Winemaker Notes
Deep and dark, the wine reveals only a little of what it has to offer at this young age. Boysenberry and fresh cracked Tellicherry peppercorn are immediately obvious on the nose. With air, notes of strawberry confiture and stone fruit emerge, while hints of tamari and hoisin offer a deeper, brooding character. Flavors of boysenberry and black cherry come through the dense palate. The precise and refreshing acidity adds freshness not often found in Zinfandel. Because of the firm tannins and refreshing acidity there is long ageing potential, but this wine can also be enjoyed today with a ribeye steak seared over charcoal with a shishito pepper salsa on the side.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From a historic site in the heart of the appellation, this hearty red is beautifully laced in flavors of dried plum, earth and spiced cake. There’s an underlying raciness to the acidity that keeps it fresh and focused.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep ruby-purple, the 2017 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard has a wonderful nose of peach cobbler, blueberry and boysenberry jam, black fruit preserves and floral perfume. Medium to full-bodied with concentrated fruits in the mouth, it has firm, slightly chewy tannins and a long finish packed with spicy layers.
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Wine & Spirits
Peter Fanucchi farms seven acres of mixed blacks on Wood Road, the vines planted in 1890, the census 90 percent zinfandel interspersed with alicante bouchet and petite sirah. He carefully times the tilling of the vineyard to sustain the dry-farmed vines, working organically and limiting his sulfur applications to two or three times per year. This is the second Williams Selyem release from this vineyard, brought into the stable by winemaker Jeff Mangahas, who worked with Fanucchi’s grapes at Hartford Family. His 2017 is ripe, rich and smoky, supercharged with red fruit and perked up by dusty spice in the tannins. It feels complete, a pleasurable zin with years of development ahead.
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.