Fanucchi Vineyards Reviews & Awards Up date 8-2008Either scroll down this page or click these links. Fanucchi Vineyards Trousseau Gris Historical Acclaim, Old Vine Zinfandel Historical Highlights, The Most Awarded Zinfandel Ever - 1998 Old Vine Zinfandel Peter Fanucchi Named“Best Veteran Winemaker” & Both the Fanucchi Vineyards Trousseau Gris & the Old Vine Zinfandel Made the “Top 16 Wines” Just Wine Points; 1-2008 |
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2005 Trousseau Gris“99 points” from Just Wine Points” Wine & Spirits has listed our Trousseau Gris as “Highly Recommended” “… finishing clean and balanced. An intriguing varietal white to serve with Thai green curry or squid salad with green papaya and basil.”
“4 Stars – Exceptional!” Beverage Experts / Bevx.com “Thirsty Thursday” 12-12-2007
“Fanucchi Trousseau Gris Russian River Valley 2005
Silver; Sonoma County Harvest Fair Fall 2007Silver; San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2008 Bronze; Orange County Fair Wine Competition 2008
This is one of the two Fanucchi Vineyards wines to get a near perfect score (99) from Just Wine Points so in January of 2008 they listed it with their “Top 16 Wines of 2007” & Named Peter Fanucchi “Best Veteran Winemaker” !
For more see Trousseau Gris Historical Acclaim below, or
click the cluster of Trousseau Grapes to learn about this rare wine grape.
Fanucchi Vineyards Trousseau Gris Historical Acclaim Back to top
Where do we start! When anybody is open to tasting this wine, including the critics, judges, & “I normally only drink red crowd”, it becomes a hit! Every Fanucchi Vineyards Trousseau Gris vintage has garnered acclaim; here are some highlights:
The Trousseau Gris also has stacks of magazine- point ratings in the 90s and the highest to date was in 2007 @ 99 points from “Just Wine Points” (AKA Wine-X) & the next highest was 94 points from the Judges @ the California State Fair.
… Again in November of 2007, Wine & Spirits has listed our Trousseau Gris as “Highly Recommended” “… finishing clean and balanced. An intriguing varietal white to serve with Thai green curry or squid salad with green papaya and basil.” One of our earliest TG Compliments was December 1998’s Wine & Spirits’ 92 Point rating in the TOP 100 WINES OF THE YEAR! The December 1999 issue of Wine & Spirits also rated as 90! They call it: “…consistently Excellent.” (3X Dec. W &S rated our TG @ 90/+) Great Wines you can buy Online 11-2006: “…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 --if you need a Fanucchi Vineyards Trousseau Gris quote from The Wine Spectator : “Something pleasantly out of the norm, a crisp and zesty white with aromas of toasted grain and nuts, spice and peach, with a crisp yet slightly oily texture and a vibrant finish.”- January 2005 On-Line
When it was being entered in most of the major competitions it is consistently ranked at or near the top of the “Other White” category (often an aromatic whites). It was the #1 Most Awarded “Other White” in the 9 CA wine competitions tracked by “California Wine Winners 2002” & in the top 1% in “California Grapevine’s” 2001 competition tracking (& against all whites #6 which includes Pinot Gris & many “Rhone Wines” like Viognier) In 1999 it was also listed as one of the TOP 2.
My Favorite Competition awards (it has piles & piles Gold...) are the Multiple awards: Twice Fanucchi Vineyards Trousseau Gris won a silent Unanimous 4 STAR GOLD at the prestigious Orange County Fair wine competition –odds of a wine ever getting this award are less than 1%! The TG did it 1997 & 2002! (Click here see The 4 Star Gold Award & Presentation of 2002) Also when entered in the California State Fair the Fanucchi Vineyards Trousseau Gris has 5 times won “Best of Class of (Sonoma County) Region”
Truly the best critical acclaim is the many, many,
thousands of unwritten compliments from those who have been enjoying this
wine with friends & food since 1993!
2004 Old Vine Zinfandel Back to top“99 points” from Just Wine Points”
Restaurant Wine
(July of 2008!) Ronn
Wiegand:
"An
excellent, medium rich, well balanced Old Vine bottling, that is full
bodied and quite supple on the palate,
with rich,
complex flavors (baked cherry, plum, toast, oak), and a very long finish.
Fine quality. [2008-2009]"
. Connoisseurs’ Guide To California Wine September 2007Page 163 One “Puff” “89 points Fanucchi Old Vine Fanucchi Wood Road Vyd Russian River Valley. “This solid wine offers another exception to the rule that says high-alcohols Zins are all of the same stripe, for, while there is no denying the wine’s obvious ripeness, deep and defined blackberry fruit abounds at every turn. Full, plush and endowed with lots of weight and a fine spine of tannin, it ends with manageable heat and wholly avoids the dry edges so often seen in wines of its ilk.”
“4 Stars – Exceptional!” Beverage Experts / Bevx.com “Thirsty Thursday” 12-12-2007
“Fanucchi Zinfandel "Old Vine" Russian River Valley 2004
Wine Spectator On-Line issue 1-1 2008 (This was initially posted the last week of December 2007 & accidentally listed issue date of 1-1 2007)
Silver; Sonoma County Harvest Fair Fall 2007Silver; San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2008 Silver; Orange County Fair Wine Competition 2008
This is one of the two Fanucchi Vineyards wines to get a near perfect score (99) from Just Wine Points so in January of 2008 they listed it with their “Top 16 Wines of 2007” & Named Peter Fanucchi “Best Veteran Winemaker” !
For more see Old Vine Zinfandel historical highlights below.
2002 Old Vine Zinfandel Back to topFood & Wine Chosen as one of the “Insider’s Favorite 5” in California’s 75 Best Wines!
Also tasted by Master Sommelier Cathrin Fallis: “Excellent varietal Character. Old-vine intensity.” “…Today his Old-Vine Zinfandel as well as his Trousseau Gris, an aromatic white, are highly sought after by those in the know.”
“4 Stars – Exceptional!” Beverage Experts / Bevx.com “Thirsty Thursday” 12-12-2007
“Fanucchi Zinfandel "Old Vine" Russian River Valley 2002
Double Gold & 98 Points _California State Fair Wine Competition Silver; Sonoma County Harvest FairSilver; San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2008
Also featured in The San Francisco Chronicle Article: “Old-Vine Farmers, What Would Dad Think?”
For more see Old Vine Zinfandel historical highlights below.
2001 Old Vine Zinfandel Back to top
“3 Stars – Brilliant!” Beverage Experts / Bevx.com “Thirsty Thursday” 12-12-2007
“Fanucchi Zinfandel "Old Vine" Russian River Valley 2001
Connoisseurs’ Guide gave it an 88 & one STAR! Printed 9-2004 Zinfandel issue:"Pushing ripeness to the edge of dried grape concentration but stopping while the fruit still remains in view, this is a fairly big and rich wine plays off boysenberry notes against vanillin oak before running into youthfully coarse tannins in the latter half . It may never find real polish and smoothness, but it drinks well now as a strongly flavored, rough-edged wine suited to service with hearty barbecue. Also Category Rated with: "Robust Red Full tannin intense flavors For highly spiced meat dishes." and: "Drinkable now Further bottle aging can improve this wine"
Silver; Sonoma County Harvest Fair Bronze; San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2008
For more see Old Vine Zinfandel historical highlights below.
Old Vine Zinfandel Historical Highlights Back to top ~~ Fanucchi Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel ~~
When entered in the top 11 competitions the FV Old Vine Zin has ranked at or near the top! #1 Most Awarded Zinfandel In the competitions tracked by, both, “California Grapevine” Sept 2001 & 2002 & “California Wine Winners 2002”& “2003”! (“98” Points, Best of Class… 1 wine took over 30 awards!)
Highlights of Historical Critical Acclaim: Wines & Spirits October ’04: “Raiders of The Lost Zinfandel”! Food & Wine 2006 – Insider’s Favorite 5 in California’s 75 Best Wines! Wall Street Journal 6-1-01: “Now this is Zinfandel, dark, chewy, rich & serious. Wow.” “…very hard to find if not impossible…” RESTAURANT WINE 1999 Issue #70: “****+ Vibrantly fruity and rich; a powerful intensely flavored Zinfandel, tasting of raspberry, cherry, and red plum, with overtones of pepper, tomato, and oak.” “92” Norm Roby , “…it is hard to find a bigger, bolder Zin than this... ” “robywine.com” Vol.2 No.1, March 7, 1999 Robert Parker/ The Wine Advocate: “… it is delicious, well-made, and admirably expresses the fruit characteristics of Zinfandel more than many other wines from this vintage.” 6-27-97 Wine Spectator “91” A dark, rich & polished wine, with a deep, complex core of black cherry, wild berry, raspberry, tar & spice flavors. Finishes with supple tannins. Delicious now but likely better if cellared…”4-30-97 Also featured in The San Francisco Chronicle Article: “Old-Vine Farmers, What Would Dad Think?
The Most Awarded Zinfandel Ever – 1998 Old Vine Zinfandel
As a Library Wine The 1998 Also Rated 90 points @ the 2005 California State Fair!
Fanucchi Vineyards 1998 Old Vine Zinfandel #1 Most Awarded Zinfandel In the11 US wine competitions tracked by California Grapevine Sept 2001 #1 in the 9 CA wine competitions tracked by California Wine Winners 2002 #1 Again California Grapevine Sept 2002 #1 Again by California Wine Winners 2003!
The 12 Gold+/Gold Medals in ‘01 & ’02 are:
AMERICAN AIRLINES SILVER EAGLE TROPHY FOR THE BEST RED WINE Indiana State Fair International Wine Competition BEST OF CLASSSan Diego National Wine CompetitionGOLDLA. County Fair Wines of the AmericasGOLDOrange County Fair Wine Competition(Double) GOLDEl Dorado County Fair Wine CompGOLDEast Coast Wine CompetitionGOLD Florida State FairDouble GOLD & 98 Points California State Fair Wine CompetitionGOLDPacific Rim International Wine CompetitionGOLDJerry D. Mead’s New World International Wine Comp. GOLD International Eastern Wine CompetitionGreat 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 for a total of over 30 Medals!
This Zinfandel is likely the most Highly Awarded ever! A highly credible source, who has proper storage, carefully opened a bottle of this 1998 in mid 2007 & in formed it was absolutely stellar! If you would really enjoy a sample of this historic wine, you can now purchase a library bottle at the Vineyards Shopping Cart! (Sorry Not Discounted!)
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