2019 Frank Family Vineyards Zinfandel

Buy 2019 Frank Family Vineyards Zinfandel at Elite Wine Society

About Frank Family Vineyards Zinfandel 2019:

Well-structured, velvety tannins with an appealing earthy character. Frank Family Vineyards Zinfandel featured in top 25 Californian Zinfandels.

Tasting Notes:

This beautifully balanced and deeply concentrated Zinfandel boasts elegant, complex layers of crushed clove, fresh blackberry, and creamy mocha on the nose. A velvety texture of fine- grained tannins provides structural weight to the ripe fruit flavors of plum compote as well as violet, thyme, and black pepper.

Barrel Selection:

16 months in 33% new French oak barrels, and 67% once- and twice-filled French oak barrels.

Growing Notes:

Frank Family is passionate about California’s heritage grape, Zinfandel. A notorious uneven ripener, it is difficult to grow in certain years, but 2019 brought generous sun and a long growing season which provided our grapes ideal conditions to ripen fully. This Napa Valley-designate wine is cultivated from their estate vineyards in Capell Valley and Rutherford and from neighboring vineyards in St. Helena and Calistoga.

Harvest Dates: October 3–7, 2019

Winemaking Notes:

Blend of 90% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah. Aged for 16 months in 33% new French oak barrels, and 67% once- and twice-filled French oak barrels.

About The Winery:

Frank Family Vineyards has a small winery mentality, where everything they do has the smallest details in mind. They use only 100% French oak barrels, their refined elegance lending itself to the wines of the same. In 2008, the winery fully renovated with all state-of-the-art equipment. From small-lot fermentation to bottling, everything done on-property, perfecting the many styles within each varietal for fine wines without the grandiose.

Winemaker and General Manager Todd Graff is behind Frank Family’s reputation as a world-class producer of Napa Valley Cabernet and Chardonnay and their Napa Green certification for both land and winery. Prior to joining the family in 2003, Todd’s career began across the globe, where he worked at the steep slate vineyards of Weingut Klaus Schweicher in Mosel, Germany, the sandy soils of Château Yon-Figeac in St.-Émilion, France, and the decomposed granite and sandstone loam soils of Arrowfield Estate in Australia’s Hunter Valley, among others.

Todd honed his craft and grew his technical skills throughout wineries in Napa Valley. Including his time as Assistant Winemaker at Stag’s Leap Winery, as Assistant Winemaker and Vineyard Manager at Schramsberg Vineyards, as Sparkling Winemaker at Cordoniu in Napa (now Artesa), and as Winemaker at Sonoma Creek Winery. He played an essential role in the winery’s steady growth over the past 19 vintages. Including recognition as “Winery of the Year” by the Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine in both 2012 and 2017. In 2020, Todd was named “Napa Winemaker of the Year.” By the North Bay Business Journal as a result of his positive contributions to the wine industry.