2011 was a complex year for making Zinfandel in the Napa Valley. It was a late year with spring rains, a long cool summer, and then a couple of early rains in the fall. All this led to having a different thought process in wine production. With that I decided for the first time in the 18 harvests that I have been making D-cubed Zinfandel to ‘Bleed Off’ or ‘Saignée’ some juice a couple days after harvest to concentrate the juice to skin ratio. The resulting wine is my first ever Zinfandel Rose.

The 2011 Zinfandel Rose is a bright almost hibiscus colored wine. It has aromas of cranberries, strawberries and hints of toast and spice. This medium light bodied wine has flavors of cranberries, and spice and should pair nicely with summer fare. It finishes with cranberries and a nice acidity.