2020 Stirm 'Wirz Vineyard' Zinfandel, Cienega Valley   

Farmed by Pat Wirz, this old-vine, dry-farmed vineyard was first planted in 1902 to Zinfandel, Mission (Rosa del Perù), Mataro, Orange Muscat, Carignan, and the local specialty Cabernet Pfeffer. The Riesling was planted later in 1964. It's located at about 920-1000 feet in the Gabilan Mountains about twenty miles north of the Pinnacles National Monument in the Cienega Valley AVA (San Benito County). Although it lies only twenty five miles east of the cold waters of the Monterey Bay, the coastal influence is dampened by the mountain topography and geology surrounding this site. The San Andreas fault runs through the property highlighting the convergence of two giant tectonic plates. Limestone, in the form of calcite, is the dominant geologic influence here. As these rocks eroded over the eons, they weathered into very deep sandy loam. The sandy, nutrient poor soil forces the roots to grow deep in search of water and minerals. These old vines ripen late and are extremely low-yielding, around 1 ton/acre annually.