2004 "R" Primitivo

Purchase 2004 "R" Primitivo

Is Primitivo really Zinfandel, or Zinfandel Primitivo? Who knows? Even the DNA experts don't agree. But given the longstanding success of Zinfandel in Amador County, it was only fitting that Primitivo be given the same opportunity to distinguish itself in the Sierra Foothills. In the early 1990s, Tom Dillion planted two acres of vineyard to a selection of Primitivo from Southeastern Italy. It is from this small vineyard that I purchase grapes to produce this wine. As one would expect, two acres doesn't produce much fruit and in 2004, I crushed just over two tons on September 9th. After a week long fermentation on the skins, the wine was pressed to small oak barrels where it aged for 17 months before being blended and bottled in February 2006.

The 2004 Primitivo has an exceptionally dep ruby color with carmine hues. The aromas are of black cherries, blueberries and plums. A bouquet of toasty oak with nuances of cinnamon compliments the black fruit. On the palate, sweet ripe raspberries mingle with flavors of cedar and oak. The fruit flavors have a seamless transition to a soft, lingering finish featuring mocha/chocolate oak with notes of dust and mineral. The tannins are soft and well-integrated, making the wine quite smooth.

100% Primitivo
15.5% Alcohol
118 Cases produced

Purchase 2004 "R" Primitivo