Maple Vineyards contains 27 acres of exceptional head-trained zinfandel, on high bench land in the heart of Dry Creek Valley. Tina's Block, the oldest block in the vineyard, was planted in 1910 and sustainability farmed since then. This 2-acre parcel has records claiming that the block was planted to all Zinfandel, but we know that Tina's Block is currently comprised of at least 20% mixed black varietals. Petite Sirah, Carignan, Cinsault, Mission, and Alicante Bouschet are inter-planted throughout the block giving this wine unique character and flavors. David Rafanelli continues traditional, labor intensive, farming techniques today, personally managing the farming as did Tom and Tina Maple before him. The sandy-loam riverbed soil is remarkable porous, allowing all nutrients and rains to reach down to the deep roots. The old-vines arent irrigated, stressing the vines before harvest, and producing small grapes with big flavors..
Gently hand harvested early in the morning before being carefully sorted, the grapes were destemmed and carefully transferred to small fermenters. The must was then cold soaked at cold temperatures for five days before the onset of fermentation. Twice daily for the next 15 days the wine was stirred with the skins to extract color, flavors, tannins and texture from the grapes. Once fermentation was complete, only the free-run wine was drained to a separate tank before being transferred into our proprietary mix of French and Hungarian oak barrels to age for 16 months.
2019 Tina's Block Zinfandel, Magnum
$135.00 / 1500mL
Club: $101.25 / 1500mL
Tasting notes
Blackberry and plum aromas mix with subtle hints of anise, graham cracker and black currant. The entry is a burst of refreshingly sweet raspberry pie and blueberries balanced with juicy cranberries. The seductive, ripe finish has a sandy-textured note that will continue to soften with aging. The savory and spice flavors of the wine will gain in complexity over the next fifteen years.Winemaker Brandon Lapides