Emme Wines "You're Lucky You're So Cute" Zinfandel 2023

This bottle is as fun as its name suggests -- a Zinfandel that stands out with its charm, personality and drinkability. Expect a lush, fruit-forward profile with notes of ripe blackberries, juicy cherries, and a touch of cranberry tartness. But it’s not just all fruit—it’s layered with hints of spice, warm vanilla and a whisper of smokiness, giving it depth and intrigue. It strikes a beautiful balance between fresh acidity and smooth tannins, making it versatile and food-friendly.

This wine isn’t here to take itself too seriously -- it’s here to make your evening more fun. Perfect for when you want to sip something bold but approachable, with just a little wink of playfulness. Cheers to wines that know how to have a good time!

Zinfandel is a tricky grape to work with, as it ripens much more quickly and more unevenly than the Carignan or Colombard at Ricetti. Winemaker Rosalind Reynolds errs on the side of picking it early to ensure that the resulting wine retains fresh acidity and a low alcohol content.

Once picked, the Zinfandel was fully foot crushed and placed into a stainless tank, 100% whole cluster. The fruit remained on its skins for a longer than normal two weeks, until it was nearly finished with fermentation and ready to be pressed. Once pressed off its skins, the wine was returned to tank to finish fermentation, at which point the wine was then moved to neutral oak barriques to age over the winter. Finally, all the barriques of Zinfandel were racked to tank for bottling.

Indigenous yeast fermentation.  10 ppm SO2 at bottling, no other additions, unfined and unfiltered. 160 cases produced.

Based in Sonoma, California, Rosalind Reynolds founded Emme Wines (named after her grandmother) in 2018 after years in the industry alongside the likes of Les Capriades, Martha Stoumen, and Pax (where she is also the assistant winemaker). Rosalind focuses on "old school" California varietals, like Carignan, Colombard, Merlot and Zinfandel, as well as uncommon grapes like Abouriou, Valdiguie and Muscat Vert, all farmed organically and sustainably, and she makes wine without additives and minimal intervention.