 |
Steele Reds
STEELE ZINFANDEL
PACINI VINEYARD
The Pacini Family planted this vineyard in 1940 on the
western foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains in Mendocino
County. This beautiful old vineyard is head-pruned as are
most Zinfandel vineyards of the era. Steele Wines purchased
the vineyard in 1996 from the Pacini Family. Since then
we have been refurbishing the vineyard and replacing vines
in the positions where the old vines have died back. The
location of the vineyard prevents us from irrigating or
frost protecting due to the limited water supply. This
provides for the intense flavors and aromas in this Zinfandel.
After 25 years of crafting Zinfandel from the Pacini Vineyard,
Jed has determined that the best method of harvesting the
grapes is over a two-week period based on exposure. Due
to the rolling topography of the vineyard and the many
different facing slopes, we pick the grapes in several
lots, as they become ripe. These lots are kept separate
through the fermentation and barrel aging processes; they
are only blended again just prior to bottling. This allows
us to declassify portions of one or more of the lots to
the Shooting Star Mendocino Zinfandel if necessary in order
to maintain the integrity of this old vine Zin. As is our
house style, we keep the temperatures on our fermentations
moderate to develop the color and flavors inherent in the
wine. We aged the Steele Pacini Vineyard Zinfandel in American
oak barrels for 12 months, using 25% new barrels and 75%
neutral barrels. This selection of oak allows us to maximize
the fruit component while rounding out the structure of
the wine. You can consume this wine now or lay it down
for 6-8 years.
This wine is known for its earthy, brambly and mildly
tarry character. This vintage is no exception. The
nose has the previously mentioned characteristics in addition
to a bacon (or pancetta) and a white pepper element. The
palate is effusive with berries, sour cherries, butter,
and chocolate tannins. The wine has great structure,
is well balanced, and has a nice finish. We enjoy
this wine with roasted meats (particularly if accompanied
by a rich red fruit reduction), a flavorful Ratatouille,
rib steak fresh from the broiler, and a variety of cheeses.
|
|
