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Mission Codename: True Romance

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Jana Winery, acquire their stellar Old Vine Zinfandel

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Jana Wines (Scott Harvey Wines)

Wine Subject: 2005 Napa Valley Old Vine Zinfandel

Winemaker: Richard Peterson

Backgrounder: Zinfandel is related to the Italian Primitivo grape, tracing its origin to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kastelanski. Zinfandel is one of the most versatile varietals with the ability to make wines, both rich to fruity, dark to light, and dry to sweet. Napa Valley Zinfandels, which are characterized by their big, extracted flavors, are among the most popular with our Operatives. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – This wine glows with a gorgeous rub red that shows clear and concentrated, right through its slightly darker core. When swirled, this wine show a slightly tight surface that settles quickly, leaving behind fast, skinny tears that start high on the glass

Smell – Juicy, bold and very aromatic in character with spicy and dusty red fruit of raspberry, Bing cherry and red currant. These sit perfectly atop a base of classic old vine spiciness of black and white pepper. All of these intermingle with soft oak, anise and soft cedar

Feel – Velvety and luxurious on the attack, then the wine shows a medium-to-full-body as it gradually introduces a hint of dryness. Initially round, cool and smooth, the wine digs in at the mid-palate, revealing fine-grained and softly textured tannins that spread across the tongue, adding a hint of mineral dryness. Soft spice and balanced acidity provide great structure that holds the flavors of the wine through to the finish

Taste – Delicious and focused, with fruit flavors of juicy red cherry, raspberry, blackberry and a hint of red plum. These combine with follow-on flavors of earthy spice of black pepper and softest clove. At the end, flavors of bramble, soft cocoa powder and the softest oaky vanilla show up on the mid-palate

Finish – Medium long in length with red fruit, earth, spice and other complex flavors that are framed by this wine’s soft and rich tannins

Conclusion – This is one amazingly delicious wine. With every sip, our tasting panel of 4 Operatives oooh’d and ahhh’d. This wine is remarkably tasty, with a soft, almost voluptuous feel that had each of us holding the wine in our mouths for long intervals. Agent K made the tasting even more delectable by surprising us with her freshly-made dish of Orecchette with Asparagus, Ricotta and Prosciutto. The bright acidity of the wine, along with its fruit and spice, were framed beautifully by the subtle lemon and black pepper of the creamy pasta. The prosciutto, matching up perfectly with the feel of the wine. The wine on it’s own is a delicious treat, but I believe that you could pair this flexible wine with nearly anything. Where some Old Vine Zin could tend to overpower a fine meal, this wine is beautifully balanced and perfectly poised. I give this wine a very hearty Wine Spies recommendation!

Mission Report:

WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

SUBJECT: Scott Harvey

DATE OF BIRTH: 3-24-54

PLACE OF BIRTH: Bamberg, Germany

WINE EDUCATION: 1975, I apprenticed at K. Fitz-Ritter Winery while attending the Weinbau Schule in Neustadt, Germany. Returned to Amador County to apprentice from Cary Gott at Montevina winery.

CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: Montevina, In 1978, at the age of twenty-three, Scott took over as Head Winemaker for Story Winery, worked at Santino Winery and then started Renwood winery with a partner. Later was recruited to Napa Valley to be winemaker and president of Folie a Deux.

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: Being European trained, I make wines to go with food—good acidity and low pH. This is considered old world style of winemaking.

SIGNATURE VARIETAL: Barbera

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: Named 1 of the top 10 Winemakers in CA by Dan Berger

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: 2003 Scott Harvey Reserve Barbera being selected as 3rd best Barbera in the world outside of Italy.

WINEMAKER QUOTE: “Wine needs to tell two stories, one I’m Zinfandel, two I’m Napa Valley”

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WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Greetings, Scott. We are thrilled to be showing your Jana Old Vine Zinfandel today. It is one of the most delicious Zin’s I have tried of late! Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

SCOTT: Thank you for selecting one of my wines for your program.

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

SCOTT: When I was sent to Germany as an AFS exchange student in high school, I was sent to a winemaking region of Germany. On my first day there, my “German family” handed me a glass of wine. I looked out the window at the vineyards below, got my German dictionary out and said, “does this wine come from those grapes?” They said “yes, do you want to see where it’s made?” ….and the rest is history.

RED: And where did you learn the most about winemaking?

SCOTT: I got my basic training in Germany but my recent winemaking style I attribute to my mentor , Dr. Richard Peterson.

RED: What is your winemaking style or philosophy?

SCOTT: Old world style. Wines that are drunk with food.

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

SCOTT: Dr. Richard Peterson

RED: How long have you been making wine?

SCOTT: 37 years

RED: Who do you make wine for?

SCOTT: myself, my wife, and our consumers

RED: Tell me, what makes the Napa Valley so special?

SCOTT: Only 2% of the world has a Mediterranean climate like Napa Valley with the warm days and cool nights along with its unique soils and geography.

RED: What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone that is considering a career as a winemaker?

SCOTT: You need to be a very clean and neat person. 90% of winemaking is janitorial.

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

SCOTT: Harvest—and what a great one it’s turning out to be!

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

SCOTT: It’s a full bodied Napa Valley Zinfandel from 100 year old vines from one of the best appellations.

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

SCOTT: Jana’s company with BBQ’d Tri Tip

RED: Please share one thing about yourself that few people know

SCOTT: I like to iron my own shirts.

RED:What is your favorite ‘everyday’ or table wine?

SCOTT: Chianti

RED: How would you recommend that people approach your wines, or wine in general?

SCOTT: People drink experiences. Have fun with the wine.

RED: If you could choose any one wine to drink (regardless of price or availability), what would it be?

SCOTT: Whatever my wife wants to drink.

RED: What is the one question that I should have asked you, and what is your answer to that question?

SCOTT: Question: Do you have any new wines planned to make? Answer: I’d love to make a Gewürztraminer from a cold climate region.

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

SCOTT: Thank, Red! Back to harvest for me. See you soon!

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Jana Wines and Scott Harvey Wines can be seen in this satellite photo.