2020 Lady of the Lake Vineyard Zinfandel

Since 2014, Jesse and Emma have been on a life long winemaking journey to find exceptionally organically farmed vineyards that play into their goal of making natural wines that speak to sense of place and time. With over 40 years of organic wine growing and winemaking experience between the two lovers of everything wine, Jesse and Emma had access to a small amount of hillside grown Zinfandel in the Red Hills appellation of Lake County. While pursuing her biology degree and All-American water polo career at UC San Diego, Emma would travel to Lake County during the summers to work at the Bartlett pear packing sheds alongside her uncle. Having spent five summers running the pear orchards and vineyards in the early brisk mornings and working along migrant laborers and natives to the area, Emma fell in love with all aspects of operating a ranch. Eventually it was her uncle that encouraged Emma to work a wine grape harvest, unbeknownst to either of them that it would define the rest of her life. Coming full circle, nearly 15 years later, Emma returned with Jesse to Lake County to make, SEAWOLF’s 2020 Lady of the Lake Zinfandel; a further step up in quality, without sacrificing any of their traditional winemaking values. Their commitment to making pure portraits of Zinfandel was recently recognized by Jim Gordon of the Wine Enthusiast.

94 Seawolf 2020 Lady of the Lake Vineyard Zinfandel (Red Hills). Concentrated, jammy blackberry and black fig aromas and flavors are especially vivid in this full-bodied, deep and captivating wine. It shows good depth and layering as well as a creamy yet mildly tannic texture that maintains its freshness and charm.

Vinification

The Lady of the Lake Vineyard Zinfandel was aged in a new French Francois Freres barrel on the thick lees, bottled both unfiltered and unfined. The grapes were harvested by hand before being destemmed and gently added to a half ton fermenter to cold soak for five days with 2 punch downs per day. Primary and secondary fermentations were wild. Once the Primary fermentation started, three punch downs were performed per day. This wine was Sur Lie aged for 10 months and is vegan. 

Site

The Lady of the Lake Vineyard is located on the Red Hills in Lake County at 2200 feet elevation over looking Clear Lake. This vineyard is dry farmed and organically farmed.