1995 Zinfandel- California Cline Cellars
1995 Zinfandel-California
California

Technical Notes
1995 Zinfandel
California
HARVEST DATE: 7 to 28 September
BRIX AT HARVEST: 23.5
TOTAL ACIDITY: 0.70g/100ml
FINAL pH: 3.44
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0.02g/100ml
ALCOHOL: 13.5%


VINTAGES NOTES
1995 was exceptionally long growing season in California. A very wet winter and late rains allowed us to continue the practice of dry-farming our Contra Costa vineyards without risk of water-stress, keeping yields extremely low. Grapes from elsewhere in the state were favored by similar conditions. Ripening was even during the warm summer months, preserving intense varietal flavor and fine acid structure. Harvest was particularly late, and the added hang time lent our wines an incredible level of concentration.
VINEYARDS
California Zinfandel is brand new addition to the Cline Cellars' portfolio. Drawing from a variety of old vine vineyard sources in Contra Costa County and elsewhere across the state, we have crafted a wine that at once balances the intensity in character of each particular vineyard with an overall synergy of the blend. The various blocks, ranging from 35 to 65 plus years in age and entirely dry-farmed, show incredible affinity for one another. Each block was treated separately, with special care given to its particular terrior, ultimately allowing us to create a wine that is Californian in the truest sense.
FERMENTATION AND AGING
California Zinfandel was an extreme challenge for us in the winery. With the various vineyard blocks ripening at different times and the fruit pouring into our winery from across the state, we were forced to work around the clock, ensuring that all fruit was lavished the special attention required to craft such a high-quality wine. Our approach to each vineyard site varied according to its characteristics--some parcels undergoing quite warm fermentations and extended time is small oak, while other saw cooler evolution to ensure freshness and purity of fruit, Tedious hours of experimentation with possible blends and severe selection during bench tests resulted in a wine of uncommon varietal depth and integrity.
WINEMAKER'S COMMENTS
Here, at Cline Cellars, we are extremely excited with the success of the 1995 California Zinfandel. For a maiden vintage, this wine exhibits incredible purity of fruit and intense richness that is normally only the result of several long years of experimentation, trial and error. The super-ripe black fruit, spicy/dusty edge--a hallmark of our Contra Costa holdings--and powerful anise and coffee notes make Cal Zin a favorite among the winery staff for all types of fare and all seasons of the year.

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