(Fa-noo-key) FANUCCHI VINEYARDS 1998 OLD VINE ZINFANDEL
HARVEST DATE:
OCTOBER 21, 1998
YEAST:
Assmanshausen (added 10-23)
Maceration
Time: 15 days
Malolactic Fermentation completed on 5-11-99
Aged 11 months in 55% French oak, 45% American oak, & 26% of it was
new
383 Cases Bottled November 12, 1999 (?~970gal)
Alcohol:
15.6%, TA: 8.10, pH: 3.48, VA: 0.74
Wines of this block, which I farm vine
by vine & row by row, have earned high awards & ratings for FV
& others for years! The
Fanucchi Vineyards Style aims to create a wine that
preserves & showcases the fruit of the vintage. 1998 starts
showing Black Cherry, with earthy raspberry…& contrasts the 1997 with a thicker style reflecting the extreme
combination of El Nino & old vineyard growing conditions!
The 1998 EL NINO weather patterns made for
a challenging growing season!
“SPRING”-At The Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, When it did not continue to rain, it was dark and cloudy through June! It was so dark and wet that the leaves were yellow. The strangest sight was at the deepest low spot, where for nearly a century of winters, vines sleep in standing water but wake in the spring as the mud dries: ducks swam around the trunks as the vines were growing new leaves & branches. …Some how those vines adapted, but about 10% of the old vineyard in the ‘medium-low’ areas started to have root-rot. I expected those vines to be at least handicapped for years as they slowly either die or recover. While we really had no “ spring” in 1998, we did bloom (in June) and while some trees and grapevines in the area died, the Zinfandel struggled into summer.
SUMMER – Suddenly in July the plants were hit with +110F heat; which also lengthened the “hang time” because after 90F they go into survival mode! August came and almost went before the grapes even started to color up!
FALL – The
end of summer and fall tortured us with cool weather, & while on October
first (’98 TG harvest) a threatening cold front that made the afternoon sky
blacker than on any other day I remember harvesting, good weather blessed
these grapes for 3 more weeks!
THE EXPERIENCE:
Powerful & thick but with a meal enhancing Balance;
Pepper, Cherry-Raspberry Fruit,
Elegant integrated pleasant/complex fruit & oak tannins.
* So far:
98 pts, Best Red of Show, Best of Class, Double Gold; 12 Golds/+!
#1 Most Awarded Zinfandel in 2001Competitions - California Wine
Winners 2002
&
California Grapevine Aug/Sept ’01 & Again in 2002!
Fanucchi Vineyards 1998 Old Vine Zinfandel
#1 Most Awarded Zinfandel In the 9 CA wine
competitions tracked by California Wine Winners 2002
& #1 In the 11 US wine competitions tracked by
California Grapevine Sept 2001 & 2002
12 Gold+/Gold Medals in ‘01
& ’02:
AMERICAN AIRLINES SILVER EAGLE TROPHY FOR THE BEST RED
WINE
Indiana State Fair
International Wine Competition
BEST
OF CLASS
San Diego National Wine Competition
GOLD
LA. County Fair Wines of the Americas
GOLD
Orange County Fair Wine Competition
(Double) GOLD
El Dorado County Fair Wine Comp
GOLD
East Coast Wine Competition
GOLD
Florida State Fair
Double GOLD
& 98 Points
California State Fair Wine Competition
GOLD
Pacific Rim International Wine Competition
GOLD
Jerry D. Mead’s New World
International Wine Comp.
GOLD
International Eastern Wine Competition
Great Wine (=GOLD+)
Greatest
Example of the American Viticulture
Jefferson Cup
Invitational
SILVER
International Wine and
Spirit Competition (UK)
In other competitions this wine has also won: 11 Silver Medals & 6 Bronze Medals
7-31-02
P. S.
The 1998 Also Rated 90 points as A Library Wine @ the 2005 California State Fair!
This Zinfandel is likely the most Highly Awarded ever! If you really want a sample of this truly historic wine, you can now purchase a Library bottle at the Grand Opening Fanucchi Vineyards Shopping Cart! (Sorry Not Discounted!) > > > Click Here to Shop Online! < < <
“Peter Fanucchi began his career in wine in 1972… Today his Old-Vine Zinfandel as well as his Trousseau Gris, an aromatic white, are highly sought after by those in the know.” Master Sommelier
Catherine Fallis In:
Great Wines You Can Buy Online
Of the Trousseau Gris:
“A unique grape originally grown in the Alsace and this is one of the only examples in the U.S.”
Of the Old Vine Zinfandel:
“Excellent varietal Character. Old-vine intensity.”
Published 11-2006
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>click for pricing>> Fanucchi Vineyards Allocation Clubs GRAND OPENING of Direct Sales! Contact: E Mail: PeterFanucchi@FanucchiVineyards.com Please include "subject", P.O. Box 290 Fulton, California 95439 Fax 707-544-6106 Phone 707-526-3219
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