Haarmeyer Cellars "St. Rey" Zinfandel '18

Haarmeyer Wine Cellars is helmed by Craig, Alex, Kelly, and Marian Haarmeyer. They started in 2008 with fruit from a vineyard  near the town of Galt, CA. Craig Haarmeyer was initially interested in making wines using Spanish and Portuguese varieties. He felt the place seemed right for the numerous varieties of sun loving, hardy grapes planted there. This led him to consider other sites and he noticed how the wines could define and express the terroir of the region. Soon he began using the phrase "Sacramento terroir" to describe his early efforts. Now Chenin Blanc has become the primary focus.

Craig’s thoughtful approach is very hand’s off during winemaking process. They only source from farmers who raise organic fruit and in the cellar they do as little modern processing as possible. Every lot is foot trodden and basket pressed without any corrections to chemistry or sulfur additions. The juice is exposed to oxygen and racked to neutral large format barrels and casks for unaided, native yeast fermentations. All wines are bottled without fining or filtering. 

Though Chenin rules the roost at Haarmeyer, the other wines they make are stars in their own right, including some really incredible Zinfandels. Enter St. Rey Zin- from the Stampede and Cherry House vineyards- a delicious, quaffable wine. Its easy to stereotype, and even easier when a grape’s reputation proceeds it like Cali Zin. Trust me, this is not the heavy, cloying wine you might expect it to be. Its as delightful, breezy and light on its feet as Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.

Serve this low-alcohol wine slightly chilled, pair it with a smash burger and thank us later.