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. 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 deserve our support.
Crimson in color. 13.4% ABV. Pretty nose of red fruits, citrus and a hint of leather. Medium body with exquisite acidity. Light, fresh Claret Style Zinfandel. Salmonberry, blood orange, earth and pepper on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Delightful and so well made. The emphasis here is on finesse and elegance over power. Most Zins just aren’t made like this anymore. I’ll drink my last few bottles over the next several years.
My rating: 94 points.
Sky Vineyards does have a mailing list which you can join by emailing skyvineyards@gmail.com. Sky can also be found at retail in a handful of states. 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.
The Sky Zinfandel was one of my first loves after moving to NorCal in ’98. Unfortunately I never made it to their property but drank their Zin often. Sad to hear they lost property in that fire. Next time I make it across the Atlantic and to Mt. Veeder, I’m making a point to visit them!
I’ve never visited either. Need to rectify that on my next trip.