The Legendary Badge California Zinfandel

First tasting room I ever visited, first job in the industry was as a general winery worker at their Carneros facility, years ago. I shoveled my share of grape skins and seeds out of drained tanks of Zinfandel must; Proustism memories of the smells and stickiness of making what I remember as pretty solid Zins, back in the day. But how is the modern take from this historic winery? Very good clarity, deep ruby red, moderate pigment extraction. Aromas of black pepper, raspberry and currants, as mentioned on the back label. A tad tart with a weird flavor profile initially, not sure what they did to make this wine other than add yeast, possibly. Going to let it decant to see whether or not the flavors and acidity resolve. After one hour, jammy flavors emerge and the wine is more in balance with some tartness on the finish with seed bitterness. Cherry and a touch of plum also show up. Great value if you can decant at last an hour. Not the most complex Zin you’ve ever had, but decent for what it is - a simply fermented red.

Normal table wine but nothing more. Far from the original Primitivo and the South African Zinfandel. Fruity and pepper, a bit of sweetness in the mouth. Pleasant but as accent. Not bad but soft and flat.