2021 Outpost Howell Mountain Zinfandel [JD93-95]

"The 2021 Zinfandel is another beautiful wine from this team. Red plums, sandalwood, spice, and hints of iron give way to a medium-bodied, balanced, concentrated Zinfandel that has ripe tannins and a layered, balanced, already hard-to-resist style." 

"This Zinfandel is all hand-harvested from Outpost's organically-farmed estate vineyard, which sits on top of Howell Mountain at 2,200 feet above Napa Valley. The unique terroir is defined by hard, rocky red soil, high altitude, gentle cooling breezes and sunny western exposure. Outpost grapes are harvested late in the season – by hand, at dawn – to preserve the full intensity and distinctive spicy character of the mountain fruit. The grapes are processed with as little manipulation as possible. Grapes from each block within the vineyard are fermented separately so that the winemaking team can be very selective about the lots that comprise the final blend. The wine is aged in 80% in new French Oak barrels for 19 months. Wines are neither fined nor filtered allowing for the full expression of the vintages’ potential. "