Cabernet Sauvignon might now be considered by many to be California's flagship grape. But over 100 years before the Judgement of Paris thrust Napa Valley Cab into the spotlight, another grape was thriving in California's warm, dry climate: Zinfandel, inarguably one of the most culturally and historically significant varieties in California's vinous history.
In many ways, Zinfandel tells the story of California wine itself. First planted during the Gold Rush in the mid-19th century, vineyards were rapidly established across the state, thanks in large part to immigrant families settling in the Northern California countryside. The durability of Zinfandel's thick skins played a crucial role in the survival of California winemaking through Prohibition, anchoring some of the state's oldest vineyards (many of which are still thriving today).
If Zinfandel tells the story of California, Preston Farm & Winery has been a central figure in that story from the beginning.
The land that Preston now occupies in Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley has grape growing roots going back to the late 1800s, when the Guadagni Family - recently arrived Italian immigrants - established early plantings of Zinfandel, shaping much of the agricultural character that defines the region today. When Lou and Susan Preston purchased the property in 1973, it was operating mostly as a prune and pear farm. But Lou, who had studied viticulture at UC Davis, recognized immediately the value of the farm's old Zinfandel vines, and threw himself into rehabbing those historic vineyards, investing in organic and biodynamic farming, and making wine that celebrates the rich history of Dry Creek.
The fruit for their 2022 Zinfandel comes from five distinct dry farmed blocks on the property, with plantings ranging in age from 21 to 112 years old. Vibrant and layered, it shows brambly, dark-red-berry fruit on the nose, with notes of plum, mocha powder, and peppercorn. The palate is deliciously lengthened by the addition of 8% Mataro (Mourvedre), accentuating ripe red raspberry, tobacco and a signature note of blood orange show before the arrival of dusty Dry Creek tannins and a richly structured finish.
