This is a predominantly Round & Fleshy wine, but it shares structural nuances of Tone & Backbone as described in the tasting note below.
Tasting Notes
A full bodied wine, with rich blackberry and raspberry fruit flavors intermingling with notes of leather and mineral, and punctuated by a dark chocolate finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
14.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Zinfandel, otherwise known as Primitivo in Italy, makes bold, fruit forward wines, which in California range from Round & Fleshy, to Powerful & Extracted. The wines can vary from dry to slightly off-dry. The examples have rich mix of dark and red fruit, along with a range of flavors and aromas like chocolate, tobacco and exotic spice.
Petite Sirah
9%Pe-TEET See-RAH
Petit Sirah originated from France but is now principally grown in California. Not for the meek, it produces Powerful & Extracted darkly colored wine that are both rich and very tannic with intense, dark, smoke, spicy fruit, with chocolate notes.
Carignan
7%Ca-ree-NYAN
In the past, Carignan was responsible for a lot of bulk wine because of its high yielding potential, but in the right hands it can make quality with intense red fruit, spice, and structure. Often blended with other grape varietals, old vine Carignan can yield rich red fruit driven wines at bang for your buck price levels.
At Frog’s Leap they take wine seriously, but certainly not themselves. Even the estate’s origins are defined by serendipity. After graduating from Cornell, John Williams took a Greyhound bus to California, where he met Larry Turley while illegally camping on his property, a former frog-raising farm. After copious amounts of wine, they decided to start a winery together.
Harvest at Frog's Leap Winery
While Frog’s Leap would not become a reality until many years later, and Larry and John would ultimately go different directions, they were both pioneers in organic farming in the Napa Valley. All Frog’s Leap wines are dry-farmed with respect for the terroir and biodiversity in the vineyard of paramount concern.
Frog’s Leap wines are truly made in the vineyard, where the terroir of Rutherford comes through with balanced wines of bright acidity and restrained alcohol.
Blackberry
Organic
