Mission Codename: Perfection, FOUND!

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Secure a stellar Petite Syrah for our demanding Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Foppiano Vineyards

Wine Subject: 2003 Reserve Petite Syrah

Winemaker: Natalie West

Backgrounder: Several months have passed since we presented a great Petite Sirah. Our Operatives have been clamoring another. Great Petite Sirah is available in California, but it can take some clever sleuthing to find a really great example. When we put out the call for a killer Petite, the consensus among our Operatives was nearly unanimous: Infiltrate Foppiano. Agent Red was dispatched, and, while undercover there he discovered that their 2003 Reserve Petite Sirah was about to be released. What he did not count on, however, was how difficult this winery would be to thoroughly penetrate!

Through clever planning, skillful maneuvering, and advanced subterfuge, Red was able to eventually scoop the wine, bringing it you before it is available anywhere else! Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below to see how he accomplished this feat

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep and inky burgundy with a dark heart and a speedy surface (when swirled) that settles very quickly, leaving behind 2 levels of chubby legs that move down the glass at varying speeds

Smell – A big rush of perfumy and ripe dark berries is followed by dark stonefruit, casis, subtle licorice, gentle herb, mild oak and a hint of sweet fresh strawberry

Feel – Velvet smooth at entry, then mouth coating and slightly drying as the wines supple medium tannins bite down gently at the mid-palate, drying the lips, tongue and cheeks

Taste – Richly layered and beautifully concentrated without overpowering, with flavors of dark mixed berries, ripe black plum, jammy seared raspberry (sounds weird, but its delicious!), dark cherry and mildest exotic spice

Finish – Long, lush and slightly dry, the flavors and feel of this wine saty with you a while, before tapering off slowly

Conclusion – This wine REALLY impressed me! Softer and more refined than any other Petite we have ever featured here, this great wine from Foppiano is a beautifully balanced and ultra delicious treat. With lush flavors and a medium weight, this wine finishes dry, but does not suck the life out of your mouth or kick you in the palate like some overly-oaked Petites can tend to do. If you are loooking for a really impressive wine that pairs well with richer foods – or is fun to drink and discuss on its own – this special wine is certain to please you

Mission Report:

Sometimes penetrating a winery can be extremely difficult. This cab be particularly frustrating when the winery in question is holding on to some fantastic goods.

In extreme cases, we have had to resort to rather dastardly tactics. Such was the case with Foppiano Vineyards, where we had to place our own sleeper within the organization. Compound the difficulty with the fact that this sleeper didn’t even know he was our creation. He had no idea that he was even working for us.

In order to pull off this remarkable feat of subterfuge, I called upon one of my best assets, wine industry veteran Agent Smith. You’ll recall from previous missions that Smith has worked in the most parts of the biz.

I expressed to Smith the frustration over my lack of success with Foppiano. Immediately, he hatched a plan! Weeks later he directed an asset of his own to interview for a newly created position at Foppiano. How this senior position came into existence I did not ask, but the asset – codename: Afterburner – was hired on the spot.

From there, it was just a simple matter of waiting while Afterburner got up to speed in his new position at the winery. Once he found his legs, Agent Smith put in a call and I had my meeting! A few days later and I had secured today’s incredible Foppiano. Not just secured, actually, but scooped!

Today’s wine is available here – before it is being made available to the public!

We love this wine, confidently declaring it the BEST Petite Sirah we have tasted in 2008.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Foppiano Winery and Vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.