Tasting Notes for Kalleske Fordson Zinfandel from the winery

Fordson Zinfandel (a.k.a. Primitivo) is a single vineyard wine that’s been grown, vintaged and matured on the Kalleske property. Vigilant grape growing combined with traditional winemaking and maturation in seasoned French and American oak hogsheads has resulted in a flavoursome varietal Zinfandel displaying classic structure and richness typical of the Kalleske vineyard.

For 97 years horses were used to work the vineyard and land. This changed in 1950 when a new type of horse-power arrived on the property, a ‘Fordson’ Major tractor. The Fordson soon became a valuable and integral part of vineyard and farm activities.

Tasting Notes

Colour:
2024 Fordson Zinfandel is a brilliant purple-red colour.

Aroma:
The aroma is vibrant and enticing, offering a captivating blend of florals and lifted red and blue fruits, think strawberry, cranberry, and boysenberry, layered with subtle notes of savoury herbs, anise, and a gentle touch of wintergreen

Palate:
The medium-bodied palate bursts with generous, juicy fruit, delivering bright, crunchy berries from start to finish. The texture is lively and polished, with silky, mild tannins that frame the fruit without restraint. Thoughtful barrel maturation lends a soft, rounded structure, integrating just enough oak to complement rather than overpower. The finish is long, balanced, and harmonious, leaving a lingering impression of pure, vibrant fruit.

Recommended Drinking:
Approachable, expressive and immediately appealing, Fordson Zinfandel is ready to enjoy now, though it will drink beautifully over the next five years..

Winemaking

The grapes were harvested on March 18^th and pressed seven days later, with pump-overs employed twice daily whilst on skins in an open-top fermenter.  Following pressing the wine was matured in seasoned hogsheads for a year prior to bottling. 

Certified Organic and Biodynamic  |  Vegan Friendly  |  Contains Sulphites   |  ALC 14.5% vol.  |  8.6 Standard drink

Growing Season

Vintage 2024 was excellent. Winter and Spring were drier and slightly warmer than average leading to earlier budburst, flowering and veraison. Summer welcomed refreshing rainfall, average temperatures, with no extreme heat, ensuring the vines flourished with their very balanced crop load and apt canopy leading to steady ripening. Autumn began warm and finished mild, continuing the consistent ripening of grapes until harvest was finished in mid-Autumn. The yields are overall average, and the quality is superb.

Vineyard

Fordson is a single vineyard Zinfandel from the Kalleske property. The hand-pruned vines are low-yielding and are grown in shallow, sandy loam soil over superb deep red clay.

(SKU: KA_ZIN_CV)