The 2022 Release from Once & Future Wine Company has begun. The 2020 vintage “Oakley Road Vineyard” Mataro and Zinfandel red varietals number among the 8 single-vineyard bottlings.
“2020 Vintage: It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”-With apologies to Charles Dickens
"The year 2020 was the best of times. After two excellent vintages with large crops, and rumors of surplus wine, we had a smaller crop of intensely flavored fruit. Yields were down 20 to 30%. The year was a little reminiscent of the excellent 1976 drought year, my first Ravenswood vintage. The winter was warm, and there was less than half the normal rainfall, a cool midyear growing season, a serious heat spike in August, and a somewhat early harvest. In my 49 years of winemaking, we have had a number of vintages that were a similar variation of 2020. Conditions like these create smaller clusters and smaller berries with thicker skins. Thick skins and small berries lead to darker, more concentrated red wines. Weather conditions like those of 2020 also tend to create more complex, interesting wines. Indeed, the red wines of 2020 from Once & Future are concentrated, flavorful, and interesting, and will be long lived. If that was all there was to say about the 2020 vintage, we would all be smiling and toasting one another. Unfortunately, toasting takes on an alternate meaning when referring to this vintage.
"The year 2020 was the worst of times. Fire! Fire! Fire! It seemed like all of California was burning. Drought, heat, and lightning are great ingredients for out-of-control wildfires. That is exactly what we had. California had 367 known fires, all started by the August 16-17 severe thunderstorm that was the remnant of tropical storm Fausto. Fausto is a name that means ‘lucky’ or ‘fortunate’. I suppose there is some irony in that. It was bad, but it is lucky for us that it wasn’t worse. Then, on September 27, another fire of unknown cause, the Glass Fire, began to burn. At times, the smoke in some places became quite intense. We were unable to harvest some of our most precious fruit.
"…But it was the best of times. The good news is that there were vineyards (‘Oakley Road’ Mataro and Zinfandel) that got picked before the fires started or, like ‘Teldeschi’ Zinfandel, got picked before the smoke got to them. There was no worry about these wines being smoke-affected.
"…Needless to say, every wine that we made in 2020 was sent to Australia for testing. Only those that came back as unaffected were bottled for release.
"…In times like these, it is particularly important for winemakers to be working with grape growers who are dedicated to producing grapes that make exceptional wine. The 2020 vintage was especially difficult for growers and required their upmost diligence in the vineyard and responsiveness to both the needs of the wine and the needs of an antsy winemaker.
"Hence, I am dedicating this newsletter about the 2020 vintage to them. You need to know them; they are a special group. If the fires were difficult for me in 2020, they were doubly difficult for them. Here they are, in no particular order.
“Tom Del Barba is a fourth-generation digger of the Delhi sands of Oakley. His great-grandfather, Venzano, from Lucca, Italy, would be impressed with how his family has stayed attached to the land. Tom and his 85-plus-year-old father, Fred, still work together in the vineyards. Tom is a bit cynical about the urban sprawl occurring in Oakley, but like the vineyards he farms, he is resilient and will continue to care for his family history and heritage until it no longer makes sense…”.
“2020 ‘Oakley Road Vineyard’ Mataro Contra Costa”
88 Points - Vinous, Antonio Galloni
Review Date: January 2022
“The 2020 ‘Oakley Road’ Mataro has an aromatic presence that provides regional definition and plenty of interest. Lush, but refined, ripe cherry fruit sweetness is supported by subtle scents of wild herbs with hints of vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Spicy, sweet fruit flavors dominate the pallet leading to a soft, round, mouth watering finish that is very characteristic of wines grown in the Oakley sands.”
120-year-old vines, 8x8 head pruned, Picked 8/18/2020, pH 3.64, TA 5.6 g/L, 277 cases bottled in July 2021."
“
2020 ‘Oakley Road Vineyard’ Zinfandel Contra Costa”
92 Points -
Vinous, Antonio Galloni
Review Date: January 2022
“The 2020 Zinfandel ‘Oakley Road Vineyard’ shows the natural richness of the year in its overt personality. Harvest was on August 12! Succulent red cherry, tobacco, mint, dried flowers and spice are all kicked up in this exuberant Contra Costa Zinfandel. The 2020 is distinguished by its strong fruit presence and overall allure.”
“120-year-old vines, 8x8 Head Pruned, Picked 8/12/2020, pH 3.62, TA 5.6 g/L, 328 cases bottled in November 2021.”
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