Gail Wines 'Doris Red Table Wine' Sonoma Valley 2021

Dan O’Brien spent a decade as a sommelier in locations from Boston to the SF Bay Area before relocating to Sonoma to begin a new chapter of his career managing Napa wineries. The rich winemaking history of Sonoma soon proved too inspiring to ignore, and Dan founded Gail Wines in 2013, named in honor of his mother. Today Dan, along with his wife Alison and their dog Alma, source grapes from small growers within the Sonoma Valley to make both the ‘Gail’ line of wines (a limited production that focuses on pure varietal character) as well as the ‘Doris’ wines. ‘Doris’ is named after Dan’s great aunt, and is meant to evoke European table wines - a versatile, elevated everyday style meant to be shared with family and friends. The 2021 ‘Doris’ is a blend of 80% zinfandel and 5% alicante bouschet from Bedrock Vineyard in Sonoma, picked the same day and co-fermented (half of it whole-cluster), along with 15% barbera to contribute additional acidity and aromatics. All the grapes were fermented spontaneously in stainless steel, then aged on the lees for 10 months in neutral oak before blending and additional aging. A lush palate yields succulent layers of juicy blackberry, black raspberry, wild blueberry, cassis, baking spice, tobacco leaf, and cracked black pepper. Vibrant acidity and well integrated tannins keep things juicy and satisfying without verging on jammy or overbearing. Sustainably grown, low-intervention/natural wine.