viognier

chardonnay

pinot noir

zinfandel

petite sirah

merlot

cabernet (dry creek valley)

cabernet (alexander valley)

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 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 control the fermentation. 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, Ponzo Vineyard
Varietal Composition: 95% Zinfandel 5% Petite Sirah
Harvest Date: September 23, 2006
Alcohol: 14.8%
Bottling Date: June 12, 2007
Cases Bottled: 645
Release Date: Jan 1, 2008

Tasting Notes

This Zinfandel is soft and juicy with flavors of raspberries and strawberries with notes of white pepper and vanilla oak.

To order this wine click here

CLICK HERE for a printable description of Hawley 2006 Zinfandel.

Paul Hawley punches down fermenting zin

Zinfandel grapes

Bottling Zin at Hawley Winery