Zinfandel of the Month is a regular feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Keep in mind that although the Zinfandel of the Month might be an older bottle, the current vintage will be one you can find at retail or via the mailing list.
The November Zinfandel of the Month is the 2011 Sky Vineyards Zinfandel Mt. Veeder.
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. Lore Olds designs the label for each new vintage. I really like the label for the ’11 Zinfandel.
I chose the 2011 Sky Vineyards Zinfandel as my Zinfandel of the Month after I ran across this bottle on WineBid. The winery flies under the radar despite selling fruit to Bedrock and becoming a cult favorite on WineBerserkers. The Olds family lost their house and a portion of the vineyard in the 2017 fires and deserves our support.
Dark crimson in color. 13.8% ABV. Super nose of ripe red fruits, licorice and flowers. Medium body with mouth watering acidity. Lush, rich and fruit forward. Slightly more opulent than more recent vintages. Black cherry, leather, tobacco and pepper on the palate. Nice length on the finish. Well aged Zinfandel from mountain fruit that shines in a challenging vintage. Best over the next 1-2 years.
My rating: 92 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 signed up for the mailing list. Sky ships to California but works with a local warehouse to ship to other locations. The ’14 and ’15 vintage of Sky Zinfandel are available on the winery website for $45. I expect the ’16 will be available soon. You would be well served to buy a bottle or two of the ’14 and ’15 while they are still available. If your curious I have reviewed both and you can use the search function to see my notes.
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.