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A small portion of fruit from Sky’s original 1972 block is included in the blend, but the lion’s share is drawn from vines planted in 1999. In 2015, California was in the midst of a five-year drought, so berries and clusters were small in this low-yielding year. The fruit was handpicked in early September at 13.3 Baumé and fermented in open-top fermenters for 10-14 days with a small portion of whole berries (5 to 10%) and a smaller portion of whole bunches.
The wine was then pressed in the estate’s old (1906) hand-crank press, run each vintage by Lore and his brother, and the wine then rested in used oak for 14 to 20 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Each bottle is matured on site until Lore completes the artwork and the wine is deemed ready for release―there’s no hard and fast rule as to which comes first; Lore has his process!
Gerald Asher’s description of Zinfandel from the hillside vineyards above Napa Valley in the text above is apt here. There is real sinew and intensity here, yet Lore’s wine beautifully balances a Syrah-like spicy berry succulence with Zinfandel’s meaty-peppery savouriness. It’s long and complex, unfurling in leatherwood honey, olives, herbs and liquorice, with a tangy freshness and finish steeped in berries and spices.
Lore completed the artwork for the 2015 Zinfandel after the devastating fires of 2017. “The piece depicts the winery as an icon of survival, surrounded by flames, but not burning.”