Wine

Item Description

The Pacini Family planted this vineyard circa 1940 on the western foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains in Mendocino County. This beautiful old vineyard is head-pruned as are most Zinfandel vineyards of the era. Steele Wines purchased the vineyard in 1998 from the Pacini Family. Since then we have been refurbishing the vineyard and replacing vines in the positions where the old vines have died. The location of the vineyard prevents us from irrigating or frost protecting due to the limited water supply. This provides for the intense flavors and aromas in this low yielding Zinfandel. Winemaking After 25 years of crafting Zinfandel from the Pacini Vineyard, Jed has determined that the best method of harvesting the grapes is over a two-week period based on exposure. Due to the rolling topography of the vineyard and the many different facing slopes, we pick the grapes in several lots, as they become ripe. These lots are kept separate through the fermentation and barrel aging processes; they are only blended again just prior to bottling. This allows us to declassify portions of one or more of the lots to the Shooting Star Mendocino Zinfandel in order to maintain the integrity of this old vine Zin.

As is our house style, we keep the temperatures on our fermentations moderate to develop the color and flavors inherent in the wine. We aged the Steele Pacini Vineyard Zinfandel in American oak barrels for 12 months, using 25% new barrels and 75% neutral barrels. This selection of oak allows us to maximize the fruit component while rounding out the structure of the wine. Tasting Notes The nose has characteristics of spice and blueberry in addition to a bacon (or pancetta) and a white pepper element. The palate is full of berries, a hint of caramel, with a dusty chocolate finish. The wine has great structure, is well balanced, and has a delicious lingering finish. Food Pairing We enjoy this wine with roasted meats (particularly if accompanied by a rich red fruit reduction), BBQ of any kind, rib steak fresh from the broiler, and a variety of cheeses.

Item Special Note

Shipping: ZAP will ship between May 11 and May 15, 2015 from California. Shipping & handling is the responsibility of the winning bidder. We make every effort to ship items together to save on shipping cost if bidder wins more than one item. Shipping costs will be applied to the winning bidders credit card.

Sales Tax: Sales tax will be added to your total (not including shipping) at the rate of 8.75% where applicable.

All auction items are sold as is and seller makes no warranties or representation of any kind or nature with respect to the wines. All wine items are 750ml unless otherwise stated. All sales are final. No refunds. Restrictions apply.You must be 21 years or older to bid.

Wine cannot be shipped to these states:

Please do not place an order to be shipped within these states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Dakota