Clay Creek farms Zinfandel from old vines in California, and the 2020 vintage shows why the grape has held its ground there for well over a century. The wine is dry, full-bodied and 14.5% abv, with medium acidity and medium tannin holding a lot of ripe fruit in place.
- Zinfandel, California's adopted red grape.
- 2020, a warm, generous California vintage.
- Full body, medium acidity, medium tannin.
- Dry, 14.5% abv, 750ml.
How it is made
Zinfandel is a thin-skinned grape that ripens unevenly, so a single block can carry green berries and jammy ones at the same time. Old vines set fewer grapes, and those grapes carry more concentration. The style is built around that: ripe fruit, soft structure, and a long finish that does not turn heavy.
How it tastes
Blackberry and jammy fruit up front, then baking spice and a clear note of black pepper on the back. Toasted oak and a hint of rose sit over the top. The acidity is medium, the tannins are medium and supple, and the alcohol is high but carried by the fruit.
Where it comes from
California, where Zinfandel arrived in the 1850s and was for decades the most planted grape in the state. It was nearly pulled out in the 1970s. The old-vine parcels that survived are now the source of the wines the variety is judged by.
Good to know
Zinfandel is the same grape as Italy's Primitivo and Croatia's Tribidrag. The Croatian name points to the grape's origin on the Dalmatian coast, and it reached California by way of New England nurseries in the mid-1800s.
