Producer
Don’t be fooled by Joel Gott’s casual, easy-going exterior. This fifth-generation West Coast winemaker and restaurateur has remarkable energy and flair when it comes to sourcing and blending, be it the fruit for his ridiculously good-value, expressive wines or indeed the ingredients in the epic fish tacos served at his Gott’s Roadside restaurants. Regretful though we may be that we cannot import the latter, getting access to his wines is fair compensation. The labels reflect the contents: stylish modern classics, restrained and yet with a typical Californian generosity. Joel’s wife Sarah is his director of winemaking, having previously risen to be head winemaker at Joseph Phelps. With this combined pedigree, the resulting wines punch well above their weight.
Vineyard
The largest component of the blend comes from Amador and decades-old, head-trained vines in Lodi, which produce small clusters, giving the wine its intense color and concentration. Sonoma provides the wine with its red fruit and spice characteristics. Blended, the various appellations produce a balanced, yet jammy and rich, Zinfandel.
Winery
The grapes were hand-sorted and destemmed, and the wine fermented at fairly warm temperatures in stainless steel tanks. The various lots were pressed to barriques, with twenty percent new American oak and eighty percent second-fill French oak, for ten months’ ageing.
