2006 Hendry "Block 28" Zinfandel

 

Hendry Block 28 is located on bench lands west of the town of Napa. This 4.17 acre block is
160 feet above sea level and has thin, stony Boomer Series soils. Morning fog and strong
afternoon breezes from San Pablo Bay moderate the maritime climate. The vines were planted
in 1995 using St. George roots and grafted with bud wood selected from an old vine Zinfandel vineyard. The vines are spaced 6.9' x 5', cordon trained and spur pruned. A vertical trellis system supports the cordon and the canopy.

In 2006, the median bud break in Block 28 occurred April 17. Median bloom was June 4 andmedian veraison was August 12. Harvest was October 2, with a yield of 4.3 tons per acre. Thealcoholic fermentation was completed in approximately one week in closed fermentation tanks. The wine was pressed and put into barrels for malolactic fermentation. Aging was fifteen months in French oak barrels, 65% of which were new.
Aromas include smoky spice, bay, berry, earth, mint and mineral. Dark fruit flavors of
blackberries, blueberries and black currant, in an elegant wrapping of spicy and wellintegrated
oak. In contrast to the more simple, dark fruit jam flavors of the 2005 Block 28
Zinfandel, the 2006 returns to the familiar broad-shouldered, firm structured, complex and
almost Cab-like Hendry Zinfandel style. This wine will continue to soften and gain
complexity with age. The natural concentration and firm structure of Block 28 fruit is the
reason it receives 15% more new oak barrels than the Block 7 & 22 bottling. Block 28 has an affinity for anything rich, braised, or meaty, and would be terrific with a slow-roasted lamb
shank rubbed with herbes-de-provence, braised short ribs or a game-based risotto.