Sky Vineyards, situated on Mt. Veeder, was founded in 1973 by Lore Olds. Lore purchased the property in 1972 and planted the Zinfandel shortly thereafter. The vineyard is dry farmed and for that reason the winery holds the wine back 2-4 years prior to release. Sky also produces a Syrah, Riesling and Rosé.
I have heard of Sky Vineyards over the years but had never tried a bottle. When Bedrock Wine Co. recently released a Sky Vineyard Zin I knew I needed to track down the original to see what had Morgan so excited about this fruit.
Crimson in color. 13.4% ABV. Brilliant nose of brambly red fruits, pepper and a hint of peach. Medium body with mouth watering acidity. The embodiment of a Claret style, mountain grown Zinfandel. Strawberries, raspberry compote, cocoa and earth on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Just a delicious, albeit somewhat restrained, Zinfandel. Best over the next 3-5 years.
My rating: 93 points.
Sky Vineyards does have a mailing list which you can join by emailing skyvineyards@gmail.com. Sky can only be found at retail in a handful of states so I’ll be looking to sign up for the list. Sky only ships to California but works with a local warehouse to ship to other locations. The ’14 vintage of Zinfandel will be released shortly. I am not certain on pricing but the ’13 was $38 at the winery.
Sky is open by appointment and will do their best to entertain guests but bear in mind this is a family run winery so allow for a little flexibility when trying to schedule a visit.
I’m always excited to find a new Zinfandel to try and look forward to following the winery in the years to come.