Wine Advocate

2006 Fanucchi Vineyards Russian River Valley Trousseau Gris

Fanucchi Vineyards’ Trousseau Gris 2006 is a white varietal with a delicately spicy nose and a grassy, piquant, invigorating taste reminiscent of the flavors of winter fruits like melon and pear. Its sugar and acidity make it a perfect companion for nearly all types of food but particularly for white fish and pork. Asian food lovers take note: Fanucchi Vineyards’ Trousseau Gris 2006 is one of the few foods that can hold its own against the hot and spicy flavors of Chinese and Thai cusine.

The premiere American wine magazine Wine and Spirits dubs Fanucchi Vineyards’ Trousseau Gris 2006 “highly recommended,” raving that it consistently stands among the most exciting wines of the year. Trousseau Gris 2006 was the Silver Medal winner in two highly competitive wine competitions, the San Francisco Chronicle’s 2008 Wine Competition and the 2009 Sonoma County Harvest Fair. In an area of the country where wine drinking is something of a religion, these distinctions count for a lot.

About the Trousseau Gris Grape

Trousseau Gris is the French white wine grape that was once known as Gray Riesling in California. The grape originated as a fortunate mutation of the red Bastardo, also called the Trousseau, in the Alsace-Lorraine region of eastern France. In France, the grape is a common sight in the vineyards of the Jura, Alsace, Lorraine and Champagne, but in the United States the only standing block is Fanucchi Vineyard’s ten acres in the cool, coastal Russian River Valley.

Trousseau Gris needs to be treated with delicacy and consideration in order to yield superior wines. It can’t be harvested until its sugar content, called brix, reaches a specific level and then it must be gently pressed. Most winemakers simply do not have the expertise to handle the delicate grape. But master grower and winemaker Peter Fanucchi with over 36 years of expertise knows exactly how to coax this temperamental grape into producing an outstanding wine.

About Fanucchi Vineyards

The Old Vine Zinfandel grapes growing at the Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard in Sonoma Valley’s Russian River Valley were first planted in 1906: It is a fruit that first Peter Fanucchi’s father, and then Peter Fanuccji himself, have literally spent their lives nurturing. But that’s the Fanucchi way – to take a classic grape and to see it through.

Peter Fanucchi has been growing grapes for over 36 years, but in 1992 he began showcasing those grapes for discriminating wine lovers in small barrel batches of Trousseau Gris and Old Vine Zinfandel that each year add up to less than 1000 cases. The Fanucchi brand is synonymous with the American wine revolution, a revolution that pairs the best of old winemaking traditions with the latest in scientific viticultural knowledge.

Wine Facts

Vintage: 2006
Varietal: Trousseau Gris
Winery: Fanucchi Vineyards
Region: Sonomo County, California, USA
Alcohol: 14.2%

Where to buy 2006 Fanucchi Vineyards Trousseau Gris

Buy online $18 at fanucchivineyards.com