2009 XYZin 10 Year

Bright ruby in color with an inviting bouquet of luscious fruit and spice this vintage of XYZin 10 follows in the footsteps of its predecessors showing the interplay of ripe jammy fruit, lively tartness, and briar notes. A succulent texture and medium weight make this a great sipping wine and the firm tannins on the finish will make it a cheerful companion to peppercrusted ahi or steak. An incredibly versatile wine as it alternately shows dominant fruit, spice, or earth notes. Try pairing this wine with dessert as well to observe how the wine changes when in the company of savory or sweet foods. Enjoy best over the next three years.

XYZin wines explore the relationship of vine age to taste profile. XYZin 10 comes from Zinfandel vines that were at least 10 years of age at the time of harvest. At XYZin we believe that the history of a vineyard is as much a part of the terroir as are climate, soil, clones and the age of its vines. XYZin Vine Age Series wines offer a tabletop exploration of California’s unique Zinfandel heritage.

Minimum Vine Age: 10 years

XYZin 10 wine is styled to reflect the lively, fresh, and youthful flavors of fruit from young vines. In their youth- a phase which is critical for proper development of a root system-Zinfandel vines are generally healthy, virus-free and provided with sufficient water and nutrients to assist their establishment. These grapevines enjoy excellent longevity and many live and produce healthy crops for over 100 years. Naturally the vines, as well as the fruit they produce, evolve and change over time. Thus, XYZin was founded to explore and celebrate the diverse and rewarding stages of Zinfandel vine maturity. The grapes for this wine were sourced from some of our favorite appellations with a focus on Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Each of these regions imparts a distinct character to Zinfandel, yet all are unified by the vivid, juicy, approachable red fruit essence that is indicative of young vines. The 2009 vintage was marked by a very cool spring and summer growing season with moderate heat. Interestingly, this steady climate allowed the grapes to mature evenly over the season without any dramatic temperature fluctuations. The canopy of the vines stayed active later than is typical and delayed our first harvest until into October. A delightful consequence of the cool temperatures was the development of intense color pigments that were easily extracted in the early days of fermentation. Cool temperatures also led to slower accumulation of sugar and the appearance of ripe flavors at somewhat lower than typical sugar levels. The finished wines show balance and restraint – an apt reflection of the vintage.

7952 cases

December 2011