Scythians - Zinfandel Blend - Cucamonga Valley, CA - 2023

The Scythians Red is 50% Zinfandel, 30% Alicante Bouschet, 10% Mission, 10% and Grenache from a blend of three plots: Lopez Vineyard, planted in 1912 in San Bernardino; Francis Road Vineyard, planted in 1905 in Ontario; and Galleano Vineyard, planted in 1912 in Jurupa Valley. All of the vineyards are own-rooted and planted on sandy granite soils. The vineyards are all dry farmed and never sprayed or treated in any way. The grapes were harvested by hand and fermented whole cluster in open-top neutral fermenters, then rested in old French oak barrels. A small amount of SO2 was added after malolactic fermentation. Bottled without fining or filtering.

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Scythian Wine Co. is a new project from sommelier-turned-vigneron Raj Parr that highlights the nearly lost viticultural heritage of Los Angeles. Before prohibition, the city was the center of the California wine industry, producing highly regarded wines from varieties like Palomino, Mission, Garnacha Tintorera and Zinfandel planted on sandy soils. A few of these own-rooted, dry-farmed, vineyards endure, largely due to the stewardship of the Galleano family. With a few collaborators, Raj Parr started exploring, then rehabilitating, some of the most interesting plots of these vines in 2019. The vineyards are relics, sandwiched between warehouses, corporate headquarters, neighborhoods and highways around Los Angeles County. The vines are almost all over 100-years-old, and none of the vineyards have ever been treated with pesticides fungicides, or even sulfur or copper. From these marvels of endurance and survival, Raj makes low-intervention wines in a small cellar near Boyle Heights, working with minimal additives and neutral vessels. The Scythian Wine Company wines are a fascinating opportunity to taste a fundamentally different side of the history of California wine.