Haraszthy Family Cellars Bearitage Old Vine Zinfandel 2012
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This wine is an excellent complement to grilled meats, fish, or chicken dishes.
Haraszthy Family Cellars was founded in 2008 by Val & Vickie Haraszthy. Val is a 5th generation California winemaker and the great-great grandson of General Mariano Vallejo and Agoston Haraszthy.
General Vallejo founded Sonoma in 1835 - the last Mexican Commandant of Northern California prior to statehood. On June 14, 1846 he was arrested at his home by the bear flaggers – a disgruntled band of settlers revolting against Mexican land policies. The rebels produced a crudely drawn bear flag replacing the Mexican flag and proclaiming California a sovereign republic.
Agoston Haraszthy founded Buena Vista Winery in 1857, considered the first commercial winery in California. He traveled throughout Europe in 1861 and collected hundreds of different varietal grape cuttings which gave rise to the California wine industry.
Bearitage wines are all produced from grapes grown in Lodi, California. They are well made, delicious and offer an extremely good value for the price. Val makes Old Vine Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Blend, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.
California is a winemaking colossus; by itself it is the fourth largest producer in the world. Red wine accounts for 56% of the total by volume, and red grapes 63% of total acres planted. In addition, a number of California red wines are heralded as being among the most prestigious and sought-after wines in the world.
While the state’s incredibly diverse geography, soils and microclimates allow for a wide array of styles, the key factor unifying California red wine is the abundance of sunshine and a long, consistent growing season. This leads to well-developed fruit marked both by impressive ripeness and balancing acidity.
The state’s most famous red wine region, of course, is Napa Valley, where Cabernet Sauvignon reigns as king. But California boasts a wealth of other impressive appellations. The much larger and climatically varied Sonoma County also produces world class California Cabernet, along with wonderful examples of California Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.
Fine versions of Cabernet and Zinfandel hail from Paso Robles as well, which is also gaining fame with Rhone varietals like Syrah and Grenache. As for Pinot Noir, terrific examples can be found from AVA’s such as Anderson Valley, Carneros, Santa Lucia Highlands and Sta. Rita Hills. Wineries in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties are making wonderful Syrahs, and the Sierra Foothill appellations are proving to be an experimental hotbed, with Italian and Spanish varietals employed to great effect.
This of course is a mere sketch. The subject of California red wine is as deep and broad as an ocean, and absolutely a joy to explore!