theCompass
 Home   Map   Blog Roll   WineCompass   Wine 101   My Compass 

1998 TERRANOVA

1998 TERRANOVA Wine Details
Price: $27.00 per bottle

Description: Dry Creek Valley. Proprietary red blend of Carignane, valdiguie zinfandel, and petite shirah, which honors the father, Frank, who forst started farming the family vineyards in 1946. This wine exudes floral raspberry, eucalyptus and violet fragrances. A burst of red fruit flavors lead to bright acidity and is balanced with ripe raspberry flavors and smooth fruit tannins. Serve with "lite' fare to best compliment this wine. 13.8% alcohol.

Varietal Definition
Carignane:
Carignane is one of the world’s most prolific wine varieties. Thriving in warm climates, Carignane was until the late 1970s, the most widely-planted red variety in California. Hailing from Aragon, Spain, this grape is capable of deeply-colored, extracted and tannic wines of considerable alcohol. It is a late-budder and does not ripen until late in the season. Highly prone to mildew disease, it requires long, dry growing conditions. It is often used as a blending component with other, more anemic, hot-climate varieties, like Grenache and Cinsault, which typically lack the deep pigment and extract which Carignane brings to the blend.
Valdiguie:
Warm region minor grape widely grown in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. Used to create backbone in the high alcohol "vin de table" red wine blends that originate from the Midi.
Zinfandel:
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California wine vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in the 'heel' of Italy. It is typically made into a robust red wine. Its taste depends on the ripeness of the grapes from which it is made. Red berry fruits like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas such as the Napa Valley, whereas blackberry, anise and pepper notes are more common in wines made in warmer areas such as Sonoma County. Many Zinfandels come from head pruned ‘Old Vines’. ‘Old Vine’ is generally understood to mean a vine that is more than 50 years old and that produces less than three tons per acre. ‘Head Pruning’ is an old European style of pruning that trains the vine into the shape of a goblet. It requires no wires or other complex trellis systems. Head pruning spreads the fruit uniformly along the vine and allows light penetration.In the USA a semi-sweet Rosé (blush-style) wine called ‘White Zinfandel’ has achieved widespread popularity. In fact, this popularity has so outstripped all other forms that many fans think there is actually a grape called “White Zinfandel” (there isn’t)!


Reviews




Back to Del Carlo Winery information