2020 History The Pines Zinfandel

TASTING NOTES FROM WINEMAKER, MELISSA BURR

This wine has a remarkable story. Planted in the late 19th century by an Italian stonemason who brought grape cuttings from Italy, The Pines vineyard was eventually abandoned and remained neglected for the majority of the 20th century. It was later rediscovered by an apple grower who cleared out the overgrown brush, pruned the vines, and restored it to healthy production, though it has always retained its wildness and rugged character. Now, nearly 120 years after being planted, the 2020 vintage is the last vintage we will receive from this resilient vineyard. The vintage gave us sweet red fruit aromas of raspberry and cranberry jam with secondary notes of white pepper, earth, and savory spices. Medium in body with soft tannins, this is a true Pacific Northwest expression of the Zinfandel grape variety.

VINTAGE OVERVIEW

The 2022 growing season began with one of the coldest, wettest spring seasons on record in the Pacific Northwest, including a snowstorm in early April that pushed the beginning of the growing season out by several weeks. When the season started, many sites in the Columbia Valley saw higher yields than average. Temperatures finally began to rise in late June, culminating in warm, dry conditions that persisted well into October. As a result, the fruit enjoyed extended hang time and was able to achieve phenolic ripeness, and we harvested without interruption or disease pressure until complete.