Alexander Valley Vineyards Redemption Zin 2008
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
History, tradition, and excellence. Those three words easily describe Alexander Valley Vineyards. In the mid-1800s valley namesake Cyrus Alexander called the land that is home to AVV as "the brightest and best spot in the world." He settled, built his home, and raised his family. In 1962 the Wetzel Family followed his lead, continuing a tradition of family farming. Today the fourth generation of their family is growing up next door to the working winery known around the world as "AVV."
The Wetzel Family Estate spans over 720 acres with vineyards on both sides of the Russian River, from the valley floor up to the Mayacamas mountains. In between there is a wide diversity of micro-climates, elevations, exposures, and soil types. The Russian River defines this land with foggy mornings, warm days, and diurnal temperature swings of 40 to 50 degrees. Their estate vineyards combined with veteran winemaker Kevin Hall's classic winemaking techniques maximize the balance of fruit and acidity in every wine. Barrel aging in their underground wine caves accentuates the wine's character. Every bottle shares AVV's story and each glass brings the special place they call home to yours.
While AVV is well known for their elegant Cabernet Sauvignon, they also produce an array of estate wines including Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel and their premium Cab blend – CYRUS. The secret to the quality and value in their hand-crafted wines starts with their initial property purchase in 1962 and continues with their commitment to their land.
Alexander Valley Vineyard's practices were initially recognized by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance in March 2006 and in 2010 they were recognized as a certified "Sonoma Green Business." Their motto says it all: "Our family creates wines of distinction for everyone!"
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!