Haraszthy Family Cellars Bearitage Old Vine Zinfandel 2013
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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.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
As the lower part of the greater Sierra Foothills appellation, Amador is roughly a plateau whose vineyards grow at 1,200 to 2,000 feet in elevation. It is 100 miles east of both San Francisco and Napa Valley. Most of its wineries are in the oak-studded rolling hillsides of Shenandoah Valley or east in Fiddletown, where elevations are slightly higher.
The Sierra Foothills growing area was among the largest wine producers in the state during the gold rush of the late 1800s. The local wine industry enjoyed great success until just after the turn of the century when fortune-seekers moved elsewhere and its population diminished. With Prohibition, winemaking was totally abandoned, along with its vineyards. But some of these, especially Zinfandel, still remain and are the treasure chest of the Sierra Foothills as we know them.
Most Amador vines are planted in volcanic soils derived primarily from sandy clay loam and decomposed granite. Summer days are hot but nighttime temperatures typically drop 30 degrees and the humidity is low, making this an ideal environment for grape growing. Because there is adequate rain throughout the year and even snow in the winter, dry farming is possible.