Hearst Ranch Winery Zinfandel 3-Pack
$69.99 $153.00 54% off List Price
2014 Hearst Ranch Winery “Carpoforo” Zinfandel, Paso Robles
Some people will probably be interested in the 25% Petite Sirah but I am more curious about the relationship between pH and TA with this wine. Surprised to see the elevated acidity level of .65 TA with pH of 3.7.
Question for the winemaker if he stops by - how does one affect the other and what, if any, manipulations are done to achieve these levels?
Hey WD…please check PM
Oh sure, I ask for fresh wine and I GET fresh wine.
Is this drink now or should I cellar it for a while?
Gah! I was just at the Hearst Castle last week while in Paso on vacation! I knew I should have picked up some wine while I was there. And now Missouri is not on the list of ship-to states. Darn the luck!
Drink it! Drink it now! Drink it good!
I’m the Lab Rat for this wine (can’t remember what the new program is called but I love the Lab Rat name). I love Zins so was really excited to get this. Zins have become my go to wine. Last time, I was in Sonoma/Russian River, we spent most of the trip drinking Zins.
Anyways, this was a much smoother Zin than what I am used to. There was a lot more balance between the fruit and spice - honestly, the spice was pretty mild. This was a great Zin to try because it was different from what I’ve come to expect from a Zin. Maybe because this is form Paso where I haven’t tried a lot of Zins.
I think this is also a good intro Zin for people who might want to try one but are worried they are too strong.
I’ll keep watching the comments and try to respond to any questions during the day.
Theresa
Ok, so although I don’t think wine should travel in the summer I have no problems in moving around in the summer personally.
So a bottle of this vino was shipped to my home while I was gone (still am) and the day before my lovely bride was leaving town as well. Tried to redirect the shipment but no luck.
So in the hubbub of getting ready to leave my bride and daughter popped the bottle. Color was on the lighter side, not deep/opaque.
They loved the nose. Blackberry predominate that carried through to the taste. They both tend to like wines that are on the fruity side and this is not that. Definitely trending to the food side of the category. Finished short. These were first impressions on a busy night and didn’t get a chance to visit it later.
Hi webdev511,
I enjoy my wines young and big, therefore I’d drink now or within the next year.
Astute observation! A pH of 3.7 would normally be associated with a slightly lower TA level at harvest time. Over the course of aging the VA level (volatile acidity measured in acetic acid) gradually rises which will disproportionately increase the TA relative to the pH. As long as potassium levels in the wine are reasonable, the pH tends to stay stable throughout aging.
Enjoy!
Grape Debater!
How do you think the QPR is on this offer?
While your notes are quick they are actually quite helpful. Thank you.
Have you stashed any away from prior vintages to see how they age? Most that buy here buy for near term consumption but some might sit on these (owww!!) for some time and it might be beneficial as to what to expect from this wine 5 years out or even 10 years out.
While our previous Zinfandel vintages have aged very nicely, I prefer ours to be drank young.
As you may know, Zinfandel is a varietal that generally has less tannins than most other red varietals, which doesnt make it a great candidate for aging more than 5 years.
If you are interested in a wine that ages longer, I can recommend our Cabernet Franc, which has plenty of chalky tannins balanced with the right amount of oak.
I hope this was helpful. Thank you for your interest.
Thank you for the response, much appreciated.
Info post:
All tasting notes for this wine have been cross posted into CT under user name wine.woot_taster. User names have been removed to protect the guilty. PM me if you want your tasting note removed or user name added back.
Thanks and back to the wineing.