Inglenook Edizione Pennino Zinfandel, Rutherford

Description

Inglenook Edizione Pennino Zinfandel is a Californian red wine produced from grapes in the Rutherford AVA of Napa Valley. It is an homage to Francis Ford Coppola’s maternal grandfather, Francesco, who emmigrated from Napoli in 1908 and after whom he is named. The first vintage was released in 1988.

The origins of the Inglenook estate can be traced back to 1879 when it was founded by a Finnish sea captain named Gustave Niebaum. The estate was eventually purchased by John Daniel in 1940. However, the modern part of the estate’s history begins in 1975 when famous Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola purchased part of the historic Inglenook property and three years later made his first vintage of Rubicon, a proprietary blend of classic Bordeaux varietals. Twenty years later in 1995 he was able to restore the Estate to its original splendour with the purchase of the grand Chateau and remaining vineyards. After restoring the Chateau, including returning winemaking to its original location on the second floor, purchasing the adjacent J.J. Cohn property and building a massive cave in the hillside behind the Chateau, Coppola changed the property’s name to Rubicon Estate, echoing the name of its flagship wine. The Inglenook brand name, which was owned by another company, was finally acquired by Coppola and in 2011 he announced that the estate would be known by its historic name.

Inglenook Edizione Pennino Zinfandel is made from some of the oldest vines on the estate, some pre-dating Gustave Niebaum. The Coppolas were advised to remove these vineyards when they first purchased the property in 1975, but because Francis Coppola said that he enjoyed drinking Zinfandel, the vineyards remained. The 2017 Inglenook Edizione Pennino Zinfandel is a blend of 95% Zinfandel, 3% Primitivo and 2% Petit Sirah sourced from various vineyards around the estate: Bridge, Carriage, Chateau, Chiles, Cow Barn, Gate, Saddle, Walnut and Woodshed. The wine is aged for 18 months in 15% new American oak, 10% French oak and 75% neutral French and American oak. The 2017 was bottled in may 2019.

The label of the Inglenook Edizione Pennino Zinfandel replicates the name and logo of the music publishing company begun by Mr. Pennino after he immigrated to New York from Naples in 1905. Each vintage also has one of Mr. Pennino’s song titles imprinted on the bottle’s cork, the 2017 has “Gelosa Mia”(1920).