2016 VINTAGE INSPIRATION VINEYARDS When the search for great Zinfandel led us to Lodi, we 2016 Authentic Red is crafted using grapes from select saw vineyards that are among the oldest in California – vineyards throughout California and the Lodi several that are over 80 years old! The vines planted in appellation – known as the “Zin-famous” region of the these older vineyards are free standing, “head trained” state. Lodi has an ideal climate for growing exceptional vines that resemble wild bushes with twisted old trunks grapes: warm summer days and cool nighttime breezes and branches that spread out in all directio0ns like from the ocean, in addition to well-draining sandy soil. unruly umbrellas – truly gnarly heads. These gnarled, Our Zinfandel grapes are hand-selected from the head trained vines provided the inspiration for Gnarly Mokelumne River AVA, home of some of the older and Head…they look gnarly and the wines they create are most respected Zinfandel vineyards in the state. Our powerful, concentrated, and in other words, gnarly. other red varietals are sourced from the rolling foothills of the Borden Ranch AVA. But Zinfandel is not the only California grape that can be gnarly. All Gnarly Head wines are WINEMAKING crafted with California’s spirit of adventure – Older vines produce fewer grape clusters, but each sip plunges the palate into bold fruit the small berries yield intense, dark fruit flavors. flavors. Grapes for Authentic Red were harvested during the cool night hours then WINE delivered to the winery to be de-stemmed and gently pressed into fermentation tanks. After Authentic Red is a rowdy Zinfandel-based fermentation, the wine was racked onto French blend which has tapped into some of the and American oak for up to 9 months to oldest vines in California. These brash, concentrate the abundant fruit flavors and add unruly vines produce full-flavored grapes, complexity. giving Authentic Red dense aromas of blackberry, baked cherry, vanilla and baking spice followed by core flavors of raspberry, VINTAGE black cherry, vanilla and toasted oak. Boldly The 2016 California harvest was earlier than pair this wine with BBQ ribs, a hearty burger, usual and produced grapes of exceptional or go all out with New Orleans-style red beans quality throughout the state, thanks to and rice. near-perfect weather conditions. After four dry winters, California experienced average rainfall during the winter months, setting a healthy foundation for the vines. Warm days and cool nights in the spring and summer lead to even Appellation: California development and ripening of the grapes. In the final phases of ripening, cooler afternoons and Alcohol: 13.5% by volume nighttime temperatures resulted in complex, Varietals: Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah, concentrated wines for the 2016 vintage. Petite Sirah, Malbec Total Acid: 0.58 g/100ml Final pH: 3.61 GNARLYHEAD.COM ©2018 GNARLY HEAD WINES, MANTECA, CA 95336.