From the winery: The story of the Deaver Vineyard starts in the 1800s during the California Gold Rush. Italian immigrants brought Zinfandel cuttings from the East Coast and planted vineyards in the Sierra Foothills. The fourteen acre piece of the Deaver family vineyard used to make Terra d’Oro Deaver Vineyard 130+ Year Old Vine Zinfandel was planted in 1881 but that is not the only reason the fruit is singular and exceptional. As vines mature they produce less but more concentrated fruit. The dry farmed vine’s roots continue to grow deeper into the soil as years pass and pull water and nutrients from multiple soil layers. Last but not least the relationship between the Trinchero family of Terra d’Oro and the Deaver family, stemmed in the 1960’s over a passion for Amador Zinfandel, and has since been one of loyalty and mutual respect.
About the Wine: The Terra d’Oro 2017 Deaver Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel is made from 100% Zinfandel grapes harvested from the estate’s Deaver Vineyard located in Amador County, California. The wine is aged in combination French and American oak barrels (percentages unknown) for 14 months.
14.5% ABV
Flavor Profile: Open the bottle to find raspberry jam, oak wood very subtly wafting up and out. This OVZ is a light, dusty cranberry on the pour. In the glass: complete clarity with just a hint more purple added to that dusty cranberry.
Initial aromas are of cranberries, raspberries, a bit of smoke and a hint of red spices. Swirl and find vibrant acidity pierces quite gently; there’s an almost tobacco or cigar-like perfume that lingers in the background. Deep dive with the nose and find darker, richer fruit aromas like fig and prune and the slight hint of decadence that does speak to some new oak wood.
The palate is soft, light, with pillowy, cloudy tannins that just whisper on the tongue. The acidity is present, tickling just the tip of the tongue. Dominant flavor are of those darker fruits: figs, black plums, a hint of rehydrated prunes or dates. The oak comes through with secondary flavors of tobacco, vanilla, and maybe just a touch of baking spice. The finish is long, lingering, with the acidity amplifying just a bit for a kind of menthol-like numbing around the gums and on the front and front-sides of tongue. And, indeed, there is a kind of woody, eucalyptus-like after breath.
Acidity is high
Body is medium
Tannins medium
Deliciousness high
Food Pairing: ‘Spicy’ Hawaiian pizza: slightly spicy bbq sauce, pineapple, fak’n (fake bacon because real bacon is ew gross), red onion, olives, and mozzarella cheese.
More Info: I received the Terra d’Oro 2017 Deaver Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel as a gift. (Cheers, Jim!) Price: $30. For more information about Terra d’Oro, their wines, and to purchase wine directly, please visit the TDO website.
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**Please note: all reviews and opinions are my own and are not associated with any of my places of business. I will always state when a wine has been sent as a sample for review. Sending samples for review on my personal website in no way guarantees coverage in any other media outlet I may be currently associated with.**
