Williams Selyem Fanucchi-Wood Road Zinfandel 2016
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The inaugural offering of the Fanucchi-Wood Road Zinfandel is nothing short of a blockbuster. Made from vines planted in 1890, this organically grown, dry-farmed vineyard is located near the town of Fulton in the Russian River Valley. Though mostly Zinfandel, the vineyard also has a small percentage of Alicante Bouchet and Petite Sirah interplanted, which provides amazing structure to this wine. Bursting with notes of boysenberry, the nose transitions to a dark hoisin sauce character. The unsurpassed elegance typifies this wine. In the mouth, berry flavors harmonize with well-balanced acid, and finishes with a hint of bitter cherry. While substantial in tannin, the polish and grain are outstanding and represent a classic offering from the Fanucchi-Wood Road site.
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Jeff Mangahas worked with this vineyard when he was the winemaker at Hartford Court. Now he’s at Williams Selyem, and this is the firm’s first vintage of a Fanucchi-Wood Road Zin. The vines are mostly zinfandel, with some alicante bouchet and petite sirah mixed in, all of it planted in 1890, farmed as it would have been back then: organically and without irrigation. Those vines grow a wine full of savory fruit, clean, generous and lively. It tastes unfettered, a blast of fresh plums, walnut skins and spicy grape-skin tannins. Delicious if you decant it now for grilled lamb, this would be best kept ten years or more, allowing its inherent complexity to develop.
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Wine Enthusiast
This is a layered, full-bodied red, thick in baked bread, cherry and vanilla flavors. It has underlying elegance, with balanced acidity and polish tannins that keep it fresh and succulent.
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Williams Selyem Winery began as a simple dream of two friends, Ed Selyem and Burt Williams, who pursued weekend winemaking as a hobby in 1979 in a garage in Forestville, California, and made their first commercial vintage in 1981. In less than two decades, Burt and Ed created a cult-status winery of international acclaim. Together they set a new standard for Pinot Noir winemaking in the United States, aligning Sonoma County's Russian River Valley in the firmament of the best winegrowing regions of the world. Today John and Kathe Dyson, who purchased the winery from Burt and Ed in 1998, carry on the passion for Pinot Noir winemaking without compromise. As for the wines... they just keep getting better and better.
Unapologetically bold, spice-driven and jammy, Zinfandel has secured its title as the darling of California vintners by adapting well to the state's diverse microclimates and landscapes. Born in Croatia, it later made its way to southern Italy where it was named Primitivo. Fortunately, the imperial nursery of Vienna catalogued specimens of the vine, and it later made its way to New England in 1829. Parading the true American spirit, Zinfandel found a new home in California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Somm Secret—California's ancient vines of Zinfandel are those that survived the neglect of Prohibition; today these vines produce the most concentrated, ethereal and complex examples.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.