2005 Mayo Family Winery ‘Old Vines’ Reserve Petite Sirah

Mission Codename: Make mine with extra Mayo

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Secure a stellar Petite Sirah for our thirsty Operatives, who have been clamoring for the perfect Petite

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Mayo Family Winery

Wine Subject: 2005 Reserve Petite Sirah

Winemaker: Michel Berthoud

Winemaker intel brief: Long-term Wine Spies Operatives know this, but newer Operatives should know that Michel Berthoud was formerly the winemaker for Arrowood Winery. A few months ago we featured an Arrowood wine here.

Backgrounder: Requests for a killer Petite Sirah have been flooding in from all over the Spy-o-sphere so we set Agent Red loose on an urgent mission to find the perfect Sonoma County Petite.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep purple with an inky heart, a tight and glossy surface, concentrated color right out to the wines dark edges and tightly-spaced legs

Smell – Rich and deep with big and beautiful hits of dark stonefruit, blackberry, smoked bacon, casis with fresh pepper and the lightest fresh salad herbs

Feel – Round and cool up front, the wine quickly grips in with balanced tanins that go to work, coating your mouth and drying slightly on the tongue and the roof of the mouth

Taste – Deeply layered and highly concentrated flavors of ripe black plum, jammy roasted blackberry and blueberry, dark cherry and sweetwoods

Finish – Long and flavorful and delicious with tastes that go on and on and on…

Conclusion – Petite Sirah is something of a rarity in California, with less than 3500 acres planted. Getting a great Petite seems like even more of a rarity, so when I had the great fortune to come across this particular Petite, I was very happy. Winemaker Michel Berthoud has crafted a masterpiece with with this rich and delicious wine! This Petite is a ready-to-drink gem that is deep with luscious flavors and naturally fresh aromas. The tannins are fairly solid and strong and I declare it to be a ready-to-drink wine that will give you great pleasure. Cellar it, if you have the patience, to see the wine develop as it matures. I tried this wine right out of the bottle, and again after it was decanted for several hours; what a difference. The decanted wine becomes far softer, sweeter and way more enjoyable. I enjoyed this wine at Mayo Family’s Reserve Room with Creole-Molasses Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine-Blackberry salsa, from Mayo chef Billy Oliver. See my mission report and the promise of the recipe below!

Mission Report:

I love you, Jeffrey Mayo! Thank you for ”tricking” me into into experiencing the wonder and deliciousness of your Mayo Family Reserve Room.

It began like this: On the recommendation, no, the insistence of a few dedicated Wine Spies Operatives, I made an appointment to visit with Jeffrey Mayo, who runs the winery. Appointment secured, I conducted my usual thorough background investigation. What I learned was impressive; The Mayo family, their winemaker and their wines were all very well respected. I looked forward to my meeting with Jeffrey, and the simple tasting that would accompany the meet.

I arrived on time at the winery’s Reserve Room, a unique place where wine lovers can enjoy a flight of Mayo Family Reserve wines along with food pairings created by resident Chef Billy Oliver. I assumed that Jeffrey had me meet him at the Reserve Room because it was convenient to his schedule. Instead, I found that he had planned a subtle subterfuge.

Jeffrey welcomed me when I arrived and immediately asked me if I wanted to experience the wine and food pairing that they were famous for. I politely declined, citing a recent lunch, but then Jeffrey told me that he had a ‘small wine emergency’ to attend to. He was apologetic and he assured me that he would be back after about 30 minutes, the perfect amount of time to enjoy the complete tasting. I accepted, knowing that it would, at the very least, be an interesting experience. Instead of interesting, however, it turned out to be incredible.

Firstly, the Chef Billy Oliver and the rest of the Reserve Rooms staff were all great – and they made me feel right at home.

Glasses lined up, four wines were poured. Then a beautifully presented plate of food samples arrived! I was given ample time to explore each Mayo Family Reserve wine before tasting its accompanying paired food. We tasted through the whites first and then came to today’s 2005 Reserve Petite Sirah, which was paired with a Creole-Molasses Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine-Blackberry Salsa. Firstly, the wine was exquisite! Big and bold and rich and layered with aromas and flavors, I wondered what the pairing would be like. I nearly fell out of my chair as bit into Chef Billy’s concoction! Delicious does not even begin to describe it. This was a pairing to die for.

(Don’t worry, we’ll include the recipe with your order!)

The rest of the pairing exercise was rife with much ‘ooohing’ and ‘ahhing’ and not just from me. A local innkeeper came in to enjoy the pairing as well. She’ll be insisting that her guests pay the Mayo Family Reserve Room a visit when enjoying their stay in her Sonoma County inn.

At the end of the pairing, I was well sated and very happy that I had indulged. Jeffrey returned and I could tell by the smile on his face that his mission was accomplished.

We chatted for a while and, right then and there, he agreed to allow our Operatives the opportunity to purchase all of his remaining 2005 Reserve Petite Sirah, as it was clearly my favorite of the afternoon.

Thanks, Jeff! I’m certain that our Operatives will love the wine, too.

Wine Spies Winery Check:

The Mayo Reserve Room, where Agent Red had his exquisite tasting adventure, can be seen in this satellite photo.

The Mayo Family winery main tasting room can be seen in this satellite photo.