Appellation: Alexander Valley
Owner/Winemaker: Chris Bilbro
Release date: January 2009
The 2008 Zinfandel was picked very ripe, but still within the range of balance. Ripe flavors were achieved with high sugars and a heady, full bodied resulting wine. The aromas are bright red and black berries with pepper and spice. The moutfeel is very lush with palate coating blackberry flavors, spice, and slight hints of toasty oak. Leaning more towards our Angeli Cuvee style, this wine should age quite well for up to 10 years due to its depth and structure.
Grape Source: Alexander Valley, (Sonoma County)
Color: Dark Ruby
Oak aging: 16 months French Oak
Aging potential: 5-10 years
Appellation: Alexander Valley
Winemaker: Chris Bilbro
Released: June 2010
Angeli Cuvee is a proprietary blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Carignane that we’ve been making since the first vintages that we had fruit from our Alexander Valley ranch and home. The wine is named for the family who previously owned our ranch for 104 years.
Increased quantities of Petite Sirah have boosted the density and kept the aromas and flavors tightly wound on the 2006 release. Below the surface, the potential is evident which will evolve to show layers of blackberry, dark chocolate, and rich spice. This wine flirts with the edges of ripeness and full bodied flavors yielding a bursting mouthfeel of rich, ripe blackberries with a dallop of toasty oak while retaining great structure and balance.
Grape Source: Alexander Valley, (Sonoma County)
Color: Dark Ruby
Oak aging: 18 months, primarily French oak
Aging potential: up to 15 years
Appellation: Alexander Valley
Winemaker: Chris Bilbro
Released: June 2010
This is a big wine. The aromas are still tight, yet they show broad hints of complexity including ripe cherry, cassis, graphite, and a pleasant herbal and earthy component. The palate is very full and structured, and well integrated oak carries the wine to a long finish. Our goal is to make lush and rich yet very classic Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2007 seems to have achieved this in stride. While hard to resist drinking now, the thick but moderate fruit tannin promise a very easy 10 years of aging potential.
Grape Source: Alexander Valley, (Sonoma County)
Color: Dark Ruby
Oak Aging: 16 months French Oak
Aging Potential: 5-10 years
Appellation: California
Winemaker: Chris and Scot Bilbro
Released: June 2010
Old Vine Red is a challenging yet fun wine to make. Our goal is always quality and consistency. A non-vintage proprietary blend gives us lots of flexibility to accomplish this, and since we release it three times per year, it’s always interesting to adjust the wine to the season. Lot 52 is a classic example. This summer release is bursting with bright, fresh berry and cherry fruit and spice yet it boasts sufficient body, weight and texture to accompany barbeque, spicy salsa topped foods, blackened cajun chicken, or to sip with fresh fruit on a warm summer eve. Focused on fruit with just a hint of toasty oak, this Zinfandel based blend should be enjoyed over the next couple of years if you can let is last that long.
Grape Source: Primarily Sonoma and Mendocino Counties
Color: Dark Ruby Purple
Aging Potential: Best within 1-3 years
Due to the continued high demand of Old Vine Red across the country and in order to maintain as consistent a supply as possible, we will no longer be selling Old Vine Red on our website. We would like to stress how much we appreciate the support we’ve had on Old Vine Red and we have made this decision in an effort to keep as many markets, and consequently people, in stock as possible. To insure that you will be well supplied by your local retailers, please let us know if you have any trouble at all finding Old Vine Red in your area and we will immediately find you a local outlet or maintain your supply.
