2007 Fall Release Notes
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2005 Avenger
Avenger is the blend that launched the brand 6 years ago. We always try to emulate that special wine that brought many of you to our mailing list back then. Avenger is always built around Syrah some of which has been aged in Hungarian oak barrels imparting that Indian spice that complements the Syrah so well.
This was our first vintage utilizing the amazing fruit off the young Booker vineyard. Lisa and Eric Jensen’s meticulous farming have paid off. For being so young, the clusters had amazing uniformity and resulted in wine with rich, clean, pure Syrah fruit.
This wine was handled in the traditional Villa Creek fashion of gently de-stemming to whole berries, native yeast fermentations, and daily punch downs. This wine was slowly and gently pressed near dry and placed into barrel where it remained for 18 months.
- Blend
- 60% Booker Syrah, 20% Booker and Denner Grenache, 20% James Berry Mourvedre
- Oak
- 50% new, equal parts French, Hungarian and American
- Appearance
- Rich, dark ruby red
- Nose
- Sweet smoke, juicy black fruits and Indian spice
- Palate
- Smoked meats, dark fruits and a deliciously lengthy finish filled with minerals and texture. Enjoy now and will evolve nicely in the cellar for 10 years.
2005 High Road
High Road is always a blend of our best James Berry Vineyard Barrels and unless and earthquake sends our Grenache barrels tumbling, ends up being predominantly Grenache. If you are not familiar with this vineyard, you will be well acquainted after enjoying this wine. James Berry Vineyard is the life blood of our good friends Terry and Pebble Smith and their son and daughter-in-law Justin and Heather. Located about 6 miles east of the town of Paso Robles, this vineyard is blessed with nearly perfect conditions for growing Rhone varieties: rolling hills, limestone rock soils, warm summers with cool evenings, gentle breezes, cooling ocean fogs and passionate owners. The Grenache always shows more weight and texture than is typical for this grape. The Syrah off James Berry is reminiscent of that of the northern Rhone and the Mourvedre always captivates with it’s austerity and leathery finesse. This vineyard rocks!
- Blend
- 40% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre
- Oak
- 75% new French
- Appearance
- Deep ruby
- Nose
- Rich red and black fruits, hints of kirsch, boysenberry pie with a lard crust!
- Palate
- Juicy is a constant descriptor when enjoying a mouthful of this High Road. The fruit is incredibly pure and robust. Rich jammy flavors of dark berries and spice lead to a smooth lingering, mineral-like finish. Drink now and for the next 5-7 years.
2005 James Berry Grenache (G)
While putting together our blends for this release we came upon some extraordinary James Berry Grenache barrels and decided it would be criminal not to bottle some of this alone. We have fondly been referring to this wine as “G” for a number of reasons but let’s just say it hits the spot.
- Oak
- one third new French
- Appearance
- Ruby red
- Nose
- Strawberries and tobacco with hints of vanilla
- Palate
- Cherry confiture delicately laced with vanilla and earth. This wine keeps evolving in your mouth long after it’s sipped, is nice when decanted and will be enjoyed for at least 5 years.