Martha Stoumen Zinfandel Venturi Vineyard 2018

100% Zinfandel. Martha Stoumen Wines was founded upon the desire to recapture a farming and winemaking culture that has all but faded away: a winemaking culture of patience. Martha went to work in the vineyard, olive orchard, and winery of a small farm and learning center in Tuscany after studying traditional agricultural systems and Italian during her undergraduate degree. Nowadays, Martha Stoumen Wines is a one-woman grape growing and natural winemaking project out of Northern California. Martha works with varieties historic to California, like Carignan and Zinfandel, as well as those she's helping pioneer under California’s sun, such as Nero d’Avola. Rare among California’s new guard, Martha leases and farms 75% of her vineyards. She focuses on biodiversity, and prunes with vine longevity in mind. Most importantly, to truly respect her Californian roots, she farms their vineyards in such a way that maintains healthy ecosystems. Although the farming and winemaking practices are traditional, the profiles of Martha’s wines break from the California standard in that they are light, electric, and digestible. Minimalist winemaking techniques are used in the cellar. Patience in the cellar means letting the natural yeast and bacteria on the grape skins perform the fermentation. Patience means allowing longer macerations and aging to provide stability rather than adding tannin, acid, or stabilizing agents in the wines. This single-vineyard Zin is from a very rocky terroir is all spiced plum, white pepper, black tea, and charcuterie. Go see why everybody loves Martha's wines.