Welcome to our Featured Wine series! Each month Damian will profile a Doffo wine, giving you a little bit of back story about the winemaking process, what to expect when you taste it, and what kinds of foods to pair it with. We hope you enjoy and visit us in Temecula soon to learn more about our handcrafted wines! Our Featured Wine of the Month for August is our 2012 Zinfandel Reserve.
The first thing people notice about our Zinfandel Reserve is the unique shape of the bottle. And it’s this unique shape that forces us to fill, cork, wax and label each of these bottles by hand, without the aid of mechanized bottling equipment. It’s a time consuming process, but that’s why we chose to do it this way. We put great care into crafting our Zinfandel Reserve, and this bottle serves as a reminder to the many hours that go into the production of each and every bottle we produce. We’ve been making Zinfandel Reserve since 2009, and each vintage is produced in very limited quantities.
Winemaking Notes
We use the same grapes from the same vineyard as our non-reserve Zinfandel, but the big difference comes with the oak selection and aging. Our Zinfandel Reserve undergoes a special barrel program, aging for nearly two years in a unique mixture of new and used oak.
Tasting Notes
The time in barrel lends this wine a deep complexity, but what I love most about this wine is its fine balance start-to-finish. You’ll notice upon first taste that this wine is very fruit-forward and jammy, but mid-palate the oak starts to come through and gives it a dryer, not-so-sweet finish.
Pairing Notes
Zinfandel is quite versatile when it comes to food pairings, and is a great choice for your Labor Day cookout! Enjoy the ’12 Zin Reserve with everything from burgers and dogs to smoked ribs and chicken. World cuisine is another solid pairing, so you could try curry dishes or a hearty Italian meal. For starters, strongly flavored cheeses like aged cheddar or parmesan complement the Zin Reserve well, and finish it off with spiced chocolate cake or a bread pudding.
Storage Instructions
If you like your reds on the fruity side, I recommend you drink the ’12 Zin Reserve sooner than later. This wine will stand up well to additional aging, and the fruitiness will mellow with another year or two in the bottle. Just be sure to properly store your bottles — on their sides and at a consistent 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit.
