Medium ruby with thin clear edges.  In the nose, woodsy briar and prune-free fruit play against Cinnamon Toast Crunch and parched earth. While I am liking the new label, I DO have a soft spot in my heart for the old silkscreen wolf-head.

Such an iconic label and represents so many firsts for not only myself but many I know about my age.  Easily my first exposure to a silk-screened label.  Seemed so classy!  Also my earliest exposure to a premium Zinfandel I could *almost* afford.  Drinking mostly stuff about half this price in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Jack London Zin was a definite splurge for my wine budget.  I have been hard on it in a few years, but here it shines mightily–perhaps most importantly because it is coming off so solid, so old-school, so different from the myriad of ills committed aginst Zinfandel these days.  Jack London has always been a somewhat austere wine, but in today’s State of Zin, *austere* is exactly what is needed.  Screw your over-ripe flabby jam-bombs and 16-0 4.0 oak-swill.  This thing has just enough of a plummy core and a tiny garnet wisp to make sure it is zin all the way, but crisp acid and an almost-claret core bring back fond memories of solid, age-able, balanced Zinfandels from the last century.  I know you hipsters have absolutely no clue what I am talking about–and it’s sad, as you most likely have an opinion surrounding *Zinfandel* which is based on some very poorly made wines.  Tourist wines, truly.

In the mouth rich and full–elegant, even–with tongue-curling acid vying for attention from the barely-center-stage fruit. Dark leather and intense spice fade gradually in the face of BRILLIANT tannin.  This is a heavily marketed wine across the nation and you owe it to yourself to experience a TRUE ZIN.

2013 KENWOOD Zinfandel Jack London Vyd. Sonoma Mt. Sonoma 14.5

http://www.kenwoodvineyards.com