Frog's Leap - Zinfandel Napa Valley 2016 (750ml)
Price: $89.99
| Producer | Frog's Leap |
| Country | United States |
| Region | California |
| Varietal | Zinfandel |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Sku | 205599 |
| Size | 750ml |
 |
A Zinfandel that draws its power from sophistication instead of raw alcohol content. Made in the classic field blend style including significant portions of Petite sirah and Carignane.
Aromas of cinnamon and clove which underscore the rich layers of dried cranberries and wild berry. Lush layers of cherry and boysenberry delight the palate while subtle nuances of oak and earth never overwhelm. Bright acid balances soft tannin. Organically Farmed.
Frog's Leap Description
A third straight year of drought in 2022 gave us our lowest yields ever in Zinfandel—about 30% below our historical average, a very unusual result for this heritage grape, which established its historical reputation in California as a steady hand through the vagaries of vintage variation. However, after resisting the winds of drought in 2020 and 2021, a third straight year finally made it bend the knee, and the result is one of the densest, most tannic Zinfandels we’ve ever made. A warm year accelerated the pace of ripening, and we finished the Zinfandel harvest before the start of September—it’s more common to find us skipping our Labor Day barbeques to pick Zin. Ultimately this was to the benefit of the ’22 Zin, as it entirely escaped the massive mid-September heat wave that complicated the rest of harvest. We picked the Petite Sirah a few days ahead of the Zin and cold-soaked the entire lot. Once the Zin was picked and began to get hot with fermentation, we combined the two varieties together in a co-fermentation that has multiple advantages—first, it cools down the fermentation, allowing for a smoother, more gentle extraction of flavors; second, the specific addition of Petite Sirah adds “bones” to Zin—tannin and acid—and paradoxically makes Zinfandel wine taste more like itself. Low (5%) new oak use and extensive (60%) aging in small concrete cubes gives the wine freshness and tempo despite the tannic, weighty character of the year. Intense red-black fruit, with a touch of warmth from the dry year. Intense floral aromas pop out on top. Rich, dense and more tannic than usual, this is a meaty Zin, and yet the olive-mineral character that I find natural to Napa Zin manages to stick out through the density, giving the wine its classic balance. I love it at very cool cellar temp (around 50°F/10°C), which really brings out its floral-savory lift.
