Las Jaras Wines 2021 'Sweet Berry Wine' Red Blend, Mendocino County

Vintage Notes: After skipping the 2020 vintage of Sweet Berry Wine due to wildfire, Las Jaras is happy to finally release this iteration of their flagship red blend. It exudes incredible finesse. However, this hasn't always been the case. This vintage required ample time to stretch its legs and evolve into the elegant and harmonious beauty that now graces the glass before you. The vintage was characterized by drought conditions, yielding a small crop of petite berries, reduced by 20% to 30%. Rainfall barely reached half of the average, subjecting the vines to a struggle in bearing fruit. Fortunately, the weather remained relatively mild after that. It took a little longer to release the 2021 because it necessitated extended periods in both barrel and bottle to find its rhythm. The result is a wine that wields power yet exhibits refinement.

Vineyard Notes: The grapes for the 2021 Sweet Berry Wine are grown on dry farmed old vines and sourced primarily from vineyards in the center of Mendocino County near Calpella. All of the vineyards that Las Jaras sources from are practicing organic. Most of the Zinfandel, Carignan and all of the Petite Sirah came from Gary Venturi’s vineyard in Calpella, where they are farmed in Yokayo sandy loam soils. We also got a bit of the Carignan from Testa and Larry Venturi Vineyards on the east side of the highway. 12% of the Zinfandel came from Enz vineyard in Lime Kiln Valley.

Winemaking Notes: All of the fruit in this blend was hand-picked and each block was selected and fermented separately. Las Jaras likes to employ a slightly different winemaking process for each fermentor in order to bring out more complexity in the blend. There were no additions to the fruit when received and added to tanks. They do not perform cold soaks and all lots were native yeast fermented in open-top fermenters. Las Jaras employs minimal extraction in the cellar with only one very light punchdown per day. They typically drained and pressed at dryness and aged in neutral 228L Burgundy barrels, used and new French 600L demi muids and 500L puncheons. The Press wine was kept separate and it was not added back to the blend. They racked with light lees and blended the wine into 3 blocks in the spring following harvest. This was done to allow the more structured lots marry with the leaner lots which helped to achieve great cohesion in the blend. One month before bottling they racked and blended all of the lots followed by a couple more weeks in the barrel. One week before bottling, the wine was racked clean to a new tank. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration. Total barrel time was 14 months.

Tasting Notes: Within this vintage of Sweet Berry Wine, you'll be greeted by robust aromas of cocoa powder, black plum, marionberry, forest floor, and allspice. With each sip, you'll encounter notes of blue fruit, deep cherry, and red licorice, supported by supple tannins that lead to an enduring and savory finish