The 25 growing season was delayed by cool spring weather that continued through late May, but above-average summer temperatures allowed the vineyard to catch up. The stressed vines at the top were harvested in early September; the rest ripened lock by block over the next thirty days. Rebounding rom the low yields of 24, these eighty-year-old ines set a large crop. The thirteen separate naturalyeast fermentations took place in small tanks, two thirds of which were fitted with grids, keeping the skins submerged to augment extraction of color and tannin. In eight days, on average, the tanks were drained and the skins gently pressed; the majority of press wine, rich in both color and complexity, was blended with the free run. Natural malolactic fermentations finished in two months, and the wine was racked to american oak barrels for aging. New oak was held to twenty percent, complementing the wine's bright cherry fruit and exotic spice. This rich, full-bodied zinfandel will be at its most enjoyable over the next five to six years. EB (1/6)