Zinfandel’s stubborn side keeps Papapietro Perry winemaker on alert

Papapietro Perry winemaker Dave Low picks earlier, ferments gently and leans on old Pinot Noir barrels to craft an elegant Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel

For Pinot Noir winemakers that think their grape is tough to work with, Dave Low would like a word on Zinfandel.

Zinfandel can be generous, expressive and deeply tied to Dry Creek Valley.

It can also be, in Dave Low’s paraphrased words, a pain in the rear.

The Papapietro Perry winemaker has no trouble explaining why. Zinfandel does not ripen neatly. It flowers over a long period of time, which can leave uneven clusters packed with grapes at different stages of maturity. On the same bunch, Low can find unripe berries, fully ripe berries and others already starting to dehydrate.

That creates a trap at harvest.

“It’s very tempting to wait to pick for the unripe grapes to get ripe,” Low said. “Then the riper ones are super overripe, and you get 27 brix and fermentation problems.”

That path can lead to a 16% alcohol Zinfandel and a difficult fermentation. Low has learned to avoid it. Papapietro Perry intentionally picks its Zinfandel earlier than many of its neighbors, usually aiming around 24 brix.

The reason is simple: the numbers do not stay still.

With Zinfandel’s “chicks and hens” ripening pattern, Low said roughly a quarter of the grapes can be dehydrated and another quarter can be colored but still green. During cold soak, the dehydrated grapes begin to rehydrate and release sugar.

“You put it in fermentation on Monday, and on Thursday it can be 2 brix higher,” Low said.

That is where Papapietro Perry’s location helps. The winery rents space in Dry Creek Valley, and the Zinfandel vineyards are close enough that Low and the team can monitor them constantly. That is different from some of the winery’s Pinot Noir sites, which can require a 90-minute drive.

For a winery best known for Pinot Noir, the Zinfandel is treated with the same small-lot attention. Papapietro Perry ferments it in one-ton open-top fermenters and hand punches it three times per day. The fruit is pressed gently, and the wine sees no new oak. Instead, it goes into older Pinot Noir barrels, where it softens without being overwhelmed.

The main difference is time. The Zinfandel stays in barrel about five months longer than the Pinot Noir, with the Zinfandel bottled in February and Pinot Noir in August.