2018 J Dusi Dante Dusi Zinfandel

About 2018 J Dusi Zinfandel Dante Dusi Vineyard:

Flagship 2018 J Dusi Zinfandel Dusi Vineyard doesn’t disappoint its long standing reputation. The vintage was awarded a Double Gold medal by The Fifty Best. Best drinking 2020 – 2026

Tasting Notes:

Quintessential of the Dante Dusi Vineyard the brambleberry beat is unmistakable. Those who are familiar with this vineyard could pick this wine out of line up (probably blind folded). Recognizable dark berries and bittersweet chocolate at first glance. Its ample mid palate is laced with black currant, plum and pomegranate. Its finish is reminiscent of a long country road brings the earth and spice home.

Barrel Selection:

French Oak 80%, American Oak 20% for 16 months

Growing Notes:

In the Templeton Gap AVA this historic vineyard was planted in 1945. Dante Dusi Vineyard is head trained and dry farmed by five generations of the Dusi Family.

Winemaking Notes:

100% Zinfandel. Winemaking in the most native form: handpicking, hand sorting and stomping wines by foot. Non-invasive wine handling and gentle barrel aging. A combination of new French and American oak, juvenile barrels are rounded out with neutral barrels to create wines that respect and reveal the natural varietal characteristics of Zinfandel.

About The Winery:

Female owned and operated, J Dusi Wines is guided by its head winemaker and owner Janell Dusi. Janell was born and raised on the Dusi Vineyard where her grandfather Dante taught her the old world Italian style of winemaking. The Dusi family’s heritage and history in Paso Robles Wine Country dates back to the early 1920’s, where grape growing has been a craft that has deep roots in the Dusi family. The sustainable farming practices that were implemented by Janell’s great-grandparents ninety years ago are still the standard that we follow today. The unique, hand crafted quality of J Dusi Wines results from Janell’s intimate involvement in every step of the process: working in the vineyard, driving the tractor, hand picking her own fruit, crushing the grapes and fermenting the juice from the bins to the barrels to the bottle. One thing Janell knows for sure; winemaking is part science, part art and 100% passion.

Janell takes great pride in blending tradition with progress. The Dusi family grows grape varietals including: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Clairiette Blanche. Along with the Classic Zinfandel, Carignane, and Petite Sirah with an adventurous spirit, Janell is able to produce more hand crafted wines to highlight her “spice rack” in the cellar. The Dusi Family’s  true passion is Zinfandel. Janell Dusi is a farmer and she is a winemaker. She continues a legacy and also the dream: A family tradition with a new perspective.