2005
Zinfandel Port SOLD OUT
Crane Family Vineyards
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chocolaty and mocha flavors
Vintage Notes
Because Zinfandel is known to make excellent Port wine, we varied from our policy of using only grapes that we grow, and acquired some very special Zinfandel grapes grown for us on Howell Mountain in the Napa Valley. This past year was quite unusual for growing winegrapes in the Napa Valley. First, we had a mild early winter that encouraged the vines to begin their return from dormancy. Then, we had a huge amount of rain that seemed unending. Temperatures dropped in spring and blunted bud break for several weeks. It looked disaster-like until late summer and fall, when Indian summer kicked in and gave us the loveliest weather we’ve had in years, with perfectly warm days and cool nights. We allowed the grapes to hang on the vines for a few weeks past the normal harvest time to soak up the sun and develop to perfection.