Longevity Wines Zinfandel 2010
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Winemaker/Founder Phil Long of Longevity Wines began his journey making wine in his garage with his wife Debra. Today, with almost two decades of winemaking experience and a list of awards too long to print, Winemaker Phil Sr. and Assistant Winemaker Phil Jr. continue the journey with the constant of always improving in place. “In the business of winemaking, the minute you think you know it all, it’s time to get out,” says Phil Sr. who also serves as president of the Association of African American Vintners.
Phil and Debra started an online wine club as a business in 2003. Utilizing their licenses for that business, began making wine in the Livermore Valley in 2006 under the Longevity label, using other wineries’ facilities. It was only a matter of time before production was moved to Longevity’s own facility in Livermore. Yearly production gradually ramped from 500 cases per year to the current production of 3,000. At Longevity’s facility in Livermore, the wines are produced in small lots to maintain a hands-on approach to quality control. “We handle everything from bin to bottle,” says Phil Jr.
“The Longevity Phil-osophy (pun intended) is to focus on the experience of enjoying quality wine: the food you had with it, the place you enjoyed it and the friends you shared the wine with. It’s those pairings that makes great memories,” says Phil Sr. “Everyone who visits the tasting room is treated like family, and they always bring back friends to share the experience.” Father and son enjoy the challenge that making multiple varietals brings and approach each one with the same dedication.
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.
Positioned between the San Francisco Bay and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the Lodi appellation, while relatively far inland, is able to maintain a classic Mediterranean climate featuring warm, sunny days and cool evenings. This is because the appellation is uniquely situated at the end of the Sacramento River Delta, which brings chilly, afternoon “delta breezes” to the area during the growing season.
Lodi is a premier source of 100+ year old ancient Zinfandel vineyards—some dating back as far as 1888! With low yields of small berries, these heritage vines produce complex and bold wines, concentrated in rich and voluptuous, dark fruit.
But Lodi doesn’t just produce Zinfandel; in fact, the appellation produces high quality wines from over 100 different grape varieties. Among them are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc as well as some of California's more rare and unique grapes. Lodi is recognized as an ideal spot for growing Spanish varieties like Albarino and Tempranillo, Portugese varieties—namely Touriga Nacional—as well as many German, Italian and French varieties.
Soil types vary widely among Lodi’s seven sub-appellations (Cosumnes River, Alta Mesa, Deer Creek Hills, Borden Ranch, Jahant, Clements Hills and Mokelumne River). The eastern hills are clay-based and rocky and in the west, along the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers, sandy and mineral-heavy soils support the majority of Lodi’s century-old own-rooted Zinfandel vineyards. Unique to Lodi are pink Rocklin-Jahant loam soils, mainly found in the Jahant sub-appellation.