Kunde Estate Winery

Zinfandel gives winegrowers fits because of uneven ripening. Winemakers always want all their berries within a certain range of ripeness, because this ensures that flavors and sugars and everything else have some internal coherence. Zin, on the other hand, likes to produce bunches that are green on one side, raisins on the other, and “perfectly ripe” in the middle. Uneven growing conditions only make it worse, as they did in 2003 in the North Coast. Some Zin bunches began raisining (on one side, anyway) in early September, a month earlier than usual. Kunde dealt with the challenge by going with nature (and blending in 11 percent of Petite Sirah).

The wine was fermented with native yeasts that lived on the grape skins, and only 20 percent of the barrels used for aging were new. You can definitely smell how ripe the wine got – almost like mulled wine – but it also has lovely orangey citrus accents, too, because the acidity is bright and fresh and the wine’s only 14.1 percent alcohol. It also offers brambly palate spread and firm tannins, a mouth-filling entry and good lift through to the finish. Well done.

Reviewed August 9, 2007 by Thom Elkjer.