Massoni Ranch, Amador County
TASTING NOTES:
The
2024 wine has a ruby purple color of solid depth with youthful garnet hues that
carry a suggestion of the carmine edge that will come with age. The aroma of this wine has moved from red
fruits; strawberry and cherry to those of; boysenberry, black raspberry, and olallieberry. The concentrated ripe succulent fruit is
front and center. Aging in small oak
barrels has provided this wine with a bouquet of hazelnut, sandalwood, and buttered
toast. Upon pouring, the bouquet cedes the spotlight to the aroma, but with
time in the glass the bouquet will emerge to play its role. On the palate juicy flavors of red
raspberries, and seasoned oak are accompanied by notes of caramel that are
delivered by wine with mature woodsy tannins. The fruit carries all the way
through the finish exhibiting a wonderful tension between the fruit and toasty
oak that lingers well after the wine is gone.
This is my take on Zinfandel.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Varietal
Composition: 83% Zinfandel; 17%
Petite Sirah
14.8% Alc. 7.4 g/L TA 3.33pH
Oak
Regime: 41% American Oak 50% French Oak 9%
Neutral Oak
The first wine I produced under my own
label was Zinfandel from the Massoni Ranch here in Amador County. My plan was to focus on just Zinfandel and I decided
to call it “Z”. For my second vintage I
was offered Sangiovese, Barbera and Syrah grapes. If I wanted to stay with the motif of calling
the wine by the first letter in the name of the grape I was in trouble. Syrah and Sangiovese which one would get the
“S”? That was when we decided to go with
the “R” for Runquist and would transcend the world of grapes with the same
first letter.
The Massoni Ranch was planted in the
late nineteenth century and the old vine character is front and center. The intensity of color and the aromas of red
fruits turning black is a classic expression of Zinfandel. We have managed to control the alcohol and
deliver a wine with black raspberry fruit without crossing into the realm of
late harvest. Open top fermenters and
mixing the must by hand three times a day generates a full texture with tannin
levels in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone. A year
of aging in small barrels provides complexity.
Gold Medal - Orange County Fair Wine Competition
The price of this product varies with the quantity of products ordered in the category "Mix and Match"
| Qty | Unit Price |
| 1 - 11 | $31.00 |
| 12 + | $31.00 $27.90 |
|
