Possibly the best Zinfandel on the planet (for the price)!?!?

Not being one to mince words, let’s get this out of the way: I consider this wine to be the best Zinfandel for the money that I have EVER tasted.  I absolutely LOVE this wine and consider it to be the Bargain of the Century!  I’ve drunk Zins that cost five to six times what this wine cost that weren’t one-quarter as good.  Hyperbole?  Exaggeration?  No!  Just the facts, folks.

The aroma profile for this fabulous wine exhibits mostly red fruit along with suggestions of black fruit as well, such as cherries, raspberries, and plums.  There are also hints/suggestions of oak, earth, and savory herbs.

This is a rich, dark, spicy, earthy, tannic, creamy delicious Zin that anybody who appreciates a well-made, quality Zin should reach-out and enjoy.  As the bouquet suggested, there’s an abundance of red and black fruit, such as raspberries, blackberries, plums, and black/sour cherries, along with a gargantuan amount of spices like black pepper and savory herbs (rosemary, thyme, as well as hints of sage and mint).  The wine also exhibits a mountain of earthy elements as well as the perfect amount of sweet, creamy oak. 

The Caparones employ classic Italian/European winemaking techniques, which results in a red wine with VERY Italian traits, especially as it pertains to tannins and acidity (in the best possible ways).  This Zin is very well-balanced with fabulous structure, tremendous complexity and a flavor profile that just doesn’t quit.  The finish is smooth and lingers for quite a while.  This is an extremely Italianesque wine; it showcases all of the best qualities that a CalItal wine could possibly muster.  If you savor rich, tannic, earthy, creamy, and delicious-beyond-belief Italian wines, this wine was made for YOU.  If you prefer typical Paso Zin Fruit Bombs (15%+ alcohol, jammy sweet fruit, a one-dimensional flavor profile with almost zero depth), look elsewhere. 

Somehow/someway, Dave and Marc extracted every last micro-ounce of flavor from their Zinfandel grapes to assemble this gorgeous wine.  They age their wines for two years in oak and then bottle-age their wines for another year before releasing them to the public.  How they’re able to make such fantastic wines for $14 a bottle is beyond me (especially with all of that patient aging).  Their other Italian varietal bottlings are also fantastic (Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, and Aglianico).  But I believe the star of the show is this 2004 Zinfandel.  I’m as giddy as a 12-year-old girl at a Justin Bieber concert whenever I open one of these fabulous bottles!

We paired this wine with ribeyes smothered in Kosher salt and a ton of freshly-cracked black pepper; talk about the PEFECT pairing!  This wine would truly just about go perfectly with any grilled steak, as well as chops/racks/shanks of lamb.  

Complete tasting notes for this wine can be found on my wine blog at http://vino-pinionated.blogspot.com/