2020 Zinfandel

October 2020

I like last year’s Old Vines Zinfandel from Lodi, CA, so I’m making it again.

I intended to bottle most as a varietal, but changed plans. This wine is going into the Meritage Plus blend. Yes, I know Zinfandel is not a Bordeaux grape … that’s the reason for the Plus.

This log tracks the fermentation and pressing of this wine. Post-fermentation I have 3 records to track:

Unoaked Zinfandel — I’m reserving 4 liters, which will remain unoaked, and bottled separately. This wine is for comparison purposes in future years, and will continue to be tracked in this log.

Meritage Plus – The second barrel contains everything else, and is roughly 40% Merlot, 20% Vinifera Blend, and 40% Merlot. This wine is tracked in a separate log.

Meritage — Free run Merlot and Vinifera Blend went in the other barrel.

Note: I’m using the name “Meritage”, which is copyright by the Meritage Alliance. This group was founded to create and protect a name for Bordeaux-style wines that does not violate French law regarding the use of the name “Bordeaux”. Commercial wineries pay a fee to the Alliance to use the name. I’m not commercial, my wines are not for sale, and will never be tasted by anyone other that family and friends, so I don’t feel bad about using the name. If I went commercial, I’d join the Alliance.

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I bottled the the 1 gallon samples of the Merlot, Zinfandel, Vinifera Blend, unoaked Meritage, and unoaked Meritage Plus with a simple label:

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Ingredients

Grape	144# Old Vine Zinfandel from Lodi, CA
Enzyme	2 tsp Scottzyme Color Pro
Fermentation Oak	1 lb shredded American oak, medium toast
Yeast	2 packages Red Star Premier Rouge
Nutrient	12 tsp Fermax + 6 tsp Fermax
Sulfite	potassium metabisulfite added at various points (see below)

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Method

Crushed & destemmed the grapes. Grapes at 52 F, have to warm up to 65 F before inoculation. Added Scottzyme Color Pro for improved color extraction and 1 lb fermentation oak.	10/10/2020 SG 1.090
Temperature rose to 67 F in the afternoon. Added 12 tsp Fermax and yeast.	10/11/2020 SG 1.090
Added 6 tsp Fermax.	10/14/2020 SG 1.058
The cap started to drop with fermentation ended, so I got little free run from this. Medium pressed the pomace. I reserved 2 gallons, which will continue to be tracked in this log. The remainder is part of the Meritage Plus blend.	10/20/2020 SG 0.996
Racked. I reduced this batch to a 4 liter jug and a 1.5 liter wine bottle. The remainder is moved to the Meritage Plus blend.	11/20/2020 SG 0.995
Racked. I reduced this batch to a single 4 liter jug. The remainder is moved to the Meritage Plus blend.	02/25/2021 SG 0.995
Racked, added K-meta & glycerin, bottled.	09/28/2021 SG 0.995

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Notes

Yield	5 bottles
Alcohol	12.9%
09/28/2021	As with the Merlot, this one is oddly tannic, while the Vinifera Blend is not. I’d expect the opposite.
09/04/2022	I have 2 bottles of the unoaked Zin left, and one was opened today. Unaerated: Color is bright-n-purple. Smells like Zin. Initial taste is very fruity; however, the tannin a REALLY strong on the sides of the tongue. Distractingly so. Aerated: Same color and aroma as unaerated. The flavor is markedly different — much fruitier, and the tannin, while strong, is more subdued and approachable. This wine needs another 2 years in the bottle to mature.