ZIN VINEYARDS AT 100 YEARS... AND COUNTING

The best California Zinfandels have one thing in common: They’re made from old vines.

- Tim Fish

These vineyards are living history, with disfigured vines that twist up from the ground and have bark that looks crusty and wounded. These vineyards survived Prohibition and the Great Depression for one reason—they always produced great wines, and old farmers could not bear to rip them out. Here are brief profiles of 10 of those classic vineyards, each of them at least 100 years old.

HARTFORD VINEYARD

Location: Russian River Valley | First planted: Circa 1910 | Acres: 7 | Producer: Hartford

Don Hartford was looking for a house, not a vineyard, but he fell in love with the old vines on the property when he bought it in 1991. Hartford's is one of several old vineyards along Wood Road, northwest of Santa Rosa. The site epitomizes the best of the region. It’s 95% Zinfandel, planted in shallow, sandy loam that produces as little as a half ton per acre some years. Summer days are warm, but Pacific gusts cool the area at sunset. The result is a focused wine with a core of structure and acidity.

HAYNE

Location: Napa Valley | First planted: 1903 | Acres: 45 | Producers: Chase, Turley

The fact that Hayne vineyard still exists is a testament to its distinction. Any vintner seeking easier money would have replaced the Zinfandel with Cabernet Sauvignon long ago. The late Alston “Otty” Hayne tended the vines for years, and it remains in the family. Louis M. Martini bought the grapes until Turley established the vineyard’s credentials in 1993. The soil is deep and gravelly, and Spring Mountain, just to the west, provides natural frost protection. The vines produce about 2 tons per acre, and the fruit is intense and structured.

JACKASS HILL

Location: Russian River Valley | First planted: 1889 | Acres: 3 | Producer: Martinelli