Spider Chase Gianoli Ranch Vineyard Zinfandel Mendocino Ridge 2019

If a wine were to be coined the quintessential American wine, Zinfandel would be it!  While the varietal has a distant origin story that started in Croatia, wines made from this red grape are wholly American and specifically Californian.  US producers have been setting the standard with Zinfandel wines for centuries now, and the husband-and-wife team behind Spider Chase present their 2019 Gianoli Ranch Zinfandel to join this class of American wine.

Randy Czech and Erin Mitchell, the winemaker and vintner behind Spider Chase, have been steeped in the beverage world (no pun intended) since their adult careers.  Originally a brewer by trade, Randy switched from hops to grapes in the early 2000s.  He simultaneously earned practical experience working in labs and cellars for four years while studying viticulture at Napa Valley College.  After graduation, he spent the following decades working in the vineyards of renowned brands like Flowers, Failla, and Gary Farrell, where Randy remains the consulting viticulturist.  Erin mastered the business side of wine, working in various roles from retail sales associate to wholesaler to distributor representative.  The two began making wine together on a whim in a friend’s barn in 2010 after being offered one ton of fruit to experiment with.  In their words, “What started as a passion project soon evolved into Unturned Stone Productions.” Their guiding light has been and remains the pursuit to make “classic, low-intervention wines without modern additives.” Randy and Erin created the Spider Chase series as a platform where they could showcase unique vineyards from along California’s northern coastal regions.  Regarding exceptional sites, Gianoli Ranch is a benchmark for the Mendocino Ridge AVA with a rich history and reputation for classic expressions.

Gianoli Ranch dates back to 1882 when the first members of the Gianoli family immigrated from Italy to the rugged wilderness of the present-day Mendocino Ridge AVA.  The secluded area was sparsely populated by Italian immigrants like the Gianoli's, who appreciated the likeness of the region with the Lombardy area of Italy.  These pioneers established a network of families and a community where they could share old-world traditions.  The Gianoli's planted 20 acres of Zinfandel and chestnut orchards, allowing them to connect with their Italian heritage in this new, unknown territory.  The original Zinfandel vines lived and produced fruit for over 100 years until 1993.  In 1997, the current owners planted a new 8-acre vineyard onto 100-year-old rootstock with five acres of Zinfandel.  Using such old rootstock was possible due to the ranch’s sandstone-rich soils that prevent the Phylloxera louse from thriving.  Vineyard manager Steve Alden employs organic and dry-farming practices and regularly invites Randy & Erin to partake in the “chores” of pruning, composting, and picking.

Since California Zin is the metric upon which all Zinfandels are measured, we take pride in sharing a wine that checks all the ideal boxes yet brings a fresh perspective.  Zinfandel grape clusters can ripen unevenly; therefore, growers traditionally allow the fruit to hang for more extended periods until the last berries reach full ripeness, which results in high sugar levels in the grapes.  More sugar in the juice means more for the yeast to enjoy and turn into alcohol; hence, the trope of California Zinfandel only being a big, boozy red wine.  Randy adapted the approach by calling an earlier pick for the Gianoli Ranch fruit when the grapes still contained a fair amount of acidity.  His methodology paid off with a Zinfandel that boasts those desirable blackberry, fig, and plum aromas on the nose with an uncharacteristically bright, fresh palate that masterfully weaves acidity through firm tannins for a refreshingly light mouthfeel that highlights the textbook spiced jam, peppery, and brambly fruit flavors.