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. Lore himself, designs all the labels.
Crimson in color. 14% ABV. Riveting nose of red fruits, baking spices and pepper. Medium body with mouth watering acidity. Claret style with juicy fruits in spades. Raspberry compote, salmonberry, blood orange and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Such a unique and absolutely delicious Zinfandel. Best over the next 2-4 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 decided to sign up for the list. Sky recently expanded shipping to include more states than California but works with a local warehouse to ship to other locations. The ’15 vintage of Zinfandel was just released and costs $45.
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.