Fall 2014 Newsletter
"New Pinot Star in Ascendancy" – Dan Berger, Vintage Experiences
"Pinot Noir aficionados deserve to know about these wines." – Mary Ewing-Mulligan, Wine Review Online
"I found myself swooning over the excellent new Pinot Noir’s from Fulcrum" – Brian Freedman, Philadelphia Weekly
In this Newsletter:
- Fall Release – More Great Wines from the Fantastic 2012 Vintage!
- Petite Sirah the Fulcrum Way
- Harvest 2014
- 46 Brix
- Great Recent Press
Our 2014 Fall Release
On Tuesday, November 4th, we will be offering a special pre-release offer of our last two highly anticipated 2012 wines, our Fulcrum Anderson Valley Pinot Noir and our debut Fulcrum Petite Sirah! Our 2012 Anderson Valley Pinot comes entirely from Mary Elke’s renowned Donnelly Creek Vineyard. If you are a lover of great Anderson Valley Pinot, you’re in for a treat. With effusive dark cherry flavors, balanced acid and brooding layers of moist earth, there is an exquisite Anderson Valley-ness to this Pinot that captures the character of the appellation and charm of Donnelly Creek Vineyard. As for our inaugural Fulcrum Petite Sirah, read on…
Introducing the 2012 Landy Vineyard Russian River Valley Petite Sirah
It is no doubt surprising to some that I am debuting a Fulcrum Petite Sirah. For a winemaker known for crafting 
Pinot Noirs with an absolute focus on balance, making a Petite Sirah might seem like an incongruous choice. After all, most Petites are big, super-ripe, tannic monsters, aren’t they? The short answer is, they don’t have to be. My hope is that our Petite Sirah will make people reconsider what the grape is capable of—that it will reveal the Petite Sirah’s remarkable potential for complexity and age-worthiness, and that it will show what a lovely and appealing food wine it can be. Because our Petite Sirah comes from the cool Landy Vineyard, we get amazing hangtime, while preserving the acidity that brings freshness and poise to the wine. In the winery, every choice is made to underscore our goal of making a fresh, aromatic, beautifully structured Petite. While we are certainly known for our Pinots, in its way, this wine might be the clearest expression of who we are, and what we are striving to achieve, as a winery. I can’t wait to share it with you.
Harvest 2014
Though I’m writing about our 2012s, with harvest just completed, I’m thinking about our 2014s—and I’m thinking good thoughts. 2014 was a picture-perfect harvest. Because it was about two weeks early, there was no threat of rain or early frost. At the same time, because the drought resulted in the growing season starting much earlier than usual, we were able to get all of the hangtime we always hope. In between the early start and early finish, was near-ideal weather with alternating periods of warm and cool days. As a result, our wines are right in our Fulcrum stylistic sweet spot, with perfect balance and showing an abundance of vineyard character. I’d love to take a lot more credit, but the truth is it’s a “no excuses” year, meaning Mother Nature has done her part, so as winemakers we have no excuses for not making fantastic wines.
Fulcrum Joins 46 Brix
We are excited to announce that Fulcrum recently joined 46 Brix, a unique membership program for wine lovers that provides unlimited free ground shipping from 24 acclaimed wineries. The idea behind 46 Brix is pretty simple, and cool—you pay a single annual fee of $79 and you get unlimited free ground shipping from all of 46 Brix’s member wineries—including Fulcrum! With our 2012 vintage spring release wines going fast, this is a great way to stock up. To learn more about 46 Brix, click here.
Recent Press
As the first press for our 2012s arrives, the accolades keep rolling in for our 2011s.
PinotReport, Greg Walter
94 Points – 2012 Fulcrum Anderson Valley Pinot Noir – “Good structure and balance; long finish. Silky, rich Pinot with amazing texture”
93 Points – 2012 Fulcrum Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir – “Lush texture; good structure and balance; long finish.”
93 Points – 2012 Fulcrum Brosseau Vineyard Pinot Noir – “Deep, dense Pinot with great complexity.”
90 Points – 2012 On Point Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – “Good structure and balance; long finish.”
90 Points – 2012 On Point Christinna’s Cuvée Pinot Noir – “Good structure and balance; long finish. Spicy, rich Pinot that’s drinking well now.”
Forbes.com, Katie Kelly Bell
Try – 2011 Fulcrum Anderson Valley Pinot Noir – “Fulcrum delivers layers of cherry, violets and cinnamon over dark earth notes. A nice kick of spice at the finish keeps things interesting.”
The Tasting Panel, Anthony Dias Blue
93 Points – Outstanding – 2011 Fulcrum Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir – “Juicy, long and complex with lovely, refined flavors; soft spice and elegant acidity.”
Wine & Spirits, Luke Sykora
“Year’s Best Pinot Noir”
92 Points – Exceptional examples of their type – 2011 Fulcrum Brosseau Vineyard Pinot Noir – “The earthiness feels tied to a place; it’s not hard to connect this pinot to Chalone’s spare granite and limestone soils.”
Wine Enthusiast, Virginie Boone
92 Points – Excellent; Highly recommended – 2011 Fulcrum Anderson Valley Pinot Noir – “Fulcrum has worked its magic with the long-coveted spot.”
Burghound, Allen Meadows
92 Points – Outstanding – 2011 Fulcrum Wildcat Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir – “This possesses the most elegant nose … impeccably well-balanced.”
91 Points – Outstanding. – 2011 On Point Chalone Pinot Noir – “A sophisticated mouthfeel to the delicious and refined mid-weight flavors … Excellent value.”
90 Points – Outstanding – 2011 Fulcrum Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir – “Excellent volume and mid-palate concentration, all wrapped in a dusty, intense and balanced finish.”
90 Points – Outstanding – 2011 Fulcrum Brosseau Vineyard Pinot Noir – “Extremely pretty … delicious flavors.”
PinotFile, Rusty Gaffney
90 Points – Outstanding – 2012 On Point Christinna’s Cuvée Pinot Noir
Restaurant Wine, Ronn Wiegand
4 out of 5 Stars – Highly recommended – 2011 Fulcrum Gap’s Crown Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – “These are very limited production Pinots. The Gap’s Crown is excellent.”
The New Jersey Star-Ledger
March 12, 2014
John Foy
“Jersey Winemaker’s Affair with California Pinot Noir”
“Rossi has submerged himself in the art of making pinot noir and vineyard selections, and as he sank into the wine world he never lost his balance.”
2011 Fulcrum On Point Christinna’s Cuvee Pinot Noir – “Refined aromas and elegant texture … a wonderfully flavorful, harmonious wine.”
2011 Fulcrum Anderson Valley Pinot Noir – “I thought the former had Burgundy’s Beaune style while the Anderson Valley was akin to Volnay.”
2011 Fulcrum Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir – “Presents itself as elegantly as a courtier … The seamlessness is artful: It is full-bodied without being heavy and oak-accented without being oaky.”
2011 Fulcrum Chalone Brosseau Vineyard Pinot Noir – “Resounding black fruit aroma and flavors and a mineral backbone recall the wines of Pommard.”
Philadelphia Weekly, Brian Freedman
“Liquid Revelations”
2011 Fulcrum Gap’s Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir – “I found myself swooning over the excellent new pinot noirs from Fulcrum, a producer that, if you’re a fan not just of pinot but of, you know really good wine in general, you should be seeking out. Their 2011 Gap’s Crown Vineyard, for example, is stunning, with flavors that run the gamut from licorice, cherry and spice to chocolate and plum, traversing a huge range of deliciousness in between. It’s a balanced, wonderful bottle of wine.”
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Fulcrum Wines
Napa, CA
tel: 732-610-9602
www.fulcrumwines.com