viognier (sonoma county)

viognier (barrel fermented)

chardonnay

pinot noir

zinfandel

petite sirah

merlot

cabernet sauvignon

late harvest zin

2006 Hawley Zinfandel

Vineyards

Ponzo vineyard is located just outside the town limits of Healdsburg, along the Russian River at the mouth of Dry Creek. It’s gravelly bench-lands have produced many award winning wines. The 2006 growing season began with a late, wet spring. September rains caused a lot of concern and cool temperatures extended the ripening season into late October. The long “hang time” allowed for the development of exceptional flavors in the 2006 Zinfandel. Brix at harvest 24.5.

Winemaking

The Zinfandel grapes were crushed and de-stemmed into one-ton, open top fermentors. The juice was chilled with dry ice for extended maceration. After one week, the fermentors were moved outdoors to warm up and the wild yeasts begun the fermentation. Commercial yeast was later added to insure the wine fermented to dryness. We punched down the skins every couple hours to maximize extraction. When fermentation was nearing dryness we pressed out directly to barrels. The wine was aged for nine months in a mixture of French and American oak barrels and was racked from barrel to barrel every three months to soften the tannins, develop fruit character and clarify the wine. 5% Petite Sirah from Dry Creek Valley was blended before bottling.

Technical

Appellation: Sonoma County
Varietal Composition: 95% Zinfandel 5% Petite Sirah
Harvest Date: October 13, 2006
Alcohol: 14.8% Ph: 3.55 TA: .87
Bottling Date: July 12, 2007
Cases Bottled: 640
Release Date: Jan 1, 2008

Tasting Notes

This Zinfandel is soft and juicy with aromas of white pepper, raspberries, strawberries and vanillin oak notes.

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CLICK HERE for a printable description of Hawley 2006 Zinfandel, Ponzo Vineyard.

Zinfandel grapes

Bottling Zin at Hawley Winery

Paul and Austin check fermenting Zinfandel