WINE OF THE WEEKEND: Rail 2 Rail Zinfandel

With the first taste of this wine I found myself saying, "Ah, yes...this is what Zinfandel is supposed to taste like." All too often, California Zinfandel these days shares more in common with 30 Weight than wine. Some old timers might even go so far to say that this is a 'Claret-style' Zin. I'd say that's a fair assessment...if by "Claret" they mean a finessed, balanced wine.

Rail 2 Rail comes from our good friend, Eric Laumann...the mind behind such wines as Ludwig and Poppy. Here's what Eric has to say about this project:

"The decision to make Rail 2 Rail started with my introduction to Andy D’Arrigo. This untiring 82 year old farmer, with a soulful ardor for growing, is the third largest produce grower in the west. Whether its lettuce, grapes or prickly pears he’s focused, intensely involved and fervently curious about working the land and bringing the harvest to market. He has no interest in turning any of his land into commercial real estate. “I don’t know how to grow buildings,” he told me. A while back he approached me to look at his old vine Zinfandel vineyard in Lodi to see if we could tune it up for making high quality wine. With some careful pruning, natural soil cultivation and a few new ideas regarding irrigation, we coaxed the 45+ year old vines into producing grapes of notable character and structure. As soon as I started to ferment the grapes, the wine’s quality became apparent and this is where I fall into trouble because I’m often unable to let good wine out of my hands. Consequentially I created the Rail 2 Rail label to house this delicious wine and serve as the testimonial for the old gnarled vines."

And the wine is delicious. In case you're wondering, the name 'Rail 2 Rail' pays homage to Eric's favorite pastime, surfing.

Item # 68174