Scar of the Sea Zinfandel Lopez 2025

Grape: Zinfandel
Vintage: 2025
Type: Red

Sourced from the historic, own-rooted, and dry-farmed Lopez Vineyard in Cucamonga Valley, this bottling turns the traditional California Zinfandel blueprint completely on its head. Planted in 1918 on deep, sandy soils, these centenarian vines yield small quantities of highly concentrated, savory fruit that thrives without irrigation. Winemaker Mikey Giugni coaxes a lighter, more ethereal expression from the old vines by utilizing 50% whole-cluster inclusion and a short, gentle maceration to avoid over-extracting heavy tannins or sugars. Aged entirely in neutral French oak, this is an intentional homage to California’s winemaking heritage, focused on transparency rather than high-alcohol weight.

In the glass, it shows a translucent, bright ruby hue with a pale rim. The nose is highly unconventional for the variety, trading jammy notes for a fragrant bouquet of wild bramble, cracked white pepper, hibiscus tea, and a dust storm of dry earth. On the palate, the whole-cluster stems lend a fine-grained, "crystalline" structural frame that completely elevates the crunchy red berry fruit. Bracing, lively acidity cuts across the tongue, keeping the mid-palate incredibly fluid, light, and athletic. It wraps up with a refreshing, bone-dry finish that leaves a persistent, savory trail of dried herbs and sun-baked sand.