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St. Supery 2004 Élu Napa Valley

St. Supery 2004 Élu Napa Valley

What We Say 2004 Élu Napa Valley

If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Be sure to sign up for our Daily Dispatch email so you are the first to know about all of our great wine reviews and exceptional deals. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from St. Supery Vineyards & Winery.

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT: Today’s wine, in addition to being our choice for the Presidency, is an exceptional wine. Look for these alerts whenever we show a really superb wine.

SAVINGS ALERT: Intelligent Operatives will cast their votes for Élu today – and when they buy 5 or more bottles, will be rewarded with Free Ground Shipping plus an additional 5% off, but only if they enter savings code: NAPASPY. Your vote will also get you a free Élu for President pin!

Mission Codename: A rigged election?

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: St. Supery has been grabbing headlines with its Élu red blend. Not only because of the winery’s clever marketing campaign, but also because the wine is great! Infiltrate St. Supery campaign headquarters, interview the candidate, taste the wine and – if its great – secure an ample stash for our politically inclined Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: St. Supery Vineyards & Winery

Wine Subject: 2004 Élu, Napa Valley Red Meritage

Winemaker: Michael Beaulac

Backgrounder: When The Wine Spies learned that a St. Supery wine was running for President, Agent Red was sent to investigate. A mole deep inside St. Supery, a winery long recognized for its richly complex but infinitely approachable wines, was able to arrange an unprecedented audience with the candidate. Read Agent Red’s rare interview and tasting notes below – and learn why Élu has won our votes – and our hearts!

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Beautiful dark garnet, slightly brickish but with a burgundy influence, with deeply concentrated color through to the wines edges. The wine has a deep garnet to burgundy core, a springy surface that settles quickly after swirling – and thick, slow legs that move very steadily down the glass

Smell – Deeply aromatic bright fruits, dark blackberry, raspberry, toasty oak, soft spices and cassis

Feel – Initially wet at the front of the palate – then mouth-coating and rich with with solid tannins that fade to reveal follow-on flavors

Taste – Bright, juicy and delicious, with fresh tart cherries and cassis balanced against softer earthen flavors of subtle smoked blueberry, followed by a resurgence of bright fruit and soft wisps of mocha and mild spice

Finish – An exciting long and clean finish that ramps down smoothly, while continuing to reveal new flavors as it tapers off

Conclusion – This wine gets MY vote! Big and bright with terrific acidity that makes it the perfect running mate for most of the foods that we were able to throw at it. If you know my wine reviews, you know that I am a lover of great red blends. This one is delicious, and it shows off the great fruit and great skills of St. Supery. With a backbone of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (66%), the wine is balanced by Merlot (23%), Cabernet Franc (8%), Petite Verdot (2%) and Malbec (1%). The elegant Cab fruit is apparent in this wine, but the Merlot and the Cabernet Franc really shine through, tempering the Cabernet Sauvignons propensity for darkness and giving the wine a bright and more exuberant character.

Mission Report:

Last year, an unusual candidate for President of The United Sates of America threw his capsule into the ring. In just a few short months, Élu, who hails from St. Supery in the Napa Valley, is a leading contender for the Nation’s top spot.

A Red Meritage blend, Élu, is America’s leading wine candidate for President, promoting “sustainability, balance and availability.” The Independent candidate is single, prefers not to divulge its religious affiliation, and promises to announce its running mate and “Cab-inet” soon, according to www.elu08.com.

Recently, Agent Red was granted a unique one-on-one sit down interview with the candidate – at an undisclosed location. What follows is a full transcript of the interview:

Agent Red: Thank you very much for speaking with me today. Our Operatives are very eager to get to know you better and we appreciate your taking time away from your busy campaigning.

Élu: It is my great pleasure, Red.

Q: Let me get right to the questions. The price of oil seems to be soaring to new heights each day. If elected, what will you do to curtail the high gas prices that Americans are paying at the pump each day?
A: I encourage all Americans to drink more wine! Since it is illegal (not to mention irresponsible) to drink and drive, we can all play a part in reducing the demand for foreign oil

Q: You’ve risen to fame on a platform of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Petite Verdot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. What do you say to those that would accuse you of pandering to Cabernet Sauvignon, while almost ignoring the others?
A: I strive for balance, and frankly, my superior aromatics, deep flavors and terrific finish speak for themselves.

Q: How would you fight the War on Terror?
A: Well Red, to be honest, I’m a lover and not a fighter. Once again, wine is the answer; If more people of legal drinking age enjoy wine, perhaps we’d see more love and understanding

Q: Many Americans are concerned about loses in the stock market, what are your plans to alleviate American’s market fears?
A: I encourage all Americans to diversity their investments by adding grape futures to their portfolios and 401Ks.

Q: Are you concerned that Marshall Sontag, CEO of WineQ, has announced his candidacy for president?
A: Marshall is all about great wines, and his approach could even be called innovative. According to our polling, Marshall would make a great running mate. I’d say it time for us to meet.

Q: If elected, how long do you plan to stay in office, and are you ready to serve now?
A: I’m good to go, Red, now through 2015 – as long as the temperature and humidity are at optimum levels throughout.

Q: How would you characterize the differences between yourself and the other, albeit lagging, candidates?
A: I won’t speak to my opponents’ youth and inexperience. This election is about character, and when it comes to character, I am one.

Q: What is your environmental policy?
A: Hot days, followed by cool nights, of course. That’s when grapes thrive!

Q: Honestly, Global Warming is a major concern for many citizens, what are your plans to combat greenhouse emissions?
A: In short, I plan to mandate the planting of more vineyards to consume greenhouse gases. Studies also show that when people consume wine, they reduce their personal emissions of green house gases

Q: As a 2004, what can you tell us about your particular vintage?
A: Easy: 2004 was a banner your in the Napa Valley, producing more award-winning reds than in other recent years. How do you think I got my elegant charm?

Q: During the primary season, your rhetoric appealed to your base, but some accuse you know of flip-flopping to court centrist voters, are you a flip flopper?
A: It is important to realize that I am 100% committed to my core values of great taste… or, tasting great!

Q: Many Americans are worried about the rising cost of health care in the country, not to mention the millions that don’t have any coverage at all…
A: Let me start by saying a glass of wine a night has been proven to have positive health benefits including lower stress, lower cholesterol, and a lower incidence of heart disease. If each and every American of legal age enjoyed a glass, we would go a long way to improving our preventive care system

Agent Red: Thank you Élu. You certainly have the support of The Wine Spies and we are sure that we’ll see you in the Oval Office after the election!

Élu: Thanks again, Agent Red. Anyone who meets me is immediately impressed by my sophisticated blending. I am drinkable, elegant, silky and harmonious. You can’t say that of my opponents!

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the St. Supery Vineyards & winery can be seen in this satellite photo.

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What the Winery Says St. Supery

St. Supery
St. Supery

St. Supery Vineyards & Winery, Member, Napa Valley Vintners

About This Wine:

Élu red Meritage from St. Supéry has a blend that changes every year depending the characteristics of that vintage’s fruit.

From the out start the 2004 Élu is an amazing wine, there is great depth of both aroma and flavor. The wine begins with hints of cocoa, blackberries and toasted oak. Upon further investigation, one picks up kirsch and black cherries. Elegant, supple and gracefully balanced, and finishing with a lively burst of ripe fruit and supple tannins this one is one not to be missed. Drink now through 2013.

About The Winery:

Two vineyards – one in Rutherford at the heart of Napa Valley’s Cabernet Sauvignon country, the other in a serene corner of the Napa Valley – gave rise to the divine wines of St. Supéry, most notably, award-winning Cabernet Sauvignons and Sauvignon Blanc.

Every day, wine aficionados from around the world visit our winery estate in Rutherford, one of Napa Valley’s best-known appellations. A tour of our winemaking facility gives visitors a look at the state of modern winemaking, while a visit to the historic landmark 1880 Victorian Atkinson House (now a living museum) gives them a sense of the Valley’s past. Yet perhaps the biggest attraction is the uniquely informative and engaging St. Supéry Winery and Gallery

About The Vineyards:

St. Supéry first invested in vineyards in 1982 with the acquisition of Dollarhide, a 1,500-acre property in northeast Napa Valley. The winery has continued to invest in vineyards since that time, knowing that only through close management of the grapes in the vineyards can we ensure the highest quality wines in the bottle. In total, St. Supéry has over 500 planted acres in Napa Valley. It is in these vineyards, with very diverse terrains, that St. Supéry wines get their start.

Dollarhide – Dollarhide is St. Supéry’s largest vineyard estate with over 1,500 acres of rolling hills, oak-covered knolls and seven lakes in a private mountain valley in northeast Napa Valley. About one third of the acreage is planted to wine grapes.

Rutherford Estate – St. Supéry’s estate vineyard surrounding the winery in the celebrated wine growing region of Rutherford in the Napa Valley on Hwy 29 is also the winery site. Thirty-five acres are planted with red Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The climate and soils of Rutherford are ideal for these grape varieties, which often are blended with Dollarhide fruit to create St. Supéry’s refined and elegant Élu and Virtú wines.

Technical Analysis:

Blend:

75% Cabernet Sauvignon,
18% Merlot,
4% Petit Verdot,
2% Cabernet Franc,
1% Malbec


Please join The Wine Spies for the annual Élu party and election convention

When: September 27, 3-6 p.m.

Where: Campaign Headquarters aka St. Supery Vineyards & Winery, 8440 St. Helena Highway, St. Helena

RSVP: Call 800-231-9116, email events@stsupery.com or visit www.stsupery.com

St. Supery 2004 Élu Napa Valley 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Jul 17, 2008 at 11:59 pm
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St. Supery 2004 Élu Napa Valley 750ml Wine Bottle
Offer Expired Jul 17, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Register to get notified when this wine is back in stock:
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