2006 St. Supery Vineyards & Winery Napa Valley Syrah

Mission Codename: The Rhone Ranger

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Revisit our friends at St. Supery Vineyards & Winery, acquire their delicious Estate Grown Syrah

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: St. Supery Vineyards & Winery

Wine Subject: 2006 Syrah

Winemaker: Michael Beaulac

Winery Backgrounder: We love St. Supery Winery, and while we would love to show their wines more frequently, we are made happy by the fact that the wines they do share with our Operatives are universally fantastic. Today, Agent Red returns to St. Supery and returns with their Estate Grown Syrah, a delicious wine that is well worthy of your attention.

Varietal Backgrounder: The popularity of Syrah is undeniable. Big and bold in flavor and texture, it packs a concentrated punch of flavor that many people love. 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. Today’s delightful Syrah is a bold and balanced delight with deep flavors, dark aromatics and an intriguing mouth feel.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep and concentrated with dark purple plum hues, with a clear but darker core. Slim-width, wine-stained legs crawl down the glass after swirling.

Smell – Tart blackberry juice with black cherry, boysenberry and soft plum are in the lead. These are closely followed by cedar, tobacco leaf, truffle, smoky rose and black pepper.

Feel – Cool and light on the entry and then quickly grippy. Plush tannins and spicy minerals send a fast-spreading dryness across the entire palate.

Taste – Black licorice and jammy blackberry are out in front. These give way to black cherry, earthen bramble, black plum, truffle with dark minerals and black pepper at the very end.

Finish – Flavors last forever, with fruit that lingers on and on, eventually yielding to the spreading dryness. As flavors fade, flinty minerals and spicy black pepper appear and then fade away.

Conclusion – Delicious, flavorful and intriguing, this initially light Syrah grows and grows, both on the palate – and in our hearts. This wine is great, right on opening, but let it breathe and you’ll be rewarded with more blackfruit and a softer feel. This wine is bold, but well balanced with bright-tart flavors and a medium-bodied feel that is accentuated by the flint and black pepper that come at the end. Pair this wine with hard cheeses, spicy foods or anything that would benefit from a quick cleanse of the palate. This wine plays great, between bites. Its a big California Syrah that drinks like Cali/Rhone hybrid, bringing you the best of both Syrah worlds. At today’s price, we declare this wine an extraordinary value.

Mission Report:

WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

SUBJECT: Michael Scholz, Vice President Winemaker

WINE EDUCATION: BS in Enology at Roseworthy College, Adelaide, Australia

CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: Ironhorse then St. Supery 1996-2001, Wattle Creek, returned to St. Supery in 2009

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: Make expressive wines, distinctive, fragrant, vibrant and delicious

WINEMAKER QUOTE: “No drama”

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WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Greetings, Michael. We are thrilled to be showing your 2006 Napa Valley Syrah today. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

MICHAEL: So pleased to have St. Supery featured on Wine Spies – once again!

RED: Was there a specific experience in your life that inspired your love of wine?

MICHAEL: I grew up on a family vineyard estate in the Barossa Valley in Australia, near Adelaide. The estate has been in my family for 5 generations, so I had the good fortune of growing up among the vineyards and wine on the table daily, of course.

RED: What wine or winemaker has most influenced your winemaking style?

MICHAEL: My big brother, Peter, but don’t tell him that and give him a big head.

RED: Who do you make wine for?

MICHAEL: People who love wine, food and good times.

RED: Please tell me a little bit about the wine we are featuring today.

MICHAEL: This is 89% Napa Valley Syrah, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. It’s a delicious and complex wine that we are all very proud of.

RED: What is your favorite pairing with today’s wine?

MICHAEL: Braised short ribs, whatever your favorite recipe, use the wine to help braise the beef, drink the wine while braising (this takes several hours) and then serve the ribs on a bed of mashed Yukon gold potatoes

RED: In your opinion, what makes the Napa Valley so special?

MICHAEL: the Napa Valley is a special place for wine grapes. Long, dry growing season, warm days, cool nights, fairly mild temperatures with good amount of sun and heat yields mature fruit, skins, seeds…when the grapes have time to hang in good conditions, the flavors and tannins become ideal.

RED: What is occupying your time at the winery these days?

MICHAEL: Blending all of St. Supery’s 2009 red wines – the individual wines are made 100% from our estate grown fruit

RED: How would you recommend people approach your wines and wine in general?

MICHAEL: With a glass in hand, that is best.

RED: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

MICHAEL: Please visit us at the winery in Rutherford, in the heart of Napa Valley. We have fun here, won’t you join us?

RED: Thank you so much for your time. We learned a lot about you – and your wine. Keep up the great work, we are big fans!

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

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