Maitre de Chai Stampede Zinfandel 2022

Maître de Chai (May-TRUH de Shay) translates to 'keeper of the cellar', or the person responsible for the development and aging of wine. By extension, the humble cellar master is the person responsible for the management of the winery. Established in 2012, Maître de Chai is the personal project of Marty Winters and Alex Pitts. Together they look to make wines of high quality in a way that best showcases the sense of place where the grapes are grown and the personality of the vineyard. From the ground to the bottle, the character of the wine is the focus. Winters and Pitts source grapes from unique and distinct single vineyards that are impeccably farmed in California.

As the name implies, these wines are cared for in the cellar. Firstly, Maître de Chai defers to nature and limits their intervention. Winters and Pitts taste and then wait, taste and then wait, allowing the wines to develop and speak for the places in which they are rooted.

This year marks nine vintages of working with the Perlegos Family. The 2022 vintage from the Stampede Vineyard is one that speaks to the ‘True North Star’ of the Maître de Chai wines. The team set out to craft a Zinfandel that has structured tannins, bright acidity and that speaks to the soil in which the vines are rooted and the 2022 vintage checks all of these boxes.

Harvested on August 28th, fermented with native yeasts in a mix of whole cluster andde-stemmed open top fermentations. Aged exclusively in 500L puncheons for 14 months before being bottled with no fining or filtration. Strawberry, plum and raspberry with a touch of cola and licorice round out a bright finish with subtle texture but sturdy tannins. The finesse of this wine makes it drinkable now, but will age for years to come.