Ranch Zabaco is a Gallo wine brand in Sonoma County. It is named for one of the original Mexican land grants in Northern Sonoma. It's widely available, with several varietals, in most grocery stores on the West Coast.
This Rancho Zabaco 2007 Zinfandel has lots of blackberry jam fruit character, with some saddle leather, black licorice, brown sugar, black cherry, and cherry nectar complexities.
It is well balanced (not flabby) with decent depth of flavor, modest tannins, and a bit of spice in the finish (and maybe a bit of malolactic fizz?).
The winery suggests that the wine has "an abundance of black fruits and spice, demonstrating the classic and distinctive characteristics of Zinfandel. The soft, plummy, and jammy flavors and textures make this wine not only approachable, but also versatile, allowing it to be paired with a wide range of foods."
Predominantly from Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley, this is 90.4 percent Zinfandel, 6.1 percent Petite Sirah and 2.5 percent Syrah. The label reports 14.8 percent alcohol. This bottling should be readily found between $12.00 and $14.00 retail.
DAH is David Anthony Hance at ZinSite.com and SteampunkWines.com
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