June 4, 2021 - This IS a zin! Puts the Carlisle (lame a** Pagani Ranch) from earlier tonight, to shame. I hate to hate on Carlisle but I have had so many bad bottles, it's just not worth it to me to buy any more. So disappointing. Hartford has been a consistent performer with their zins. From the pnp, the nose is exquisitely zin.....dark, juicy briar fruit, underbrush and spicebox. This continues onto the palate and fills the mouth with a medium weighted, big fruited, spicy experience. Best in the first two hours, turns a bit darker and ever so slightly muddled after that. One of the better Hartford zin vineyards out there, year in and year out. Wish I had more.
March 20, 2021 - This wine was fantastic! It was paired with Flannery dry aged Kali burgers. Decanted for 1 hour at the time of the first pour then back into the bottle after 2 hours of a decant. Total drinking time was over 4 hours.
The color was dark purple. The nose was full of intoxicating aromas of blue/black fruits. The flavors matched the nose. I tasted predominantly blackberries but with some undertones of dark cherry,, plum, spice and black licorice. There was medium acidity. It is full bodied and the texture is silky smooth. 15.5% ABV that was seemly but peaked it's nose out at the very end with a little bit of heat.
The wine was at its best right after the 1 hour decant. It lost a slight step after I poured it back into the bottle but it's was still delicious. This wine is at a perfect spot to drink now but has plenty of life left. It inspired me to purchase the 2018 vintage as soon as I finished my final sip of this 2015!
My score is 94+. It was a 95 at the first pour but was bumped down ever so slightly throughout the course of the night.
This wine may not be the best QPR when compared to Carlisle or Bedrock but the QPR is right there with or better than Limerick Lane. However, the quality of this Zin is up there with the best!
280 cases produced.
October 23, 2020 - Classic, terrific RRV Zin!
May 9, 2020 - Been almst a year since my last bottle. Right from the pnp, the prettiest, classic zin nose. Beautiful florals and spice and zin fruit that explodes into your sinuses and next down your throat. I can taste the brambly black raspberries, the clove and white pepper. This is one of those zins that you need to hold in your mouth, let it warm and then roll it around coating all surfaces, all corners, before you swallow. It builds in richness, a zin cassis, if there is such a thing, develops before swallowing. The acidity is perfectly matched. What a wine (!) to sit and savor all by itself on a lazy Covid Saturday afternoon with YouTube Coffehouse jazz playing in the background as you touch up all the nail holes in the walls from moving your artwork around......yum!
June 1, 2019 - This is one serious zin.......great dark fruit/briar nose with just the faintest whiff of alc. This has great dark berry fruit, clove and white pepper throughout from start to finish with mouth-watering acidity tying it all together. Not a hint of jamminess. With time and air a light white flower/floral component emerges and a little more overall astringency. This wine is a fun ride and a pleasure to drink!
May 11, 2019 - Just a wonderful zin...plenty of black fruit, pleasing astringency and a really nice white pepper component that carries through to a fruit driven, spice driven finish. Just wonderful, without being that hot, peppery over the top cheap Cali zin that so many people produce.
March 9, 2019 - Well balanced layered Zin. Dark inky black fruit with subtle sandalwood and peeper spice finish!
July 28, 2018 - Lush blackberries yum!
July 22, 2018 - Deep garnet color. Beautiful complex bouquet of black cherry, boysenberry, garrigue, baking spice and a hint of pepper with evolving aromas of anise, purple flowers and organic earth. Palate is lively with primarily black cherry and plum notes. Might have opened this one a little early as it definitely needs at least a couple more years to integrate, but this is a joy to drink now.
July 11, 2018 - At the Healdsburg Tasting Room with the friendly, knowledgeable staff, my wine of the tasting, nose of briar, black cherry, and allspice, same on the palate, big/big/big body, lots of briar, mouth filling fruit, rich fruit, jammy fruit, very tasty, delicious, the best Fanucchi Zinfandel I have ever tasted, almost elegant, needs three years to peak drinking but why wait, and long, long flavorful finish.