Zinfandel holds a unique place in the history of American agriculture.

According to historians, Zinfandel was brought to New York in the 1820's by George Gibbs who had obtained cuttings from the Imperial collection of plant species in Vienna, Austria.

First planted in California during the Gold Rush, Zinfandel, with its suitability for California's sun and soils, healthy production, and a reputation for its dazzling wild berry and spice flavors, spread all over the state and became California's most widely planted variety. Although it has now recently been proven to have originated in Croatia where it is called Crljenak Kastelanski (pronounced tsirl-YEN-nock kash-the-LAHN-skee), Zinfandel, as we know it today, is undeniably a California phenomenon.
Zinfandel was introduced to Napa Valley by Joseph W. Osborne around 1851 whose ranch in the Oak Knoll District of Napa was awarded "Best Farm in California" in 1856. Osborne obtained his cuttings from Captain Frederick Macondray who is credited with bringing Zinfandel vines to California. In the 1830's and 1840's Macondray had been cultivating Zinfandel in Boston nurseries as a popular table grape and during the Gold Rush of 1849 Zinfandel made its way to California where the variety quickly took hold as a healthy producer of table wine.

Hearty and adaptive to the many soil types and sub-climates in Napa, Zinfandel produces red wines that rival the very best of Napa and can be found in most of Napa's sub-appellations including Oak Knoll, Rutherford, St. Helena, Calistoga, Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain. Napa's Zinfandel style is characterized by zesty black and red fruits, (think black cherry, blackberry, raspberry) ripe tannins, and fine balance, however, flavor profiles are distinctly different from vineyard to vineyard due to the combination of the Napa Valley's uniquely individual micro-climates, diverse soils and the hand of the winemaker.

Today at 50,000 planted acres Zinfandel ranks as one of California's top producers. But interestingly in Napa Valley where surprisingly a scant 4% of California's wine grapes are grown, only 5% of this is Zinfandel (approx. 1350 acres).

Much of Napa's Zinfandel is sourced from old vines planted long before Prohibition. Some of these that are at ages of over 100 years old are considered among the world's oldest producing vines and are in their own way historic landmarks as well as portals into California's agrarian past.