Past Wines
-
Featured Wine
-
Tasting Notes
-
Technical Data
Tofanelli Vineyards 2005 Napa Valley Estate ZinfandelOnly 499 Cases Produced
This featured wine is no longer available for purchase on Indie Winemakers. Join our Mailing List (see at left) to be notified when a new featured wine is offered. |
 |
About the Vineyard
Tofanelli Vineyards has been family owned and farmed since 1929. The historical vineyard now stands as one the last examples of pre-World War II grape growing. The methods they still use were once prevalent through-out the valley; no irrigation, an organic philosophy, and no trellis systems on the red varietals. Given the reputation of the vines and the limited production of the winery, Tofanelli vineyards sells some fruit to other wineries such as Turley, Spottswoode, Schrader, Orin-Swift, Neyers and Duckhorn.
Consisting mostly of Bale Series, gravelly loam, it drains well and doesn't retain nutrients. The effect is natural devigoration that results in smaller, more concentrated clusters of fruit. Wines produced from this site are organically grown and dry farmed. Rootstock includes St. George, 1103 Paulsen and 110 Rupestrus.
Summary of Tasting Event
This wine was tasted on March 8, 2008 by a panel of 8 tasters in a blind tasting format and paired with Crown Roast Of Pork With Wild Rice Stuffing.
These magnificent dry farmed vines are a living testament to the unique combination of this old Zinfandel clone grafted to St. George rootstock. The result of this dry farmed effort is a powerfully built old vine zin. The initial taste is packed with pepper and rich black cherry fruit with some notes of cassis. We found the wine to have a good structure of acid and fruit tannin on the finish.
After 10 minutes in the glass we noticed a significant difference in the texture of the wine. We tasted the same pepper and dark berry flavors, but the wine took on a silkier, smoother texture in the mouth. We recommend an hour decanting period followed by a short time in the glass to extract the maximum taste and texture out of this wine. This Zinfandel can be cellared for 2-5 years. The pork went well with this Zinfandel but the wild rice stuffing really brought out the best in the pairing. The Madiera wine sauce poured over the pork and rice also added nice acidity.
| Wine Profile Style | ||
| Light Bodied | Medium Bodied | Full Bodied |
| Drink Now (0-3 yrs) | Will Age (3-5 yrs) | Will Age (8-10 yrs) |
| Slightly Fruity | Fruity | Very Fruity |
| No Tannins | Softer Tannins | Heavier Tannins |
| Low Acidity | Medium Acidity | High Acidity |
| No Residual Sugar Dry | Off Dry | Sweet |
Tofanelli Vineyards2005 Napa Valley Estate ZinfandelOnly 499 Cases Produced
This featured wine is no longer available for purchase on Indie Winemakers. Join our Mailing List (see at left) to be notified when a new featured wine is offered. |
|
Indie Winemakers' Tasting Notes
Our mission is to provide unbiased opinions of the wine being offered. These notes come from up to 10 guests who tasted this wine in a blind tasting format (wine is concealed so their identity is unknown). Why this format? Tasting blind completely throws out any hype associated with a certain winery, style, price point, etc; it forces the taster to accept what is in the glass without any predetermined notions. Our guests utilize Robert Parker's Glossary of Wine Terms for their comments for consistency purposes. In addition, we utilize the wine aroma wheel to enhance one’s ability to describe the complexity of wine flavor. Notes are posted on this wine during the tasting to ensure they accurately reflect the impressions.
Tasting Notes
- SS: Very smooth, coats your mouth. Dark color and pepper nose. Tasted black cherry. Really smoothed out after a little time in the glass.
- RLA: Cherry and casis nose and taste. Full-body but smooth, especially after some time in the glass.
- BM: Very nice, smooth wine. Medium bodied with a very long finish. Let it sit in the glass for a while and you get a smoother wine.
- LM: Very big wine flavor and arouma to begin. Returned 10 minutes later to find a completly different wine. That’s the single biggest change in a wine I’ve ever tasted. Buttery in the mouth, I found cherry and Jasmine in the nose. Medium bodied with a very long finish.
- RA: Complex and decadent flavors, a little young but should age well.
- MA: This wine exhibits aromas of dark berries, red currant and straw. The aromas lead to an explosion of pure dark cherry fruit and pepper in the mouth, backed by a firm structure. The essence of this wine continues over the palate with more fruit on the finish
Tofanelli Vineyards 2005 Napa Valley Estate ZinfandelOnly 499 Cases Produced
This featured wine is no longer available for purchase on Indie Winemakers. Join our Mailing List (see at left) to be notified when a new featured wine is offered. |
|
Wine Technical Data |
|
| Blend | 100% Zinfandel |
| Appelation | 100% Tofanelli and DiGiulio Ranch Vineyard, Napa Valley |
| Harvest Dates | Handpicked September 21-30, 2005 |
| Sugar at Harvest | 24.7 degrees Brix |
| Fermentation | 4 days with 2 punchdowns/day |
| Aging / Cooperage | 16 months in French oak, 20% new |
| Alcohol | 15.8% by volume |
| Acidity | PH = 3.64, TA = 0.61 |
Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Exploding with classic Zin aromatics, one also detects scents of orange-dark chocolate and finely ground white pepper. Flavors of ripe mulberries layer with blackberry and cherry Heering. This wine begins with a brawniness, yet eases into an elegance as the tannins and acidity merge to a seamless finish. Enjoy this wine now and for the next 7 to 9 years.