2014 La Storia Zinfandel Reserve Block 303 Alexander Valley

“Old Patch” Zinfandel Cuttings on Whitten Ranch

Leo Trentadue fondly calls it “Old Patch,” but to those less familiar the century-old vineyard is known as Whitten Ranch. As we walked the rows of ancient, head-trained Zinfandel, just a couple hundred yards from the famed Geyserville Vineyard that the Trentadue family farmed for Paul Draper at Ridge, we marveled at the head-trained vines, first planted in 1896, as they towered at nearly 6 feet in height!

It’s one of the most storied old-vine parcels on the coast. Absent the wire trellising that helps growers manage leaf canopies, these 119-year-old plants march to their own drumbeat — growing up and out as they sprawl along the pebbled surface of what was once a stone-strewn riverbed.

In torrid summers, the bush plants suffer, unable to protect bunches from sunburn and blistering. But in the dry, mild, blue-sky summer of 2014, off the Trentadues’ “Reserve” blocks planted to “Old Patch” cuttings, Miro Tcholakov crafted the most voluptuous, utterly bombastic La Storia Reserve since 2009.

“Many people don’t fully understand Zinfandel,” Miro told us. “Some think that Zin thrives on heat. Actually, the opposite is true. It’s in the milder years, without the heat spikes that often blister clusters, that the Reserve blocks really shine. In all my years with the Trentadues, I’ve never seen back-to-back-to-back Zinfandel vintages quite like 2012, 2013, and 2014 — the last of which being the most polished and powerful of all.”

The 2014 La Storia Zinfandel Block 303 is inky-black. Perfectly primary aromatically, infused with juicy aromas of crushed red raspberry, blueberry, sweet spice, and violets. As always, tremendously concentrated and powerful, filled with crushed red fruit and black currant preserves, finishing with “Old Patch” cut and persistence. Delicious on release, like all of Tcholakov’s Reserves, don’t hesitate to lay this new release down for 5-7 years.

$35 on release. $17 today, only on WineAccess.

• ABV 14.90%
• Enjoy right away
• % Zinfandel