Description

PRODUCER:
For five generations, the Maggio family has been growing wine grapes in Lodi and providing elite California winemakers with superb fruit to make their wines. In 2002, the family turned their own hand to winemaking, using the same estate-grown fruit that they had sold for so many years. Now they proudly put their name on bottles that reflect their long and uncompromising commitments to sustainable agriculture and winemaking excellence. Oak Ridge Winery is also an associate member of the Women of the Vine & Spirits, an all-encompassing global organisation dedicated to boldly pushing the wine industry towards a more diverse, equitable and inclusive era that supports business development and innovation, empowering all to thrive.

VINEYARD:
The grapes come from 500 acres of estate vineyards throughout the Lodi American Viticultural Area, which are situated between the Sierra Nevada foothills and the San Francisco Bay. The area’s Mediterranean climate of warm days with coastal evening breezes is ideal for the cultivation of world-class wine grapes. The vines, some of which are over 100 years old, are gnarled and sculpted by time, yielding small amounts of intensely flavoured fruit to create wines that are the ultimate expression of their terroir.

WINEMAKING:
The Old Zinfandel grapes were picked at 25 to 26° Brix, for optimum ripeness, acidity levels and quality. The grapes were cool fermented at 18 to 23°C, to slowly extract the colour and tannins, while retaining the fresh fruit characters. Once fermented through to dryness, the grapes were pressed off their skins and allowed to settle prior to racking. The wine then went through malolactic conversion, giving the wine a smooth mouthfeel and softening the finish. Once complete, a proportion of the wine was matured in various oak treatments for between six months, until it reached the desired profile of oak complexity, while the remainder was stored in stainless steel. 60% of the oak component used was medium to heavy toast American oak, and 40% of the oak was medium toast French oak.

TASTING NOTE:
This traditional Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel is deep and rich, showing ripe black fruit flavours with subtle jam and chocolate overtones, typical of these family-grown vineyards. Gentle on the palate with a subtle, smoky finish.

GRAPES:
Malbec 8%, Petite Sirah 10%, Zinfandel 82%.