2022 divergent vine
“Gold Dust Vineyard” Estate Primitivo
It’s Zinfandel, but it’s definitely not Zinfandel
Tasting Notes
Our 2022 Estate Primitivo was fermented 25% whole cluster and aged for 16 months in Old French Oak barrels.
Our Primitivo opens with rustic, earthy aromas, wrapped in cocoa nibs, enticing you deeper into the glass where the wine delivers flavors of strawberry compote, baking spice, and raspberry, wrapped in a fresh acidity and soft, but ample tannin. Enjoy with everything from traditional Italian dish pairings to burgers, and BBQ.
Winemaking
Harvest: About 40% of the grapes were put into large T-bins whole cluster, the remaining 60% were de-stemmed on top, creating a partial carbonic maceration fermentation environment. Grapes were foot stomped daily until native ferment started breaking down the grapes enough to do daily punch downs.
Aging: 15 months in old French Oak barrels
Yeast: Indigenous
Bottled without fining or filtration.
Ingredients: Organic grapes, indegenous yeast, 15ppm SO2 at bottling to protect the wine for aging.
Production: 99 cases
Winemaker Notes
Gold Dust Estate Vineyard
Our Gold Dust Estate Vineyard is situated on a ridge line high in Southern El Dorado County. Planted in 2000 at 2,700’ elevation, the 100% decomposed granite on the property produce wines of particular complexity and structure. Our Primitivo is planted in the smallest block on the vineyard, generally yielding only about 100 cases each year. The Primitivo block is on a slight south and west facing slope leading to a slight difference in ripeness from the northernmost to southernmost situated rows. The diversity in the grape development yield a wine that has generous aromatics, while finishing off with significant body structure, and complexity.
Vintage
The 2022 vintage was marked by a late start with cool weather (and even a few snows!) into April and early May. The weather warmed up as August arrived and featured several extended heat streaks, which made it challenging to forecast appropriate picking times. That said, overall the 2022 wines show tremendous aromatics, structure, and depth.
Varietal
Primitivo is an Italian clone of Zinfandel; the two grapes are genetically identical. However, it wasn’t until we purchased this vineyard that I realized the distinct differences between the wines that Zinfandel makes as opposed to Primitivo.