'99 Campus Oaks Lodi "Old Vine" Zin

[Bucko]

Their web site blurb:

Gnekow Family Winery and our Campus Oaks line were founded based on one philosophy - craft quality wines with a hands on approach from an area primed to enter the national market.

We start by working in the vineyards with our growers. Reducing crop yields, leaf pulling, and well thought out irrigation practices all lead to better fruit on the vine, which in turn provides the solid foundation upon which our wines are constructed.

Tour our spotless facility and you'll discover a bladder press that gently extracts juice from the skins, a temperature controlled cellar with a pristine barrel fermentation area, and a state of the art filtration and bottling system that further enhance the quality we carefully set in the field.

Encompass our grower relations and outstanding cellar with a premium winemaking mentality showcased by slow cool fermentation, months of barrel aging to soften our reds, barrel fermented Chardonnay with hand stirred lees to add flavor, and hours of pumping over red must to extract color, and our philosophy becomes not just a slogan, but a way of making wine on a day to day basis.

Having said all that, ultimately people are the deciding factor in any endeavor, Jim Yerkes and Blake Bomben are our winemakers, and they bring over 30 years of uncompromising winemaking ability to our team. Jim has literally won over one-hundred gold medals during his illustrious career, and Blake has become a rising start under his tutelage. Support those folks with a management team and a cellar crew that loves what the do, and once again our company mission comes shining through.

Gnekow Family Winery is proud of our Campus Oaks line, the region we represent, and the people who help us create great wines at a great price. Our practice is to continually provide the tender loving care grapes need to produce quality wine while maintaining our friendly professional approach to doing business.