Special Release Brandlin Vineyard Zinfandel
2024
Winemaker’s Notes
This one’s a rare beauty. I have a 30+-year connection with Brandlin Ranch, the most legendary vineyard on Mount Veeder, high atop the Mayacamas range. I learned to prune vines under Chester Brandlin’s tutelage in the mid-1990s and made the wine with my early mentor Peter Franus – so this small personal project harbors a deep emotional connection. It would not be an exaggeration to say this is my favorite non-DuMOL vineyard on Planet Vine. When the opportunity arose to purchase two tons of fruit, there was no hesitation. What has always set the vineyard and resulting wines apart, is its intense briary/peppery aromatics and deep plush fruit. The natural mountain tannins are buried under this succulent fruit core that offers so much purity and delicious drama. A unique experience with a totally singular character – it's a great privilege to make this wine.
Pure authentic aromas of Californian mountain chaparral: pine needle, sagebrush, bay laurel and white pepper alongside flavors of sweet wild berries and dark cherry. These pungent characters infuse your senses, penetrating deeply. The wine’s mountain structure is absorbed by its deep cauldron of ripe swirling berry fruit. It finishes long and intensely aromatic. One of the wines of the vintage. Drink between late-2026 and 2036.
Appellation
Mount Veeder
Barrel Aging
Fermented by native yeasts and aged in 500L neutral French oak puncheons for 16 months. Bottled unfiltered.
Production
105 cases of 750mL
