Beverage of the Week (B.O.W)

Who is Christine Andrew? We wanted to know the answer to this question from our first sip of their 2006 “Old Vine” Zinfandel. As it turns out, we will never meet her. Christine and Andrew are the middle names of the 4th generation of the Kautz Family, the founders of Ironstone Vineyards. The Kautz family have farmed in Lodi since 1923 and created their own wine brand in 1988.

In 2007 Ironstone created the Christine Andrew label to showcase smaller vineyard blocks and varietals that exude the personality of Lodi wines. Despite the careful attention and obvious quality of these wines they are offered at very sensible prices. At present, the Christine Andrew label includes the great “Old Vine” Zinfandel (that we feature here), Malbec, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah and Viognier. The Malbec pulls double duty making a deep, stylish red as well as a fresh and bright rosé.

The 2007 “Old Vine” Zinfandel is truly from old vineyards ranging from 68-85 years in age. The fruit hails from three different vineyards in the Mokelumne sub-appellation of Lodi. The grapes see a bit of extra time on the vines to develop a deep, rich, and intense fruit structure. Stylistically, this wine lies somewhere between a modern, perfectly proportioned Zin and an old-school chewy and hedonistic Zinfandel. We absolutely love it finding it near impossible to put down. Lastly, while we don’t put a lot of weight in labels, we can’t help but notice that the Christine Andrew wines look smart being both classic and contemporary.