BODY FEATURES:
It makes you feel good—just like that old red truck your grandfather had...big-hearted, well-made, and full of life. We've blended some of our Syrah with our Petite Sirah and Cabernet Franc for a juicy berry base then added a bit of Grenache and Mourvedre to round out this baby with licorice and spice for a full-bodied finish.
A WELL-CRAFTED BLEND OF:
Syrah, Petite Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Mourvedre
TRUCK INSPIRED BY: 1947 Dodge Power Wagon.
Winemaker’s Comments
“Medium-bodied and complex, flavors of chocolate, berries, cherries and licorice abound. The black pepper finish settles with smooth tannins.”
Charlie Tsegeletos, Winemaker
Fermentation & Aging
The grapes were picked and then gently crushed and pumped to the stainless steel fermentation tank. The free run juice was drained into a settling tank and the wines were pumped over daily to improve flavor. The flavorful press wine was re-combined with the free run juice and allowed to settle for about two weeks. The wine was racked to a combination of oak barrels and temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The blend was enhanced with a mix of both French and American oak.
Detailed Wine Information
Acidity: .52
Alcohol: 13.9%
Appellation: California
Release Date: February 01, 2008
Vineyard Notes:
Our Syrah grapes come from the Central Coast areas of Paso Robles and Shandon, areas known for dark, rich wines. Our Cabernet Franc is from a hillside vineyard planted on rocky, red soil made of decomposed granite. This vineyard is managed using “deficit irrigation” to control vigorous growth and increase flavor and color intensity. The Petite Sirah vineyard is on its “sixth leaf” and grows at the base of the foothills in the southeast corner of Sacramento County. It’s cooled by the Sacramento Delta breezes and the grapes are dark and flavorful.
Vintage Notes:
The 2006 growing season was one of extremes with many varied weather cycles lasting two to three days versus typical five to nine day cycles. While spring was unseasonably cool, July and August heated up resulting in fine growing conditions. Harvest was about two weeks later than usual with evenly ripened grapes showing full concentration.
Winemakers Notes: 45% Syrah 29% Petite Sirah 20% Cabernet Franc 6% Malbec, Mourvedre
Red Truck Artist
THAT’S SOME PAINT JOB The painting that eventually became the label for Red Truck Wines sprang from artist/illustrator Dennis Ziemienski’s love and appreciation of the California landscape. The bright blue sky, golden hills and crisp California light with its intense contrasts are images that consistently appear in Dennis’ work. His ability to create a vision that lures the viewer into the picture, that creates a desire to 'be there,' has certainly contributed to Red Truck’s popularity.
A native San Franciscan now based in Sonoma, Dennis graduated cum laude from the California College of Arts and Crafts. Interest in representational drawing and painting eventually led him to New York and a successful career in illustration. His paintings and illustrations have been in many exhibitions and have won numerous awards. Dennis is known internationally for his work with Time-Life, Levi-Straus, Rolling Stone and the New York Times. His compelling poster images include the 2006 Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl XXIX, Sonoma Salute to the Arts, the Napa Valley Mustard Festival, and the California Bear Flag Sesquicentennial. His paintings are featured on many well-known book covers including Armisted Maupin’s "Tales of the City."
Dennis’ strong and richly colored images borrow much of their inspiration from early 20th century painting and posters. The major influences in his paintings are Maynard Dixon, Edward Hopper and Maurice Logan. Fittingly, all were illustrators at one time during their art careers.
Currently, Dennis is working on commissioned paintings, gallery shows and murals. Examples of this can be seen at the J. Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, AZ and Santa Fe, NM, the William Lester Gallery in Point Reyes, CA, and the Breakaway Cafe in Sonoma, CA.
From www.redtruckwine.com