2003 Amista Vineyards Syrah
Mission Codename: A Friendly Pursuit
Operative: Agent White
Objective: Find a great California Syrah half way around the globe.
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Amista Vineyards
Wine Subject: 2003 Syrah
Winemakers: Michael Farrow
Backgrounder:
Syrah continues to be one of the favorite wines for lovers of big reds. This Rhone varietal, although many believe that the grape originated in the Persia region, is 100% French in lineage. The Syrah grape is directly descendant from the Monduese Blanche and Dureza varietals and is grown worldwide with great success.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Dark purple with garnet edges and a slightly inky quality and lots of long thick legs.
Smell – Medium intensity with tart blackberries, cassis with a hint of oak and a slight herbacious component. As this wine opens and breathes hints of cocoa emerge.
Feel – Rich and dry, with an interesting minerality that smoothes as it breathes.
Taste – Classic big Syrah flavors with tart berries, oak, spice, a pleasant vegetal component and an earthly quality that opens up with flavors of cocoa.
Finish – A medium long finish that is rich and smooth with a solid earthy flavor.
Conclusion – If you love big juicy and flavorful Syrahs, this is a wine for you. Great mouthfeel and big flavors that are not overly fruity. Nice balance with a smooth finish, this wine will complement a variety of foods and is perfect for the upcoming BBQ season.
Mission Report:
Kyoto, Japan – 6:27 PM - I’ve always enjoyed travel. As evidenced my my numerous missions to France, Italy and most recently the far east. Its great to try local wines paired with local food served by local winemakers – its a great way to make new friends and drink great wines!
While the details of my latest mission are still CLASSIFIED, I have been given liberty to discuss a brief sojourn from the mission. While in Kyoto, enjoying kaiseki at a ryotie, a woman (and not the geiko entertaining us) approached me. Immediately Agent Blush clenched her chopsticks in an aggressive manner. The woman handed me a small parcel, wrapped in handmade paper, as is typical in Japan. Blush rose from the floor and was wound up ready to deliver a death blow, but the woman immediately bowed in a submissive manner and left the private room.
Deciding not to interrupt our fine dinner, I set the parcel to the side. Later that night, while in the communal bath at our ryokan an older man inquired why I was still here. Puzzled, I asked “Why?”; “Didn’t you open your package?” “No, and this is neither the time nor the place to discuss this!” I was trying to relax, and this was contrary to the Japanese way.
Once back in my room, I opened the parcel and inside was a short note with an address on it and a round trip air ticket to Chennai, India departing at 7 AM the following day. The instructions were clear and I understood the mission. I made arrangements for Blush to stay in Japan while I was away…
Chennai, India – 12:15 PM - From the airport, the instructions were simple. Go to the East India Company Egmore Rail Station and wait at the master schedule board. I had time to arrange for our Ops Center to have our local liaison officer hire a Tut-tut for me for the day – thankfully as I later found out…
1:27 PM - A man handed me a note to go to Saint Andrew’s Kirk about 1 km away. Once there the instructions where clear. Sit in the first row and when the clock strikes 2 PM go to the alter and taste the wine in the goblet on the alter.
At 2 PM I rose from the pews, walked to the alter, reached for the goblet and took a sip. This was not your typical alter wine. It was a Rhone varietal, specifically 100% pure Syrah and definitely not of Indian production. The note next to the goblet had further instructions… I was to immediately head to a small cafe in the George Town area. I took another swig of the the wine in the goblet, made some mental notes (wow – this is a very nice wine) and got back into my Tut-tut.
Once at the cafe, which was mostly empty, surprising this time of day, I sat down and waited further instructions. The waiter came up to me with another glass of wine, a note and a parcel. He said “this is for you kind sir”, and then turned and left. In the glass was the same wine. The note said, “I hope you enjoyed our Friendly Pursuit, enjoy the wine!”, and was signed Vicky.
Turns out that Vicky is the proprietor of Amista Vineyards (meaning ‘making friends’) of Sonoma. As I enjoyed the glass of wine, I sat and wondered, “Why is it that I have to be half way around the world just to enjoy a great Sonoma Syrah?” “Never mind, in this case, the chase was almost as good as the wine reward I was enjoying…”
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Amista Winery in Sonoma’s Dry Creek region can be seen in this satellite photo.
