Winemaker Notes
Our Paraduxx winemaking team has been crafting a world-class red blend using Napa Valley Zinfandel since 1994. Decoy Zinfandel allows us to explore this robust and appealing grape as a stand-alone wine. This enticing Napa wine highlights a bright, red-fruit and spice expression of Zinfandel. The aromas are ripe and lifted, offering layers of strawberry jam, vanilla, sweet oak and white pepper. These elements are echoed on the palate and underscored by round, resolved tannins and notes of raspberry, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Production
Though the 2008 growing season presented certain challenges—from early frosts to drought conditions—a meticulous approach to viticulture and sorting yielded small crops with good concentration, highlighting soft, appealing tannins for our red varietals and bright acidity for our white grapes. A long, moderately cool summer led to a harvest that commenced in mid-August and concluded in early November. This relatively relaxed pace allowed us to pick in numerous passes to ensure quality, often focusing on individual rows or a single side of the vines.