Buehler Zinfandel 2008

The grapes we choose for our 2008 Buehler Vineyards Napa Valley Zinfandel are a mix of those off our estate vineyards and grapes from other select Napa Valley high quality, low-yielding vineyards. Dry-farmed for over 20 years, our 4.5 acre estate block consists of mature thirty-seven year old vines which typically give us around 2.5 tons/acre of beautiful hillside zinfandel fruit. Interspersed among the head-trained vines are a handful of Petite Sirah vines representing perhaps 5% of the total vines in this block. A traditional field companion to Zinfandel in pre-prohibition California vineyards, Petite Sirah contributes pepper, color, and tannin structure to the wine.

Our Zinfandel is aged for 11 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, 20% of which are new. At this level of "new wood", the up-front endearing quality of Zinfandel can assert itself. Aromas of a briar patch on a hot summer day carry over to the palate and are carried in a mouth-filling, flavorful, juicy package. The wine is crafted for immediate enjoyment but for those who enjoy a more complex wine displaying some bottle-aged character, aging for another two to three years is a good option.