1997 Fetzer Home Ranch Zinfandel

ACID/pH: .63/3.60 ALCOHOL: 14.0% RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0.05% BOTTLED: 11/99 RELEASE DATE: 1/00 CASES PRODUCED: 46,000 SUGG. RETAIL (CA): $8.99

WINEMAKER NOTES
Zinfandel holds a special place in Fetzer's winemaking history, as it was the first varietal grown and later bottled by the Fetzer family. The wine is named for the Fetzer's Home Ranch in Mendocino's Redwood Valley, where the Fetzer family originally sold the zinfandel grapes they grew to home winemakers across the country before deciding try winemaking themselves. The first commercial vintage of Fetzer Zinfandel (about 3,000 cases) was released in 1968.

The 1997 vintage was marked by hotter-than-normal weather and great quality and yield throughout the state. Zinfandel fared very well in these hot growing conditions, developing full ripe, complex flavors in the fruit.

The 1997 Home Ranch Zinfandel is a ripe, full-flavored wine that maintains both elegance and structure. Forward berry and spicy clove aromas offer complexities of rich vanilla cream and cola from barrel aging. In the mouth, ripe, jammy berry flavors mingle with a hint of tobacco and vanilla. Long and rich in the finish, this fine Zinfandel will develop in the bottle through at least 2002.

GRAPE SOURCING
The third vintage of Home Ranch Zinfandel, is sourced primarily from two of California's most well known zinfandel growing regions: Mendocino and Amador Counties. A small amount of Carignane was added to the blend to increase the wine's structure and complexity. The grapes for this wine were harvested in mid-October, 1997, at an average 24° Brix.

FOOD RECOMMENDATIONS
The 1997 Fetzer Home Ranch Zinfandel is a versatile wine with tomato-based pastas, grilled meats, braised chicken and pizza.

AGING
After the grapes were crushed and destemmed, they were fermented at 88º F for seven days. The wine was then pressed and put through malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then aged for twelve months in a blend of new and used American (90%) and French (10%) oak barrels. After the Fetzer winemaking team determined the final blend, the wine was bottled.