69% Petite Sirah, 31% Zinfandel
Winemaker: Chris Christensen, Bodkin Wines
Vineyards: Venturi Vineyards in Calpella, Mendocino County. CCOF Organically Grown and Dry Farmed
Winemaking: The Zinfandel portion of the wine was harvested mid-September with the next picks of Petite Sirah added to it a few days later. Both varieties de-stemmed and kept as whole berries. The Zinfandel first began fermentation spontaneously and was well active by the time the Petite Sirah was added to it. The wine was then pressed after a few days and finished fermentation in tanks. No fining, no filter, no sulfur added.
"Maximizing the mouthfeel and minimizing the tannins was the name of the game when it came to making this wine. The wine is laced with proper acidity to focus the blueberry jam flavors and give it great aging potential without the need for a sulfur addition…Drink now through 2030-something,” the winemaker says.
13.6% abv
Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Chris Christensen never thought winemaking was an actual career path for people who weren’t born into a winery or vineyard until he went on a wine tasting trip to Sonoma during his Junior year at Stanford. Although Christensen originally thought he’d just make a couple of harvests for fun before getting a “real” job in banking (which did shortly happen, for about a year), his true calling won out.
As an African American vintner, Chris also works to promote diversity and inclusion in the wine industry through speaking engagements, podcasts, and mentorship opportunities for aspiring vintners and winery owners. His work has earned him much kudos, including a place in the Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 industry shakers in 2020. Praised for both his activism and self-taught yet skilled winemaking, Christensen is indisputably one of the figures to watch in the American wine industry.