EXCLUSIVE LIMITED QUANTITY ALERT! The last time we featured this wine, the winery had ample supply. We were able to get our hands on all remaining cases of today’s top Pinot Noir, but we’ll likely run out before midnight. Oh, and once we sell out, you won’t likely find this wine anywhere else PAST MISSION RECAP: Mission Codename: The Return of The King Operative: Agent Red Objective: Infiltrate Pezzi King, a Wine Spies Operative Favorite, and secure a holiday stash of their fabled Pinot Noir Mission Status: Accomplished! Current Winery: Pezzi King Vineyards Wine Subject: 2005 Pinot Noir Winemaker: Gabriella Gazzano Backgrounder: Our Operatives went crazy for the last wine we featured from Pezzi King, vaulting the winery into our Top Five hottest wineries off all time. Today, we send Agent Red back to procure their exceptional Pinot Noir. Read his tasting notes and mission report below, and find why he selected today’s wine. Wine Spies Tasting Profile: Look – Deep ruby red, with a springy surface, glistening red edges and thin, tightly-packed legs that take a long time to emerge Smell – Deep cherry with cola, earth, strawberry, light mushroom, soft herb and Feel – Feather-light, velvet-smooth and slightly round, this wine starts cool and soft and then warms slowly as medium tannins take hold at the top of the tongue and inside the cheeks Taste – Delicious! This wine delivers bright layer upon layer of fruit and soft mineral-spice with cherry, cola, strawberry, strawberry, cranberry and cassis Finish – This wine has a finely polished finish that starts big and flavorful with a sweet-tartness and fresh fruit – but then turns soft, rich, and slightly dry Conclusion – This wine is a QPR Winner! Another impressive wine from Pezzi King, and a classic example of Pinot Noir from California’s Sonoma Coast, this wine has great structure. Great balance and a bright acidity make this a very friendly food wine. Layers of aromas and layers of flavors make this wine lots of fun to simply sip and discuss. I would pair this wine with almost anything, but love drinking it on its own. Find out why Pezzi King Winery is one of our best-loved wineries among our Operatives – and be sure to stock up for all of your holiday entertaining. Mission Brief: I first infiltrated Pezzi King Almost a year ago. The wine that I procured for you then became one of our best-selling wines of all time. While The Wine Spies continue to grow at a phenomenal pace, setting new records all the time, Pezzi King has yet to be dethroned. That’s how much our Operatives love Pezzi King Wines. So, why haven’t we shown a Pezzi King here in the last several months? The answer is simple: Demand has outpaced supply! Despite the mutual adoration that we share with the winery, there simply was not enough wine to meet the demands of our thirsty, Pezzi-lovin’ Operatives. Until recently! How did I do it? Maybe I intercepted an ocean going cargo container. Perhaps I bribed a distributor, infiltrated the Pezzi King wine cave, or raided several small bottle shops. Whichever was the case, the end result is to your benefit, dear Operative! Supply is limited, and with the Holiday’s upon us most Operatives are securing full cases for their entertaining, so please order before we run out! A hearty thank you to our friends at Pezzi King Winery. We are crazy about your wines! Wine Spies Vineyard Check: The location of the Pezzi King vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.
|
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT!: We declare today’s wine to be the brightest and tastiest of all the 2004 Napa Cabs we have tasted to date, making this wine a stellar choice. LIBRARY RAID ALERT!: This was a close call, but we managed to persuade our friends at Burgess to allow us special access to their archives. Available here and today only, this is likely your final opportunity to procure today’s fantastic Burgess Cab. PAST MISSION RECAP: Mission Codename: The Western Slopes Operative: Agent Red Objective: React to the flood of reports that Burgess Vineyard has a standout Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. If valid, secure an ample supply for our Operatives Mission Status: Accomplished! Current Winery: Burgess Vineyard Wine Subject: 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Winemaker: Bill Sorenson Backgrounder: Our Operatives just can’t seem to get enough 2004 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa Cabs have become a favorite and its no surprise. If the 2004 vintage was a banner year for California Cab, then Napa take it to a whole new level, delivering wines of remarkable distinction and beauty. Today, we are honored to bring you a superb 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon from Burgess Vineyard. Read Agent Reds tasting notes and mission report below, and be sure to take advantage of our Free Ground Shipping offer. We’ll ship the wine to you for free, with your purchase of 6 or more bottles. Enjoy! Wine Spies Tasting Profile: Look – Deep garnet to ruby at the edges, with great clarity through its deep, dark heart. The wine also has a pronounced spring to its surface and it leaves behind slow-moving legs that crawl slowly down the glass Smell – Beautifully aromatic with layers of rich and bright mountain fruit. Present in refined abundance are blueberry, spicy blackberry, black currant and smoky plum with a fresh spice component Feel – Supple and wet and big, mouth-coating with great soft to medium all-over-mouth tannins Taste – Delicious layers of flavors, including dark mixed berry, cherry, spice, plum and Finish – Hugely Juicy and rich, mouth-coating, delicious and supple, with soft tannins and flavors that go on and on forever. This delicious wine makes your mouth water and begs that you drink more of it! Conclusion – Of all of the ‘04s we have had the great fortune to taste of late, this remarkable gem from Burgess absolutely exudes brightness, fun and boldly delicious flavors. This is no overbearing Napa Cab as some tend to be. Instead, what you get with this wine is a brilliantly balanced wine with just the right amount of gusto, and fruit that jumps right out of the glass, enlivening your senses and reminding you of just how great a great wine can be. Mission Report: In which Agent Red has enjoyed a few glasses of today’s 2004 Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon – and finds himself waxing poetic. Or does he? An Ode to Burgess and their fanTAStic 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Millenial
Generational
Dedication
Preservation Your wines appeal
they make us feel
a connection
to the Mountain Howell Maceration
Vinification
Fermentation
Mere words
The true soul of your wine shines
in the tall pours that I desire Succulent
Juicy
Delicious
Bright fruit
Deep roots
Your ‘04 Cab is beyond compare In which Agent Cuvee, sensing that Agent Red is not the Pablo Neruda of wine, steps in and stops Agent Red from writing any more _poetry. Okay, Red, put down the pen and go get some rest. I got this one. Greeting Dear Operatives. Agent Red had to, umm, leave. I’m taking over this briefing. All of us here at Wine Spies Central Command agree: Bill Sorenson is a winemaker of remarkable talent. All of his wines shine with a uniqueness and distinctiveness and all of his wines taste great. The fantastic Howelll Mountain fruit grown on the Burgess estate doesn’t hurt, either. We recently had the great fortune to taste through all of his current release red wines and it was his Cab that really stood out as our favorite. With bright fruit, a tender mouth feel and a rich finish, this wine is not a massive monster Cab that bullies your senses. This is a refined wine that is real pleasure to spend quality time with. During our tasting, we found ourselves discussing this wine at length. It was really interesting to pull apart and describe in detail all of the aromas and flavors that the wine conveys. With its bright acidity, we suspect that the wine would pair nicely with most anything. We were hoping to enjoy it with the meal we had planned for later that evening, but Agent Red seemed to have enjoyed most of the remaining bottle, leaving none for our dinner. Alas. At least it led to some poetry that we can tease him about – once he returns from his latest mission! Wine Spies Vineyard Check: The location of the lush Howell Mountain, in Napa, can be seen in this satellite photo.
|
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT! We always feature great wines, but today’s wine is an absolutely perfect Pinot Noir. Did we mention that we got our hands on the final few cases?? FREE SHIPPING ALERT! FREE Ground Shipping Included on 6 bottles or more. Enter this coupon code at checkout (discount will be shown before you complete your order): SPYLAZARRE Mission Codename: A Walk on the Wild Side Operative: Agent Red Objective: Procure a quantity of Adam LaZarre Pinot Noir Mission Status: Accomplished Current Winery: LaZarre Wines Wine Subject: 2005 LaZarre Pinot Noir Winemaker: Adam LaZarre Backgrounder: If there is a bad boy rockstar winemaker, its Adam LaZarre. Okay, maybe that’s overstating things a bit, but if Elvis was the King of Rock & Roll, Adam LaZarre is the king of modern winemaking. LaZarre is part of the winemaking team at Hahn Estates/Smith & Hook winery, where he holds the title of Vice President. He’s also the guy that was principally responsible for the mega-success of the Rex Goliath brand, which sold to Constellation Brands for a reported $30 Million. Today, LaZarre travels the world, evangelizing for Hahn Estates and is away from his fields for more than 30 weeks out of the year. When he is home in Monterey County, he can be found in the vineyards or in his laboratory, mixing, blending, tasting, and making sweet music. Wine Spies Tasting Profile: Look – Medium ruby with pink highlighting Smell – BIG gunpowder on opening, mellowing and expressing sweet cherry, amber, cedar wood, chocolate, leather and smoked herbs (no, not THOSE kind!) Feel – Velvety butter, big in the mouth but not overpowering, with pleasing medium tannins Taste – Deliciously juicy, with earthy berry, cherry, stonefruit and gunpowder Finish – Big finish with strong and long-lasting flavors Conclusion – A tremendous wine from a real star of modern winemaking, this special Pinot is a rockstar in its own right. Don’t let that turn you away, this wine has a refined character and an elegance that allows to fit in perfectly with the more polite sectors of society Mission Report: While on recent mission, one of my assets introduced me to a young woman that was ‘in the biz’. It turns out that she had some inside information on a winery that we had been gathering intel on for some time, Hahn Estates/Smith & Hook Winery. I took the opportunity, then and there, to recruit her as an active asset. This has paid off for The Wine Spies and our network of wine drinking Agents in a big way; this new asset, Codename Neutron, quickly tipped me off about Hahn (more on them in a future mission) and about their master winemaker Adam LaZarre, who had just launched his own wine label, LaZarre. Neutron, who is deeply connected in the wine world, was quickly able to arrange a secret meeting for me with Adam LaZarre. A few days later, I found myself at the beautiful Hahn Estate where I was greeted by Neutron who shepherded me to the Hahn tasting room. I recommend that you visit this particular tasting room, with its incredible view of the Hahn vineyards below. I stood there at the tasting counter, chatting with the friendly Hahn staff, pretending to be a wine buyer from a retail store in Beverly Hills. After a while of talking and tasting Hahn wines, I was informed LaZarre was at last on his way. Adam LaZarre is a legend and I could not help but feel a little reverence as I anticipated our meeting. When at last a freshly showered and sunglass clad Adam walked in – with his sidekick mutt Maxie in tow – he gave a friendly wave and then walked right on by me, disappearing behind the tasting counter. He dove into an industrial refrigerator and then emerged with a cold beverage, which he quickly guzzled. After a refreshed-sounding, “Ahhhhhh!”, Adam LaZarre, still in mirrored shades, came up and shook my hand.
The next hour was spent tasting wine and discussing wine, winemaking, grape growing, chemistry, rock stars, more wine and finally, Adam’s newest wine, LaZarre Pinot Noir. A delicious example of one of my favorite varietals, this particular wine, with its leopard print label and cork, is quite down-to-earth and very balanced for a wine with a wild-looking label. Adam invited me into his private offices, where we continued our discussions, this time discussing his new Pinot Noir in greater detail. He showed me this mention, by wine writer Dan Berger: “2005 LaZarre Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido Vineyard : Racy central coast aroma of dried herbs and cherries, with a rich mid-palate, great substance, and superb length.”
I thought that was great for a short description, but you should read my tasting notes below for my more detailed impressions. While this is a very limited production wine, I was able to negotiate with Adam LaZarre for a small quantity of this wine for our Operatives. If you love Pinot Noir, you will really enjoy this particular one. Try it and you will see why Adam LaZarre deserves all of the praise and credit that he gets for his winemaking. What color are Adam LaZarre’s eyes? I still don’t know. He never took off his sunglasses. Wine Spies Vineyard Check: The vicinity of the vineyard can be seen in this satellite photo
|
Operative: Agent White Objective: Locate a superior Paso Robles Red Blend that delivers unique characteristics of the terroir – without stressing the bank account Mission Status: Accomplished! Current Winery: Villa San-Juliette Wine Subject: 2004 Romantique Reserve – Red Blend Winemaker: Backgrounder: Wine Spies Operatives love great red blends, especially blends with a superior Q.P.R. (Quality to Price Ratio). Today we send Agent Red to Paso Robles, in search of the perfect high-value Red Blend. There, he unexpectedly meets up with long-time winemaker friend, Adam LaZarre, the newly appointed winemaker for Paso Robles Villa San-Juliette Winery. Wine Spies Tasting Profile: Look – Beautiful light burgundy, with deeply concentrated color through to the lilac-colored edges of the wine. When swirled, this wine presents a tight and springy surface that settles quickly after swirling – leaving behind super-tightly packed skinny legs that move very steadily down the glass Smell – Dark stonefruit leads off, followed by smoky cherry, coffee bean and cocoa, followed by soft smoked meat aroma and even a hint of soft French cheese and subtle fresh garden herbs Feel – Big and slightly angular on the entry, then softer across the mid-palate. The wine leads off bright, and then medium tannins take hold, drying and coating the mouth slightly Taste – Dark, dusky-fruity and delicious, with layers of rich flavors of smoky stone fruit, dark mixed berries and seared meats. Follow-on flavors of strawberry, coffee, subtle bay leaf and subtle green peppercorn emerge as the wine reaches back palate Finish – Light at first, then something exciting happens! Flavors that start off light seem to ramp way up – and then tail off slowly, leaving behind a mouth-watering dryness Conclusion – A great blend, made even better with a little decanting, this somewhat youthful wine shows off its potential on first sip. Ready to drink now, this dark beauty will reward the patient. Drink a few bottles now and cellar a few for the next several years. With enough brightness to allow pairing with most foods, this wine gets my recommendation as a drink-or-hold wine that is sure to impress your holiday guests this year – and for years to come. Mission Report: Those who have been operatives for a while know that one of our favorite winemakers is a ’gentleman’, and I use that term very loosely, by the name of Adam LaZarre – AKA Agent Orange (we’ll let you interpret that name). Problem was, that Orange had gone off the reservation. Rumors ran rampant. He was AWOL… He was in Beaune working on a French project… He was sailing around the world.. He had decided to become a Rock Star… Nobody knew what really happened to him. OPS had been tracking some SIG-INT on Orange but none of the leads proved credible, including the APB issued in the Beverly Hills area for a winemaker run amok at a very famous mansion after a scandalous party… That’s where I come in. I was trying to stay off the radar for a few days. We had a big mission in Europe coming up and I wanted to get my affairs in order before we left. My communicator was sent to VIP only, which restricts all incoming calls from just about everyone except OPS, Agent Blush and a few select people that we deemed as ‘important’... So when the encrypted message came in, I was stunned… LA FARMERS MKT / LOT ON CBS SIDE / 2045 UTC / BRING ANALYSIS KIT Roughly translated, I was to head to the Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles, go to the parking lot on the CBS Studio side of the area and be there by 12:45 PM. No worries, my safe house is only a few minutes away, so I packed my field kit and headed out. Upon arrival I almost crashed my car when I saw who was there. And only guarded by one PP (personal protection) staffer, a woman, no less, Agent Orange I mouthed as if to scream it! I pulled up next to there car and rolled down the window. Orange, said, _”[censored] will be one guard, come to the back of the car.” I got out and by the time I walked around to the back, Orange had already poured the first of several barrel samples he had just poured for his new leadership, the good folks at Villa San-Juliette Winery in Paso Robles (names I’m sure you’d recognize -see the winery says side for details). Here we were, doing a TOP SECRET tasting in the public parking lot at the Farmer’s Market. “White, you’re the first to taste this outside of our inner circle, what do you think?”_ Adam continued to pour tastings as our P.P. kept watch. Swirling, sipping, spitting, and a even some swallowing, I just love barrel samples! I don’t know if the wine was that good or I was still in shock, but it didn’t matter. Agent Orange had been brought back into the fold, at least for a few days. He’s not the kind of guy to sit still for too long. Wine Spies Vineyard Check: The location of the Villa San-Juliette Winery can be seen in this satellite photo.
|
Operative: Agent Red Objective: Retrieve a stellar red wine blend, perfect for holiday meal pairing or solo sipping Mission Status: Accomplished! Current Winery: S. P. Drummer Wine Subject: 2004 S. P. Drummer Red Blend Winemaker: Scott Peterson Backgrounder: Today’s wine is a unique blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley’s Blair Vineyard. The Blair Vineyard is located midpoint between St. Helena and Calistoga along the Silverado Trail at the north west end of Napa Valley. This region, north of the famed Rutherford AVA is among the latest regions to be specifically designated ‘communes’, giving Napa Valley a similar structure as Bordeaux Medoc. This is Cabernet country and after tasting this magnificent blend of Cab Sauv and Cab Franc, we are sure you will agree. Wine Spies Tasting Profile: Look – Beautiful dark burgundy, with deeply concentrated color through to the wines edges. The wine has a deep and inky core, a tight surface that settles quickly after swirling – leaving behind medium-width legs that move very steadily down the glass Smell – Deeply aromatic, even perfumy, leading off with dark and dusky blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, with earthen notes of violet, redwood forest and a hint of buttery cognac with follow on notes of soft spice Feel – Initially wet and light at the front of the palate – then slightly drying and mouth-coating with medium tannins that fade to reveal follow-on flavors Taste – Dark plum skin, dark cherry, and black cassis are balanced against softer earthen flavors of twigs and sweet wood Finish – An long and clean finish that ramps down smoothly, while continuing to reveal new flavors as it tapers off Conclusion – An exceptional wine that makes this spy slightly embarrassed that I had not sleuthed it sooner! This is a best of both worlds wine, with the bright earthiness that I adore in a Cabernet Franc, balanced against the richer and more extracted flavors of a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Another really positive attribute of this wine is it’s mid-palate. Where a Cab Franc can tend to show a missing mid, the Cabernet Sauvignon fills the gap in with elegance and a slightly understated power. The Cab Franc present in the wine (45%) gives the wine a brightness that lends it to flexible food pairing. The Cabernet Sauvignon (at 55%) adds character and backbone, but won’t overpower your palate – or your finest pairings – with characteristic Napa hugeness. I give this wine – and winemaker Scott Peterson very high marks. Mission Report: This is not a mission report, so much as it is retelling of how I came to learn of S. P. Drummer wines. Normally, I am more on top of things, but in the case of today’s superb wine, I was lagging in my sleuthing abilities. I should have found this wine way soon. I fact, thanks to some clever sleuthing on the part of S. P. Drummer winemaker this wine found me. You see, we have featured wines that were made by Scott in the past. Most notable of these wines was a beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon from Joseph Family Vineyards. That particular Cab garnered a Superior Wine Alert, and it became of my my favorite wines of 2008. Usually, when I am on the ball, tasting such a wine will trigger me to delve more deeply into both the winery and the winemaker. In the case of that wine, I dropped the ball. Thank goodness Scott Peterson tracked me down and put today’s incredible red blend in front of me! Scott calls his wine his “my true babies” and his “personal commitment wines”. Having had the great pleasure of tasting his S. P. Drummer wine, I can say that he is a true and committed father! A BIG thank you to you, Scott. Your diligence – and your exceptional sleuthing skills – are appreciated. Keep on making great wines. Wine Spies Vineyard Check: The approximate location of the Blair Vineyard on the Silverado Trail between St. Helena and Calistoga can be seen in this satellite photo.
|
|
|
