Four Vines The Biker Zinfandel Paso Robles 2020

Four Vines is based on California’s Central Coast, which is a vast, rugged landscape stretching from Santa Barbara north to Monterey Bay. It’s wild country with a gorgeous coastline and few towns. Wide open with fertile farming soil and abundant ranchland, this place attracted more than just farmers and cowboys. It also attracted artists, rebels, seekers and bon vivants from the Bay Area and Los Angeles. The confluence of their unique personalities put a stamp on the burgeoning wine region and today, rule-breaking and non-conformity are celebrated values. Four Vines honors the anti-establishment views of the Central Coast’s eccentric personalities. Four Vines prides themselves on making interesting wine for interesting people.  

In a search for new Zins we discovered this delicious offering from Paso Robles, a California AVA in San Luis Obispo known for great Zinfandel long before Cabernet exploded in the region. Made from very old vines, 30-70 years of age, ‘The Biker’ has tons of body with complex notes of violets, black fruits, toasted spices, black pepper and more. Aged for 12 months in French, Hungarian and American oak, this charmer will please a lot of palates.

Four Vines picks their Zinfandel grapes during the cool night and early morning hours then delivers them immediately to the winery to be de-stemmed and gently pressed into fermentation tanks. After seven to nine days of fermentation, the wine is gently racked into a combination of French, Hungarian and American oak for malolactic fermentation and twelve months of aging in these gentle oak barrels.

Why call this wine 'The Biker'? Post WWII, women had gotten a taste of a new lifestyle. Factory work. Pants. Respect. Freedom. In California, this was expressed through riding motorcycles in clubs like the famous Motor Maids, and claim their share of the open road. Central California, with its long twisting highways, sparse population and mild climate, was a favored running ground for these female bikers. So Four Vines makes this wine with a bold and daring style and a touch of roughness around the edges. Hailing from the west side of Paso Robles, ground zero for top notch Zin, 'The Biker' is full of wild berries & spice, and is simply delicious!