Four Vines Old Vine Zinfandel 2019 (Lodi) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a delicious Old Vines Zinfandel from Lodi that arrived at the LCBO last summer as part of the "American Idyll" theme in the July 22nd LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, with a few bottles at select LCBO outlets still available for purchase today.

It is produced by Four Vines, a highly-regarded California Zinfandel and Chardonnay wine producer that was originally established in 1994 by Christian Tietje. Four Vines grew out of, as Christian called it, a garage and surf shack, to eventually produce 120,000 cases as its wines became popular. In 2010, Four Vines was acquired by a company now known as Purple Brands.

Four Vines was founded on California's Central Coast, a vast and rugged landscape that stretches from Santa Barbara and north to Monterey Bay. It is a wild country with a gorgeous coastline and few towns, and is thus wide open with fertile farming soil and abundant ranch land. This area also attracted more than just farmers and cowboys, it attracted artists, rebels, seekers, and bon vivants from the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and the confluence of their unique personalities put a stamp on the burgeoning wine region. Today, rule-breaking and non-conformity are celebrated values, with Four Vines honouring the anti-establishment views of the Central Coast's eccentric personalities. Four Vines makes interesting wine for interesting people.

This red wine is crafted with fruit from their own vineyards in California's Lodi wine region, which is part of the larger Central Valley and situated directly east of San Francisco Bay between the cities of Sacramento and Stockton. It is made using 90% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah, and 1% Rubired, from vineyards that are 30 to 50 years old. These old, head-trained vines yield only a few grape clusters, and produce small, intensely flavoured berries. The grapes were harvested during the cool night and early morning hours to retain freshness, then delivered immediately to the winery and gently crushed and destemmed. It was fermented in tanks for 10 to 14 days on its skins, then gently racked into a combination of French, Hungarian, and American oak, 25% new, for 10 months of ageing.

The 2019 growing season for Zinfandel in California was excellent as it was a warm year that produced supple, juicy, fruit-filled wines for short-term drinking. Let's see how this 2019 Zinfandel from California is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

FOUR VINES OLD VINE ZINFANDEL 2019 - Lodi, California, USA (#17157) (D) - $19.95
This blend of 90% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah, and 1% Rubired has a fragrant, lifted nose of medium-high intensity that offers wild berry, brambly, black cherry, and blackberry aromas with a touch of jamminess and joined by hints of leafy green herbs, pepper, and sweet oak spices. It's medium-full bodied on the palate, with some ripe fruited sweetness that is tempered by very good acidity. It has delicious wild berry, brambly, black cherry, blackberry aroma replays joined by savoury, smoky oak, and mineral flavours. It has smooth, fine-grained tannins that are well-integrated, while black cherry vanilla, smoky oak, and mineral notes linger on the finish, with very good length. Surprisingly good and a recommended buy! Score: 88+ pts

Other delicious wines by Four Vines can be ordered through their Agent - Churchill Cellars.