Scandal Zinfandel 2023

Scandal , a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel that’s a 50/50 blend of valley benchland and hillside Zinfandel.

• Appearance: Deep ruby with garnet edges, showing density and vibrancy in the glass.

• Nose: Expressive and layered—ripe blackberry, raspberry compote, and dark cherry are lifted by notes of black pepper, clove, and dried herbs. Hints of cocoa, cedar, and warm earth add depth.

• Palate: Bold yet balanced. The benchland vineyard portion contributes juicy red and blue fruits with plush, velvety texture, while the hillside fruit brings darker blackberry, bramble, and spice with firmer tannins. Medium-plus to full body, framed by lively acidity that keeps the richness fresh. Subtle vanilla and toasted oak nuances weave through the mid-palate.

• Finish: Long, structured finish marked by black fruit, cracked pepper, and a mineral edge. A wine of both power and elegance, showing the hallmark ripeness of Dry Creek Valley with a backbone of hillside grip.

• Ageing Potential: 20+ years, developing layers of truffle, leather, tobacco, and cedar while retaining elegance and precision.

Decant for at least one hour and serve at 65°F

Our 2023 wine vintage is being hailed as exceptional, potentially one of the best in recent memory, due to a combination of a long, cool growing season and ideal weather conditions allowing grapes to ripen slowly in balanced conditions. This resulted in plush, concentrated flavors, deep color, freshness,and strong tannic structure—ideal for long-lived wines.

The perfectly completed phenolic maturity of the grapes allowed manual picking when perfectly ripe. The grapes are then sorted and destemmed without crushing the berries along with 20% whole clusters in the bottom of the tank, then cold pre-fermentation maceration.

After the cold soak time comes alcoholic fermentation in small, temperature-controlled, open-top tanks with punch downs occurring as needed during fermentation followed by 30 to 45 days of post-ferment maceration, all designed to extract the maximum flavor and color from the grape skins without violating the cells or seeds. The free-run wine is then consigned to French oak Bordelaise barrels for approximately 11 months adding suppleness and smoothness during the aging interval.

Following fermentation, the wine was transferred into new French oak barrels where malolactic fermentation took place.

All of the barrels come from French cooperages with whom we have had an association for over twenty years. Selected from two French forests, the wood is air dried and coopered over a five-year production period and finished with a special “toasting” suited to the delicate characteristics of our wines.

Only 299 cases produced. No allergens were used in the making of this wine. Our vineyards are farmed to the code of sustainable agriculture using traditional techniques, based on strict control of yields, manual harvests and numerous quality specific tasks that are carried out by hand throughout the year.

Little or no chemical fertilizers are used. Selection and planting of cover crops and their return to the soil provides additional organic nutrients allowing our vines to reach an advanced age and produce outstanding grapes.

Color	Red
Vintage	2023
Harvest Date	11th Sep 2023
Style	Zinfandel
Appellation	Dry Creek Valley
Varietal	Zinfandel
Date Bottled	13th Aug 2024
Drinkable	2024 - 2034
Alcohol	14.90%
Bottle Size	750ml