Seghesio Cortina Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley

Cortina Zinfandel represents our peak expression of Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley. Named for the gravelly loam soils where this variety thrives, the heart of Cortina comes from Chen’s Vineyard, planted by the Seghesio Family in 1972. Shrouded by morning fog and cooled by afternoon breezes, the grapes benefit from longer hang time, resulting in an elegant Zinfandel with lifted aromatics, bright layered fruit and refined structure.
VINTAGE
The start of the 2019 growing season was wet, however the silver lining to a wet winter and spring is healthy cover crop growth and a full soil profile. By April, rain had started to slow and the soils dried out a bit, allowing us to add large amounts of organic matter back to the soils. Now all we needed was a little more rain to help break down all that “good stuff”. The month of May did not disappoint and we received an additional 5 inches of rain. This topped off the soil profiles and aided in setting up the year for success! The summer was marked by warm days and cool nights. With healthy soils and good weather, bloom went well and our vineyards set a very nice balanced crop. Irrigation was held to a minimum throughout the growing season. Moderate temperatures into mid-September led to a gradual ripening curve for the grapes approaching harvest dates, allowing for a methodical harvest, preserved bright fruit flavors and refreshing acid structure in the wines. The wines also showcase a fully ripe, soft tannin structure that extended gradual ripening promotes. This wine was hand harvested between September 24th and October 14th.
VITICULTURE & WINEMAK ING
All grapes were hand picked and sorted at the winery, gently destemmed and transferred to small open-top fermentors without being pumped. The fermentations were macerated by pneumatic punch downs thorugh out the fermentation on skins which lasted from 7 to 10 days. Free run juice was drained and settled briefly before being transferred to barrels to complete malolactic fermentation. The wines were aged for 15 months in 95% French oak (13% new) and 5% American oak (100% neutral).
SIP & SAVOR
Aromas of lilac, wild blueberry tart, cedar and moss give way to bright acidity on the palate. Cortina Zinfandel features vibrant blue fruit and a touch of white pepper that carries through to the wine’s long elegant finish. A perfect partner to this wine would be a rack or leg of lamb. The richness of the wine and the combination of berry and spice notes would meld perfectly with the lamb’s rich and earthy flavor.
ANALYSI S Varietal
100% Zinfandel PH
3.81
ALCOH OL
15.2%
TA
5.7 grams/liter