John Kafarski
John Kafarski
Opened this fella yesterday afternoon and it started to sing after about 4 hours open in the bottle. Sourced from younger vines on Old Hill Ranch in Sonoma, the Bambino is Zinfandel blended with Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah, Grenache and a half dozen other grapes. Aromatically, brambleberry, blackberry and resin jumped out of the glass initially. On the palate, the texture is what stood out. The fruit was neither sticky nor jammy - but elegant and refined buttressed with firm, but not overly-chewy tannins. Acidity was vibrant and alive which is always a pleasant touch in California Zinfandel. Coming in at reasonable 14.3%, the wine showed less muscle and more depth than most Zinfandels in the $20 price range.
And after falling asleep and finishing the bottle about ten minutes ago - the wine held on and then some the next day. The fruit yielded to toast, cinnamon and hints of clove. I find most Zinfandels boring and uninspiring. Will B. continues to go against the grain and resuscitate my waning hope for the American grape.
And after falling asleep and finishing the bottle about ten minutes ago - the wine held on and then some the next day. The fruit yielded to toast, cinnamon and hints of clove. I find most Zinfandels boring and uninspiring. Will B. continues to go against the grain and resuscitate my waning hope for the American grape.