Rombauer Vineyards Zinfandel California 2021

Viticulture

This wine comes from select vineyards in four top growing regions: Amador County (50%), El Dorado County (25%), Lake County (20%), and Napa County (5%). 

There were light rains in January and February with no notable precipitation for the rest of the growing season. This allowed the fruit to flower and set beautifully, leading into a warm summer without major heat spikes. Sustainable farming practices throughout the growing season were tailored to each block with the assistance of aerial photos produced using NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) technology. Harvest was long, with ideal conditions allowing us to pick each block at its optimal ripeness and at night to preserve its natural acidity. 

Vinification

The grapes were carefully destemmed and optically sorted to ensure only perfect fruit made it into the wine. A cold soak extracted color and flavor before primary fermentation began in tank. The wine was gently basket-pressed and then racked to oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and aging. 

Aged 14 months in American (10% new) and French oak.

Tasting notes

Aromas of raspberry, cherry, and cranberry mingle with notes of dried herbs and flowers. The palate is full of concentrated red berries, spice, and licorice flavors with a juicy mid palate framed by fine tannins. The finish is long, silky, and full of flavor. 

Winery Description

Founded in 1980 by Koerner and Joan Rombauer, Rombauer Vineyards have been producing acclaimed wines from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, the Sierra Foothills, and the Santa Lucia Highlands for over 40years.

In 1972, former commercial airline pilot, Koerner Rombauer and his wife Joan Rombauer moved their two children, two horses and five dogs to Napa Valley, where they fell in love with the landscape and winegrowing. They were already well acquainted with the natural relationship between food and wine - Koerner's great aunt Irma wrote the internationally renowned cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, and his German ancestors had deep roots in the winegrowing region of Rheingau.
 
Having made friends in Napa Valley's growing wine community, the Rombauers become partners in Conn Creek Winery with Bill Beaver and Bill Collins. The family learns the business from the ground up, helping with everything from cleaning tanks to working on the bottling line.

The Rombauers sell their stake in Conn Creek in 1980 and start their own winery. They harvest their first grapes Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags Leap District and with Winemaker Bob Levy produce their first vintages at Shafer Vineyards and even in Koerner's garage, which is bonded as a winery for the purpose.

The inaugural wines for Rombauer Vineyards are bottled at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. The Rombauers break ground for their own winery on their St. Helena property and crush their first grapes, Chardonnay, in August. The family builds a winery with capacity beyond their own needs to house a custom-crush business to help finance construction. From 1982 to 2008, Rombauer Vineyards serves as home base to an elite group of up-and-coming wineries, including Dominus, Neyers Cellars, Spottswoode, Duckhorn, Merryvale, Corison, Etude and others.

In 1984 they released their first Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Six years later, Rombauer Vineyards purchased its first Chardonnay grapes from the Carneros region in 1990. This marked the beginning of a lasting partnership with the Sangiacomo family, farmers for three generations. 

Rombauer Vineyards 1991 Carneros Chardonnay makes Wine Spectator’s prestigious Top 100 Wines list, ranking No. 68. It is the first of five appearances on the annual list for the winery’s iconic Chardonnay. Critical acclaim and popularity with consumers continued as Rombauer’s 1993 Carneros ranks No. 32 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines list.

The winery has become widely acclaimed with over seventy 90+ point awards across Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir varietals. Under the direction of Richie Allen, the Vice President of Viticulture and Winemaking and Winemaker Luke Clayton, Rombauer Vineyards combines traditional viticultural and winemaking practices with the best available technology to ensure the highest quality wine production. This has created spectacular wines such as the Carneros Chardonnay, named one of the Top 100 Wines of the World five times by Wine Spectator and is ranked among the Top 10 Chardonnays for 17 consecutive years in Wine & Spirits Restaurant Wine Poll.

Rombauer Vineyards believes it's an honor and responsibility to be good stewards of their vineyards. They use sustainable practices in the vineyards and at the winery to protect and preserve the land for future generations, earning certifications as California Sustainable Certified Vineyard & Winery and Napa Green Winery Certified. Today, Rombauer Vineyards is still operated with members of the second and third generations of the Rombauer family, and carries on Koerner Rombauer's values of gratitude through family-style hospitality.