2012 thingsIthoughtaboutyesterday Zinfandel
Stuhlmuller Vineyard, Alexander Valley, Sonoma, California
a morning to taste
the task at hand
a tongue to baste
the mind and land
it’s prime for me
this range of red
it’s all of me
this blend I mend
a small Frank eye
with you he watches
a stare not shy
with you he rouses
pick of the bin
I have travelled south
pick the best zin
I love your mouth
This is the second release of Kitten Swish Zinfandel. The wine remains true to the original with a small amount of Petite Sirah being field picked and co-fermented with Zinfandel from the Stuhlmuller Vineyard in Alexander Valley. The strength of the 2012 vintage allowed us to use a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend to bolster tannins, adding a hint of serious to the doughy eyes of Zinfandel. While still having that somewhat “lunch time” feel to it as with the 2011, the 2012 has bigger shoulders and talks a little louder…a little more busy bistro rather than intimate picnic. The label depicts a baby head named Frank. Frank resides in my house and keeps a watchful eye over the on-goings of my domain. His ever watchful eyes catch every movement and detail (mostly because he doesn’t blink and with just being a head without a neck his mobility options are tough). Working on Frank’s finer features for this label gave me time to think about all the steps that made this wine possible…the vintage, the wine making, the blending, the waiting, the labelling, the shipping. Each one of these steps took place yesterday, as did my thoughts about creating it. Everything has already been done, the only thing to do today is to open it and enjoy it…and when you do…Frank will be watching you too.