Ironstone Reserve Rous Vineyards 'Ancient Vines' Zinfandel 2021
Overview
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The Rous Vineyard Ancient Vine Zinfandel’s characteristics are unforgettable. Multi-dimensional in aromas and flavors, this generously rich Zinfandel offers plush aromas and flavors of ripe blackberries, brown spices, clove, caramel, and slight vanilla, finishing with well-rounded tannins and a lingering dark fruit finish. |
Wine Facts
VITICULTURE: The Rous Vineyard, grafted entirely onto St. George rootstock, was planted in 1909, making this vintage being from spectacular 111-year-old vines. These magnificent, twisted, gnarly, head-trained Zinfandel vines yield fruit with incredible concentration of flavors. The soil is a mixture of very sandy and sandy loam. Fully mature grapes were hand-harvested in early September 2020.
VINIFICATION: Following hand harvesting, these precious grape clusters were fermented in our small rotary fermenter. After undergoing extended fermentation and maceration, the newly pressed wine was transferred into small French oak barrels and placed in our underground caverns. Hand-blasted by local miners, many whose families came for gold in the 1800’s, these caverns remain a natural 60 degrees Fahrenheit year-round temperature to ensure a fuller, richer and finer wine of true varietal character. Careful handling of these unique grapes from start to finish yields a wine that is true to world-acclaimed Lodi Zinfandels.
FAMILY: In 1926, the Kautz family began farming in the Lodi region and in 1958, John Kautz Farms was founded. In 1988, John and his wife Gail, along with their children, Stephen, Kurt, Joan and Jack, built a state-of-the-art winery and entertainment facility in the town of Murphys, the heart of the Gold Rush era, producing their first vintage in 1989. They followed this purchase with Bear Creek, one of the oldest continuously running wineries in Lodi, in 1997. Their vineyard holdings grew exponentially over the next 30 years, to 7,000 acres in both the Sierra Foothills and Lodi. Ironstone’s location in Calaveras County, affectionately known as the “Queen of the Sierras,” boasts mineral-rich, volcanic terroir, ideal for growing the wide range of varieties that run the gamut, from Chenin Blanc to Zinfandel.
Producer: Ironstone Vineyards
Region: Lodi, California
Country: United States
Wine Composition: 100% Rous Zinfandel
Alcohol: 14.5%
Total Acidity: 6.2 G/L
Residual Sugar: 3.2 G/L
pH: 3.79
Region: Lodi, California
Country: United States
Wine Composition: 100% Rous Zinfandel
Alcohol: 14.5%
Total Acidity: 6.2 G/L
Residual Sugar: 3.2 G/L
pH: 3.79
Press Highlights
2021: 93 Pts - Tasting Panel, Apr 20252020: 91 Pts - Wine Enthusiast, July 2024
2012: 90 Pts - Wine Enthusiast, May 2015
2010: ‘Gold Medal’ - San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Jan 2014
2009: ‘Gold Medal’- Best of the Bay & Zin Challenge, May 2012
Ironstone Vineyards 2012 Grower of the Year, John Kautz Family, California Association of Wine Grape Growers, Jan 2012
Ironstone Vineyards, 2011 Best of Lodi Award, US Commerce Association, Sept 2011
Ironstone Vineyards 2014 Top 25 Most Awesome Tasting Rooms in California, IntoWine, Michael Cervin, May 2014