1980 Mastantuono San Louis Obispo Zinfandel

Mastantuono Winery was founded in 1976 by Pasquale Mastantuono, making it one of the oldest wineries in the Paso Robles appellation. Pasquale Mastantuono had a special talent for making outstanding Zinfandels, and his Zins won many awards. In 2007 he and his wife retired, selling the estate to Donati Family Vineyard of Paicines.

Central Coast AVA is a huge wine producing area that extends from Santa Barbara County in the south to San Francisco in the north. With more than 100,000 vineyard acres, it includes parts of six counties near the Pacific Ocean. Nearly 20 smaller AVAs lie within the Central Coast AVA. Central Coast earned appellation status in 1985. Included in the appellation are parts of the counties of Contra Costa, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. Nearly every grape varietal grown in California is grown somewhere in the Central Coast AVA, though Chardonnay accounts for nearly 50% of the entire wine grape crop.

Zinfandel is a black-skinned grape, but 85% of the wine produced is made into a rosy “White Zinfandel.” Red Zin is far more complex and bold, while still being light-bodied. It grows in popularity as winemakers continue to experiment with new styles and blends.