2025 Winter Wine Club Release
Dear Club Members,
You may have caught the announcement we sent out in late November about the sale of the property behind the 10 acres Heritage Oak sits on. The decision to sell the larger 96 acres wasn’t an easy one, but in view of a number of factors, it came to be the best option. What we lost with the sale, namely vineyards to the south of the winery, the trail and property along the Mokelumne River, is counter balanced by having a leaner, more efficient parcel of land to live and work on. For now, we are focusing on the winery and the seven acres of grapes that we have to support it.
With regard to the upcoming January wine club shipment, our selection committee looked at six wines and landed on three wonderful blends we are certain you will enjoy
2021 Zinfidelity
I’ve been making this blend of Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon since I was an amateur winemaker back in 2001, years before Heritage Oak was even an idea. That year, after my buddies and I barreled the Zin and Cabernet we had made, we blended the leftovers and put it in its own barrel to age, thinking it would be a good wine to top our barrels off with down the road. A year later, after bottling the three wines, we decided to enter all three in the California State Fair amateur wine competition. Well, the Zin and the Cab wines got a lukewarm reception, but the whimsical blend of leftovers received Double Gold Award AND Best of Show!
Now, one of the guiding principals I’ve always followed in life is “When a door opens in front of you, walk through it,” and so I’ve been making this blend ever since then. I find this wine to have an inviting aroma, enjoyable fruit (from the Zinfandel), and a pleasing finish with firm tannins (from the Cab). It is a great everyday wine and we sell it at a great everyday price of $21 per bottle. It is one of our best sellers, and many of our regulars refer to this wine as their go-to bottle.
2021 Viva!
This wine is a blend of three Portuguese varieties that I grow: Souzao, Tinto Cao and Touriga. I pick them all at the same time and then mix the three together at the crusher to make a co-fermentation. I find that their bold flavors can stand up to new American oak, so I always make sure to have some brand new barrels to put a portion of the wine into.
I get a hint of what’s to come from the fruit and spice I pick up in the wine’s aromatics. On the palate it has a bold, rich flavor with good fruit followed by rich tannins. I think this wine would go well with any meal with a full flavored meat dish, such as beef or pork. And if you are inclined to age your wine at all, the firm tannic structure in this wine makes it a good candidate.
2022 Mourvedré/Syrah (3+ bottle clubs)
Last quarter, in October 2024, we recommended our 2021 Carnival, which was a blend of three Rhone varieties, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedré. This go around, our panel of judges picked a similarly blended wine, but one that is just Mourvedre and Syrah. In my opinion, this wine checks all my boxes. It has a big fragrance, great fruit up front, structure and weight on the palate and a lasting finish. Everything I look for in a red wine is there. We have it reasonably priced at $28 for walk-in customers, even though right now it is available only to wine club members. I am very proud to be able to share this wine with you.
Thank you for participating in our wine club. Any feedback you might have is always appreciated.
Wine description & write-up by owner/grower/winemaker Tom Hoffman
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