Zinfandel

Zinfandel holds its place as the heritage grape among winemakers in Paso Robles, where Paderewski and others established the earliest plantings a century ago. The 2015 J. Lohr Gesture Zinfandel gets its brightest red fruit notes from a steep, south-facing block planted on a lime shale soil known as Gazos Shaly Clay Loam. The growing season registered as the fourth consecutive year of drought in the region. Warm springtime weather was absent of frost and brought excellent berry set prior to summer. October weather was mild, which allowed fruit to mature completely. For Zinfandel, it’s the acidity, and not sugar development, that defines ripeness grown in a cool area like the Willow Creek District of Paso Robles. Picking was predicated on a drop in acidity coinciding with a burst in flavor long after the sugar maturity had been achieved. The 2015 Gesture Zinfandel has briary black cherry fruit that lingers on the finish.