Farming the land since 1805, The Fulkerson family now produces more than 30 varieties of wine and 33 varieties of fresh grape juice to home winemakers. Offering Classic vinifera, Heritage Native, and Regional Hybrid varieties of wine, variety is the name of the game. Located on Seneca Lake, the winery is a classic Finger Lakes stop. Dan Gobush is the lead winemaker, who has been with the winery since 2016. Steven Fulkerson is owner and winemaker, representing the 7th generation of the family. And Sayre Fulkerson is founder, co-owner, and head winemaker, who opened the winery in 1989.
Zweigelt (also known as Rotburger) is an Austrian hybrid grape variety created in 1922 by Friedrich Zweigelt (1888–1964). It is the most widely planted red grape in that country. According to Wikipedia, he later became Director of the Federal Institute and Experimental Station of Viticulture, Fruit Production and Horticulture (1938–1945). Zweigelt is a crossing between the St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch grape varieties. Widely planted in Austria, Zweigelt vines have made inroads in the Canadian wine regions of Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and of British Columbia, with limited plantings in Hungary, Australia and New Zealand. There are plantings in Washington and New York states.
It produces a light-to-medium bodied red wine that is soft and approachable, but with enough fruit and tannin to finish firmly with structure and balance.
The Fulkerson Zweigelt 2021 is a 100% Zweigelt wine. It starts off with notes of strawberry and raspberry lead the attack with cherry and a hint of black cherry and fresh black berry. The fruit lingers through notes of a soft middle, and nice balanced acidic ending, with sour black cherries, that gives this fruit forward red it's power and balance. Nice notes of earthiness and white pepper, this wine is absolutely spectacular.
One of the best American made Zweigelts I have tasted. A gold star!
