Maître de Chai 'Stampede Vineyard' Zinfandel, Lodi, California 2022

In 1942, the first Clements Stampede and Horseshow was held. It was a purely non-professional round up and it drew a crowd of 1,500. Right next door to this old rodeo grounds is the Stampede Vineyard.

• Winemaker: Alex Pits & Marty Winters
  
• Farming: Sustainable with Organic practices
  
• Variety: Zinfandel
  
• Terroir: Planted in the 1940s, the Stampede Vineyard is an own-rooted Zinfandel planting in the toe-hills of the Sierra Nevada mountains within Lodi’s Clements Hills AVA. With soils composed of decomposed granite, the Stampede Vineyard lies on a parcel that overlooks an old riverbed on one side, and the Clements Stampede rodeo grounds on the other.
  
• Vinification: Harvested on August 28th, fermented with native yeasts in a mix of whole cluster and destemmed open top fermentations.
  
• Aging:  Aged exclusively in 500L puncheons for 14 months before being bottled with no fining or filtration.
  
• Tasting Notes: Strawberry, plum and raspberry with a touch of cola and licorice round out a bright finish with subtle texture but sturdy tannins. The finesse of this wine makes it drinkable now, but will age for years to come.
• Scores: 93 points, Antonio Galloni (Vinous)