M2 2004 Old Vine Zinfandel, Soucie Vineyard

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes:
This Zinfandel is no shrinking violet, it’s big, really big – packed full of fruit, body and bouquet. Complex layers of jammy flavors reminiscent of blackberries, raspberries, cassis and strawberry are balanced with smoke, spice and toast. An “old vine” character and distinctive notes of the terroir of the vineyard add a special something. Intense color and velvety tannins make this a mouth-filling wine to be enjoyed right now with friends and food.

Winemaking Notes:
The vines are grafted to St. George rootstock and are head-trained; grown without the support of a trellis. The sandy earth is more than 60 feet deep and because of the nature of the soil the vines are naturally resistant to phylloxera.

Ocean breezes in the evenings moderate the high temperatures that other less-favored areas of the valley endure. It is not unusual for daily temperatures to vary as much as 40 degrees. During the summer of 2004 the Zin vines were shoot-thinned, secondary clusters were removed and excess fruit was dropped on the ground to balance the vine and the crop load. The canopy was thinned to provide the perfect balance of sun and shade required to optimize flavor development in the grape. The vineyard is deficit-irrigated but a state-of-the-art underground drip irrigation system provides water to the vines if needed.

Zinfandel in general, and the 1916 Block of Soucie Vineyard specifically, doesn’t ripen evenly. To overcome this problem we make two harvesting passes through the vineyard, days or even weeks apart, hand-selecting the best clusters for harvest and culling out less than perfect fruit. This requires more time and costs more, but the result is a wine full of flavor and character.

Vineyard Notes:
The grapes for this Zin come from Soucie Vineyard in Lodi, grown from the block of vines planted in 1916 – old by any criteria. Third-generation grape grower Kevin Soucie is a meticulous farmer and his vineyard is a work of art. The vines in the 1916 Block were planted by Kevin’s grandfather prior to his Army service in France during World War One.

Technical Notes:

Appellation:	Lodi
Age of Vineyard:	88 years
Harvest:	August 30 & September 10, 2004
Brix at Harvest:	Average of 29
Fermentation:	Small, Open-top Containers, Manual Punchdown, Vertical Basket Press
Yeasts:	D254, D80, BM45
Aging:	19 months in American Oak – 40% New, 60% Used
Production:	229 Cases