Los Chamizal Vineyard
The first time I remember tasting a wine from Peter Haywood’s Los Chamizal Vineyard it was at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair in 1987. I knew that I was really interested in Zinfandel’s and was amazed at how different they were. That night one of my favorites was from Sonoma’s Haywood Winery owned my Peter Haywood and made by winemaker Charlie Tolbert Los Chamizal Vineyard was their Estate Vineyard.
One of California’s most highly regarded Zinfandel vineyards, Los Chamizal is situated in the mountains of southern Sonoma Valley, one mile north of the town of Sonoma. Its beautifully terraced vines are carved into steeply sloping hillsides reaching 800 feet in elevation. The vineyard’s 42 acres of Zinfandel, grafted with budwood selections from seven North Coast vineyards pre-dating Prohibition are planted in nine distinct blocks with soils ranging from well-drained sandy clay loams at the lower elevations to thin, shallow, fractured basalt soils at the highest elevations. Most vines are head-trained in the old style and planted on St. George or 1103 Paulson rootstocks, which help keep average crop yields to 2-3 tons/per acre.
The vineyard has a moderately warm climate (a Region 11-111 in the UC Davis heat classification system), but the vines enjoy cooler evening air, which preserves higher acidity levels in their grapes. Peter Haywood farms Los Chamizal sustainably, using compost and organic fertilizers to nurture the soil, permanent cover crops, and no insecticides. The grapes harvested over a six-week period, with individual sections of the vineyard often picked more than once.
We received 2 tons of Zinfandel from Los Chamizal from the Upper Weise clones on the western side of the vineyard. The grapes were destemed and then cold soaked for about 5 days. As the grapes started to warm the fermentation kicked in. When the wine was dry it was pressed directly into barrels. I selected one and two year old French oak barrels and a single brand new American oak barrel from Seguin Moreau Cooperage in Napa.
Getting grapes from this vineyard is very exciting, and the first of a list of vineyards here in Sonoma Valley that we will be seeking for our growing Zinfandel portfolio. I look forward to tasting this wine with you.
Cheers
Bart
