Winemaker Notes
The 2023 wine has a ruby purple color of solid depth with youthful garnet hues that carry a suggestion of magenta. The aroma of this wine has moved from the red fruits to those of boysenberry, black raspberry, and olallieberry. The focus is on concentrated ripe succulent fruit. There is not much in the way of terroir, no earthen flavors of the soil. Aging in small oak barrels for almost a year has provided this wine with a bouquet of hazelnut, sandalwood, and almond paste. Upon pouring, the bouquet cedes centerstage to the aroma, but with time in the glass the bouquet fulfills its role. On the palate juicy flavors of creamy red raspberries, and toasted oak are accompanied by notes of caramel that are delivered by wine with a luxuriously soft texture. The fruit carries all the way through the finish with a wonderful tension between the fruit and toasty oak that lingers well after the wine is gone.
Blend: 81% Zinfandel, 19% Petite Sirah
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.