Zinfandel of the Month is a regular feature on Zinfandel Chronicles. Keep in mind that although the Zinfandel of the Month might be an older bottle, the current vintage will be one you can find at retail or via the mailing list.
The November Zinfandel of the Month is the 2016 Once & Future Wine Zinfandel Forcini Vineyard.
I chose this wine as my Zinfandel of the Month because Once & Future only does a single release per year and anybody not currently on their mailing list would be advised to sign up in advance of their release in the first part of next year.
Joel Peterson founded Ravenswood Winery in 1976 with a focus on Single Vineyard Zinfandel. Ravenswood was immensely successful and over time began producing in excess of a million cases per year. Once & Future is the return to the original vision Joel had for Ravenswood so many years ago – a small project specializing in wines from unique older vineyards. At present time Once & Future makes several Zins along with a Merlot, Mataro and Petite Sirah.
Forcini Vineyard is an old (circa 1900) vineyard planted on the far eastern edge of the Russian River Valley AVA, just off the south side of Limerick Lane.
Crimson in color. 14.7% ABV. Savory nose of black fruits, citrus, baking spices and pepper. Medium body with mouth watering acidity. Claret style with lush, dark fruits. Blackberry, boysenberry, blood orange and pepper on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. Delightful Zinfandel from the master himself. Built for the long haul. Best over the next 4-6 years.
My rating: 91 points.
I always hesitate to suggest yet another mailing list to my readers but I’ll make an exception here. Sign up soon as I suspect these wines will be hard to come by in the not so distant future. The next release should be early next year.