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The 2005 vintage was a classic vintage, with a long, extended, quite warm ripening period that allowed the vines to concentrate flavor in the grapes. We consider it one of the finest vintages of Todd Brothers Zinfandel that we have produced, a dark, concentrated wine with tremendous depth and balance.
2005 Zinfandel Todd Brothers Vineyard, Alexander Valley
History
Since the first time we made this wine in 1998, we have felt that is one of the most distinctive and unique vineyards in all of Sonoma county. The vineyard is visually striking: A remarkably steep slope of bright red rocky soil, sporting acre after acre of thick, gnarled zinfandel vines. From our first look at these vines, we knew that they would make an intense and very distinctive wine. The vineyard is located just a few miles north of downtown Geyserville, and was planted by two brothers—the original Todd Brothers—49 years ago. The vines are now farmed by Ken and Tim Todd, along with their sons, making a three-generation long farming tradition. The 2005 vintage was a classic vintage, with a long, extended, quite warm ripening period that allowed the vines to concentrate flavor in the grapes. We consider it one of the finest vintages of Todd Brothers Zinfandel that we have produced, a dark, concentrated wine with tremendous depth and balance.
Production
As is our tradition, we harvested the Todd Brothers Ranch grapes before any of our other grapes, in mid-September. From the very beginning, we could tell that the grapes had wonderful color and flavors. The grapes were trucked to the winery in ½ ton picking bins, and then sorted on a conveyor belt on their way to the crusher. We fermented the grapes using our traditional method of “submerged-cap” fermentation, using our custom-made stainless-steel grids to hold the grape skins below the surface of the fermenting juice. This method maximizes flavor, color, and complexity from the grapes without letting the vines get too tannic.
The temperature was allowed to get quite warm—above 90º F—to aid in the extraction of color and flavor. At dryness, the wine was gently pressed in a membrane press and pumped to traditional 60-gallon French oak barrels. The wine was aged for 14 months in 20% new French oak and the remaining 80% in older oak barrels. Every three months we racked the wine out of barrel to clarify the wine and aid in its development. Although we added just a bit of Petite Syrah from the vineyard when “topping” the barrels, we decided the wine was perfect as it was when we were having our blending trials. Therefore, no additional lots were blended in, resulting in a wine that was 100% from the Todd Brothers Ranch, and 99% Zinfandel. We feel this wine should easily improve with ten or more years of bottle age.
Production Notes
Varietals: 99% Zinfandel, 1% Petite Syrah
Appellation: Alexander Valley
Sonoma County
Alcohol: 14.6% by vol.
Time in oak: 14 months
Oak: French; 20% new
Production: 688 cases, 750mL
Release date: July 1, 2007
Sugg. retail price: $32.00 bottle, 750mL
Optimum time for consumption: 2007-2017
Tasting Notes
Color : Purple-black
Aroma: Intense blackberry, cassis, and chocolate, followed by subtle aromas of perfumed lavender and violet, along with anise, and roasted coffee
Taste: Very viscose and mouthfilling, with complex flavors of blackberry, black raspberry and cassis fruit, followed by chocolate, coffee, and clove spice. Quite rich and with a long, persistent fruit and spice finish.
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