Pagani Ranch Zinfandel 2023

Pagani Ranch lies on the western side of the Sonoma Valley, in Sonoma County, California. This historic vineyard, planted mostly between 1896 and 1922, sits on gravelly clay loam soils. Its old head-trained vines, interplanted with several grape varieties, give this cuvée all the complexity of an old field blend.

The grapes, harvested by hand from 11 to 21 October, are destemmed and then crushed. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place naturally, with native yeasts and bacteria, while pump-overs are carried out on a floating cap. The wine is then aged for fourteen months in air-dried American oak barrels, 3% of them new, before pad filtration at bottling.

This wine reveals notes of strawberry, guava, fennel, orange zest, wild blackberry, black cherry, vanilla, toasted oak, black pepper and liquorice. The palate combines a generous, enveloping body with particularly lively acidity, which lengthens the fruit with energy. The well-coated yet firm tannins structure a long, flavoursome and slightly spicy finish.

In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors into California that boosted the Californian wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in Sonoma and Napa. At the start of the 20th century there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933, Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of the Californian wine industry, so much so that by 1933 only 140 wineries were still producing wine. It was not until 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition, and California was then known mainly for fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous wineries were founded (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc.). In 1976 a landmark event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgement of Paris". It pitted the greatest French wines against the American newcomers. On 24 May, an unexpected result shook the wine world when, to everyone's surprise, the United States came out on top. Yet the competition remains fairly unknown to the general public. Today there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. Although California largely monopolises the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world and Washington State offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.