Gamba Zinfandel: A New Favorite

Here’s a truly amazing wine that I tasted a few weeks ago and haven’t stopped thinking about since!

– Smooth & Supple
– Full-Bodied & Rich
– Toasty Finish
– 15.9% Alcohol (can’t tell!)

This old vine Zinfandel was perfectly juicy and extremely complex. At first, I thought it smelled similar to other Dry Creek Zins I’ve tasted (Sonoma Valley). However, upon sipping this delight, I realized how unique and different this one is. Wonderfully smooth, rich and full-bodied, this wine also carries a lot of complexity that will definitely intrigue even the more sophisticated palettes. Gamba is easily comparable to other Zinfandels selling for two to three times the price.

I think the most interesting thing that I learned about this bottle, and probably one of the secrets behind the amazing flavor has to do with the winemaker’s method of farming. ‘Dry farming’ is a method that has been practiced on these old vines for as long as the family has been making wine. What this means is that, rather than occasionally irrigating the vines throughout the summer, these vines are limited to only what Mother Nature offers in the form of rain water. This is good because it makes the resulting grape clusters small, but packed with huge flavor concentration! The only downfall to this method is smaller production and limited quantities – these bottles don’t stick around long! I have one bottle in my wine fridge, and wish it was a case.

If you are interested in trying this one for yourself, email me and I will have one of my favorite wine shops send some over to you ($35/bottle)!