Saint George Zinfandel 2019

Alex Krause and John Locke founded Birichino with a singular goal: to make expressive wines with character from the best plots of old California vines , located in cool climates. The grapes for this Zinfandel (American grape variety originally from Italy) come from a vineyard planted in 1922 at the foot of the Santa Cruz mountains. It has the body and acidity of a medium-bodied Pinot Noir. Conservative agricultural practices result in low yields and very small clusters, which allow full aromatic development without the need to over-ripen the wine and subject it to excessively high alcohol levels. No filtration is carried out and aging in neutral barrels for 9 months allows the wine to soften without adding woody notes. The aromas are dominated by red fruits such as redcurrant , raspberry and strawberry . We also find floral notes like violet and menthol and a wide variety of spices like licorice . A wine made with finesse unlike the traditional zinfandel that can be found in California. A great wine!

In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors to California that boosted the California wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in the Sonoma and Napa region. At the start of the 20th century, there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933 Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of the California wine industry so that by 1933, only 140 wineries remained producing wine. It was only from 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition and California was primarily known for the production of fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous estates were created (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc...). In 1976, a significant event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgment of Paris". He sees the greatest French wines opposing the new American wines. This May 24, an unexpected result shakes the world of wine, since to everyone's surprise, it is the United States which wins. However, this competition remains relatively unknown to the general public. Today, there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. Even though California largely monopolizes the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world and the state of Washington offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon.