Tzum Fionn Red

There is 1.5 acres of Zinfandel planted at the site they farm in the desert. It’s on a steep cobbled hillside of black sand on the North side of the site. The soil is very shallow and the shoots barely reach the first wire, begin to yellow by midsummer and are struggling for survival. The wine that emerges from this struggle never fails to surprise me. Its always one of the last parcels to be picked, often after all the leaves have fallen and it rarely ripens beyond 22.5 brix. The wine that results from this is atypically, perfumed, floral and delicate for Zinfandel. It tastes more like some long lost aromatic grape variety, that only grows on the cliffs of a single village, in a forgotten Mediterranean isle.

2020 was an even more challenging than many vintages. It was a fire vintage. The grapes were picked in October and fermented wholecluster on the skins for 5 days. This resulted in a floral, pretty wine with lightly bitter/tarred sage notes on the nose. It is full of strawberry, black raspberry, and wood fire on the palate. Nate was able to lean into the smoke taint in a way that makes this wine reminiscent of a great camp fire (and perfect for those that love smoked beer).

Drink at cellar temp or colder (don’t be afraid to chill this bottle) and enjoy a true expression of the vintage!