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What We Say 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
We always feature great wines, but today’s wine is worthy of special mention.
FINAL AVAILABILITY ALERT:
Today, we bring you the final cases of this great wine. Don’t miss!
SECRET SAVINGS ALERT:
bq. Subscribe to our Daily Dispatch (above) and you’ll always know what our Top Secret coupon code of the day is. Every day we issue a new members-only code that entitles you to have Ground Shipping included and, sometimes, an added discount!Mission Codename: The Return of the Kings Blend
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: Return to Pezzi King for the most recent – but almost sold out – vintage of their great wine Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend. Secure all remaining cases of the wine
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Pezzi King Vineyards
Wine Subject: 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah blend
Winemaker: Gabriella Gazzano
Backgrounder: Our Operatives loved the 2002 vintage of this wine, making it the most popular blend we have ever featured. Today, we send Agent Red back to procure the newest vintage of the wine. Read his tasting notes and mission report below for the full briefing on this great wine
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Dark ruby to deep garnet hues, this wine shows a soft and slow-moving surface when swirled. When the wine settles, tight clusters of chubby legs steak down the edges of the glass
Smell – Sweet and softly smoky, with rich dark cherry, raspberry, plum and soft spice, atop more earthen components of dried leaves, sweetwoods, mild spice and even a hint of dried apricot
Feel – Velvety and soft up front, round and tender. After a moment, supple tannins appear, gripping the tongue and making you pucker your lips as the wine coats your cheeks and tongue
Taste – Layers of sweet and tart fruit with plummy compote, jammy blackberry and cherry with smoky blueberry, vanilla and soft oak, spice and black currants
Finish – Full-bodied, but balanced with real fruit flavors that start sweet and then go slightly tart and smoky as the wine lingers on your tongue for a long interval
Conclusion – Another_ impressive offering from our friends at Pezzi King! As compared with the previous vintage of this wine, today’s 2003 presents more elegance, softness and flavor. This makes the wine a greater pleasure to drink. The wine is ready to drink now, and we suspect that it will continue to evolve for some time – so stock up! Remember, we got our hands on all of the remaining supply of the wine. Once it is sold out, it is gone – forever!
Mission Report:
By now you know that Pezzi King is a Wine Spies favorite. However, you might have forgotten how we first came to become acquainted with Pezzi King. For those of you that need a reminder, please read our original mission briefing:
I won’t go into too much detail on how I found today’s wine. I’m simply too busy with a number of simultaneous operations to report on the full background. Suffice it to say that the mission was fraught with peril and danger lurked around every corner.
Okay, it wasn’t all that dramatic, but what was dramatic was the reaction that this wine got when I convened a secret tasting panel a few nights ago.
After careful reconnaissance and subsequent negotiation,
Pezzi King allowed me to reach into their library and pull samples for our tasting.
The tasting was conducted at the prestigious [REDACTED] Institute, where Agent Sparkle had been taking advanced training classes. Sparkle convened our tasting panel, which was comprised mostly of fellow students, all of them deeply intellectual, well-studied, and lover’s of fine wine. The gathering was also honored by the presence of an Institute Dean, himself a wine aficionado and trained sommelier.
Bottles of wine lined up, glasses in hand, the tasting commenced. Among the wines were offerings from several different wineries and, after sampling the range, a clear winner emerged.
It was unanimous; The Pezzi King was crowned, well, King Wine of the evening. In fact, so taken were some of the attendees, that I had to set a limit on how many bottles we would allocate to them. After all, we wanted our other Operatives (you) to enjoy today’s wine as well.
I was able to negotiate a very special deal for our Operatives today and this is the final allocation of this great wine. Be sure to get some – before we run out…
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of the Pezzi King vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Pezzi King Vineyards
About This Wine:
The delicate but distinct balance of syrah and cabernet sauvignon harmonizes with sweet tannins and opulent fruit producing a full bodied finish that never seems to end.
A dark ruby, richly concentrated blend of varietals producing a full bodied wine boasting of ripe blackberry, raspberry, white pepper and creamy oak. The entry is warm intense cab sauv then seamlessly melts into syrah mid palate. The delicate but distinct balance of syrah and cab sauv harmonizes with sweet tannins and opulent fruit producing a full bodied finish that never seems to end.
Food Pairing: Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce and Truffled French Fries
History of Pezzi King Vineyards:
James P. Rowe, Sr., is passionate about his Italian heritage. His love of agriculture is rooted in the time spent as a child at his grandfather’s Central Valley ranches, while his family ties are expressed in the name he and his late wife Jane gave their vineyard: Pezzi King combines the names of Jim’s and Jane’s mothers, respectively.
The Rowes established Pezzi King Vineyards in 1993, when Jim discovered a beautiful vineyard nestled in the hills of Dry Creek Valley during a weekend visit from San Francisco. Aware of the vineyard’s superior terroir and captivated by the site’s natural beauty, he purchased the 137-acre estate and undertook its beautiful transformation into one of the leading producers of Zinfandel in the acclaimed Dry Creek Valley appellation.
The first step was restoring the vineyard to its natural, unspoiled potential: Jim Rowe, Sr. immediately eliminated all use of chemicals and implemented all-natural farming techniques. His commitment to quality extended to the winery, as well, which they completely renovated with state-of-the-art equipment.
Today, Jim Rowe, Sr. and his wife, Cynthia, run the winery as a collaborative enterprise. Cynthia Rowe is involved with business planning and strategy for Pezzi King Vineyards.
Jim Rowe, Sr. states his mission for Pezzi King Vineyards directly: “I wanted wines that would be considered among the best in the world. To accomplish this, I had to start with an excellent piece of land and add the right mix of talent and hard work. We’re doing that at Pezzi King and we’ll continue to strive for and achieve excellence in everything we do.”
In 2006, Pezzi King Vineyards won 10 Gold and 5 Silver medals in wine competitions and is among one of the highest rated Zinfandel in the world.
About the Winemaker:
Gabriella Gazzano is no stranger to critically acclaimed Dry Creek Valley Zinfandels. She helped craft them for five years at Fritz Winery in Cloverdale, and the opportunity to make wine for one of the region’s most noted Zinfandel producers is one major reason she agreed to become Head Winemaker for Pezzi King Vineyards. “I started my winemaking career experiencing old-vine Zinfandel at Fritz, and I’m really excited to be back in Dry Creek and work with the wonderful fruit that Pezzi King grows and sources,” said Gazzano.
Technical Analysis:
Vintage: 2003
Wine Type: Red Wine
Appellation: Sonoma County
Harvest Date: September 2003
Acid: 0.59gm/100ml
PH: 3.67
Barrels: Demptos, Saury, Voges.
Aged: 24 months
Alcohol: 14.8%
