Winemaker Notes
The milestone year of 2020 represents the 120th year of the Gamba Estate Vineyard, planted in 1900, thus the Roman numeral MCM (1900) designation. This special wine celebrates this landmark anniversary. Our 2018 Estate MCM Old Vine Zinfandel shows off a nearly opaque, beautiful, deep garnet color in the glass. The aroma offers a compelling wide range of dark berries, notes of anise, cream and brown spices. Medium to full in body, the wine is elegant with a polished feel, yet robust with a subtle, pleasant leathery texture. Nicely balanced on the palate, the wine shows mouth ?lling rich dark fruits, cedar and savory spices. A proportionate acidity lifts and brightens the dark mid palate fruit, adding freshness on the palate. The delicious dark fruit ?avors linger on the enjoyable ?nish. This classic Old Vine Zinfandel deserves a special place in your cellar. Delicious in its youth and enjoyable now but will continue to evolve beautifully with time and reward the patient enophile with age in the cellar.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming all from the estate in the Russian River valley and all old vine Zinfandel, the 2018 Zinfandel Estate MCM is a deeply hued 2018 with a beautiful bouquet of blueberries, wild strawberries, cedary spice, orange blossom, and exotic flowers. It's beautifully balanced, has silky tannins, and just does everything right. It's a rich, medium to full-bodied Zinfandel yet stays balanced and light on its feet. It's a beauty.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.