"Wisdom" Old Vine Zinfandel- Mendocino

Brown Zinfandel ....92.5%

Unusual in a land of vineyards planted by Italian emigrants, Donald Brown is of German heritage. He has been running vineyards since he was a child and he is now 80 years old. The vineyards are "tidy" and exhibit the care that only owner operators impart. Sited on a red soiled bench on the eastside of Redwood Valley, this vineyard is managed for and produces moderate crops with intense flavors. The plants are in excellent health and benefit from strong afternoon winds that cool the vineyard in the period from 3:00 until sunset.

Petite Sirah… 7.5%

This variety is used in Zinfandel blends much in the same way that merlot is used with cabernet; as an additional ingredient for depth and complexity. Our 2006 "Wisdom" is 5% Petite Sirah from a newer vineyard that friends at Mendocino Wine Company planted for their top end projects. This fruit is not for sale, but here again is where Dennis, being a Mendocino fixture, gave us access to fruit not on the open market; as they were glad to help when we found that blending in the tiny amount of Petite Sirah into Wisdom really added weight and enhanced the finish of our Zinfandel. This site is a great bench at the foot of the steep mountain that forms the Western edge of the Ukiah Valley. Everything in this 100 acre vineyard has been planted for the use of the Mendocino Wine Company so I thank my friends again for allowing us to use a little of their best fruit for our Wisdom Zinfandel project.