2014 Quasi (Late Harvest Zinfandel)

Late Harvest Zinfandel Port

• Varieties:
  100% Zinfandel (plus brandy)
• Appellation:
  Paso Robles
• Average brix at harvest:
  32.5
• Vineyard:
  Estate
• Alcohol:
  20.5%
• Residual sugar:
  7.70 g/100 mls
• Date bottled:
  August 19, 2016
• Cases produced:
  102
• Retail Price:
  $ 32.00

Growing conditions:
Early! budbreak in 2014 was nearly 3 weeks early with great growing conditions: no frost, warm days/cool nights during the growing season with harvest finishing 10 days early. While quality is excellent due to tiny berry size, yields were small due to our 3 year drought.

Winemaking:
Hand-harvested, destemmed and crushed into a stainless fermentor, then inoculated 24 hours later with d254 yeast. The must was pumped over twice daily for 8 days prior to the addition of brandy to halt fermentation. After pressing and settling, this wine was aged in French oak barrels for 18 months prior to bottling.

Tasting notes:
Intense, deep aromas of black raspberry jam with notes of chocolate and toffee. Soft tannins complimented with spicy oak and a lingering rich finish.

Cellaring:
While delightful now, this concentrated zinfandel port will continue to develop in the bottle with proper cellaring for another 10-15 years with a plateau of best drinkability from 2018-2028.Intense, deep aromas of black raspberry jam with notes of chocolate and toffee. Soft tannins complimented with spicy oak and a lingering rich finish.

Food selection:
Think romance!! This zinfandel port enhances many desserts especially chocolate or pungent cheeses. It continues to be our favorite wine for sipping by a roaring fire.