2018 Macauley ‘Old Vines’ Napa Valley

WSI93 Now in its 15th vintage, the unfiltered and unrefined Macauley Old Vine Zinfandel greets you with a bouquet of gorgeous, black fruit from plants that have learned the lessons of a century of summers. Beginning boldly, and then blowing off with notes of cherry chapstick, dried rose and rainy-day clay, the 2018 edition has an intriguing palate and a well-crafted structure. A restrained regimen of 40% new Virginia oak sands down any edges with a handsome aroma of Christmas spice and forest essences. Only 625 cases were produced.
The average age of the vines used here is 114 years old, and they’ve never seen a drop of water that didn’t come straight from the sky. In general, the Old Vine Zinfandel is a disappearing breed, partly because vineyards have taken to replanting with higher-yielding vines and more fashionable varieties, and also because it is very hard to produce this kind of harvest and wine without decades of experience. We believe it is a heritage worth preserving. The 2018 Macauley Old Vine Zinfandel comes from two historic Napa Valley properties, Luvisi Vineyard and Korte Ranch, whose century-old legends add a unique dimension to every bottle opened or stored in your cellar.