Arnot-Roberts Kirschenmann Zinfandel typically shows bright red fruit core with spicy acidity, subtle earthy complexity, and an elegant medium body, framed by sustainable whole-cluster fermentation and neutral aging — making it a refined, balanced expression of old-vine Lodi fruit rather than a high-alcohol, oak-driven style.
In the spring of 2012, Tegan and Olivia Passalacqua purchased an incredible old vineyard east of Lodi in the tiny town of Victor, California named Kirschenmann. The site is located on an oxbow of the Mokelumne River, which over centuries has deposited loads of fine, sandy, granitic loam from erosion of the Sierra Nevada mountains to the East. The vineyard was planted in 1915 on its own roots and is primarily Zinfandel, with a little Carignane, Cinsault and Mondeuse Noir spread throughout the block. The old, twisted, dry-farmed vines are thriving under the watchful eye of Tegan, one of the foremost experts on old vines in California. Tegan also produces his own wine under the Sandlands label and is the current winemaker for Turley Vineyards in Napa.
