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Syrah
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Crane Family Vineyards owner Peter Chiarella was CFO of Clairol and Max Factor, and CEO of The Doctor’s Company before establishing his vineyard and “retiring.” He first sold his grapes to prestigious Napa wineries like Cakebread, which he then ran for five years. At Jack Cakebread’s urging, he founded his own winery, with his first commercial release, 1999, enjoying immediate and resounding success. He also hired an outstanding winemaker, Alison Green Doran, to help make his wines.
The 2002 Crane Family Syrah, from the Unti vineyard, is nothing short of astonishing! Peter sells all of his other wines, except this one, directly to private customers. Peter is determined to keep his prices reasonable, considering the phenomenal quality. That's why he chose us to sell his remarkable 2002 "Unti Vineyard" Syrah. And after two-and-a-half years in the highest quality French oak, Chiarella and his son-in-law, Ed McKeown, determined their syrah was finally ready to bottle.
It's a huge wine, virtually black, and 15.3% alcohol with a ph of 3.8 (quite high). Yet it's not really late-harvested or in any way overdone. As the winery says, "the style of this wine emulates that of the northern Rhone Valley, a departure from most California syrah." The fruit was hand-harvested and hand-sorted for both optimum length and balance. It then underwent a carefully controlled, very long fermentation with extended maceration. After 30 months in French oak, it was bottled unfiltered in extra-heavy bottles.
Probably the most truly powerful California syrah we've tasted, yet with none of the cough-syrupy character many of the highest-rated American syrahs typically display. The color, power, texture and style here definitely do echo the Northern Rhone, though there are only a few top-vintage Hermitages that manage the power and concentration of this. But the flavors are distinctly Californian. The winery finds aromas of "sweet blackberries, coffee and smoked meat", and flavors of "wild berries, black pepper and chocolate", with a "rich texture, silken mouth feel and long, sultry finish." Which is a pretty good description of what this wine is like.
If you want to see what California syrah can do at its best, don’t miss this one.
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Cabernet Sauvignon
The Cabernet block on our vineyard was planted seven years after our Merlot block, and is situated in alluvial clay soil on the southernmost point of our estate. 100 of the 2,500 Cabernet vines are Cabernet Franc, the fruit being field blended with the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The Cab Franc, comprising approximately 4% of the total blend, adds complexity and dimension to our Cabernet Sauvignon. The dark garnet color with aromas of vanilla, currant and tobacco gives way to the mouth-filling taste of ripe black cherry and blackberry with a hint of mocha. Gentle tannins are present throughout, creating a wonderfully silky sensation on the palette.
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