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Gamba Vinayards, Starr Road Ranch, Old Vine Zinfandel

Sonoma County, United States 2012 (750mL)
$38.00
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Gamba Vinayards, Starr Road Ranch, Old Vine Zinfandel


One of the most striking sites in all of the California wine country, old gnarly head trained vines go on for acres and acres between old growth forests. The grape actually finds its roots in Croatia’s Dalmatian Coastline where the old and rare varietal, Crljenak Kastelanski or “red grape from Kastela,” provided a near exact fingerprint for Zinfandel as well as southern Italy’s Primitivo when subjected to DNA testing. Although a close relative of Croatia’s workhorse grape, Plavac Mali, the match was finally found. Although many accounts have southern Italian immigrants bringing their native Primitivo grape (also descended from the ancient Croatian grape) to the United States and cultivating it, rumors abound that the truth is a nursery owner brought Croatian clippings over in the 1820s from Austria. Whichever way you slice it, the grape has been endearingly known and treasured as Zinfandel in the United States since 1832. Grown widely throughout California, the warm weather-loving grape finds one of its most beautiful expressions in the warmer pockets of Sonoma’s Russian River Valley where the vineyards are planted just above the fog line and enjoy warm days and cool nights, which delivers beautiful concentration, balanced acidity and lush, full-bodied pleasure in the glass.
 
With a family narrative in wine that spans over six-generations, Agostino Gamba, along with his wife Paulette, began producing wine under their own Gamba label in 1999. Since that time, they have become Zinfandel producers who perform at the top year after year. With immense dedication to work in the vineyard, Agostino goes to valiant lengths to extract the most perfect fruit possible from the land and deliver its purest expression in the glass. The organically farmed Starr Road Ranch Vineyard, planted on an undulating hill in 1920, is green harvested in an effort to encourage even ripening, air circulation and optimal concentration due to incredibly low yields. The entire parcel is hand-harvested in separate blocks at different times to achieve the perfect ripeness of fruit after which time the blocks separately undergo extended skin maceration as whole berries (carefully destemmed). The wine is fermented utilizing indigenous yeasts then is aged for 12-16 months in new American oak barrels prior to bottling. The result is an incredibly pure snapshot of the old vines and distinct terroir crafted from one of the most perfect vintages for Zinfandel one could hope for.
 
This Zinfandel exhibits a nearly opaque, dark garnet center moving to pink reflections on the rim, which hints at immense concentration for a pure varietal Zinfandel. The nose detonates the senses with intense aromatics of ripe, fruit-forward predominantly red fruit with layers of blue and black fruit including notes of raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, preserved black cherry, dried nectarine enhanced by aromas of rose petals and exotic spices. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and offers a richness and texture hits every surface with high impact of concentration. Flavors of exotic spices and white pepper are driven by layered fruits similar to the nose with wild raspberries, black cherry and blackberry preserves dominating. This wine is currently in its peak and should maintain this beautiful stage of its development for the next few years before the fruit breaks down into more fig and raisin like. Although many examples of Zinfandel usually peaks for up to around 3-6 years, I have had older vintages of Gamba that have held up particularly well. The ideal serving temperature for this wine is between 55 and 60F; otherwise, the alcohol will dominate the lovely balance and aromatics of this wine. If you serve this wine at room temperature, typically 72F, you will find alcohol will take place of the fruit so service temperature is key. Thanks to the generous fruit and touch of spice, this wine is an ideal pairing companion for BBQ. I personally recommend this brisket recipe from Austin’s ultimate Saltlick BBQ joint I had last week; the place is an institution and the pairing will prove unparalleled, I assure you.
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Country
United States
Region
Sonoma County
Sub-Region
United StatesRussian River Valley
Farming
Organic
Blend
Zinfandel
Alcohol
16.2
OAK
French

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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