little more challenging to make balanced Zinfandel. Over the years we’ve learned to lean on our Benchland Petite Sirah to balance the wine. Once again, it did the job, continuing the best run of Zinfandel in our winery’s history.
SOILS
One of the smallest AVAs in size (16 miles long by two miles wide), Dry Creek Valley is
a dense concentration of floor, benchland and hillside vineyards. The valley was created
by the uplift and subsidence along ancient earthquake faults and the deposit of alluvial
material. This soil deposited over thousands of years on the valley floor is primarily
gravelly and sandy loam — deep, well drained and fertile dirt that produces good crops
of flavorful grapes. The soil on the surrounding benches and hills is composed of
gravelly clay loam, often strikingly red in color. This very rocky soil drains exceptionally
well, helping to stress the vines late in the growing season, concentrating varietal
character.