Today’s wine earned a special spot in our annual Wine Intrigue Awards line-up, when it won -

Operative’s Choice:
Top Red Blend

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:

Last year, we awarded the 2005 vintage of this wine with a Wine Spies Intrigue Award for Best Red Blend. Today’s wine, the 2006 Red Maximus lives up to the tradition, by delivering a bolder rendition of Bennett Lane’s signature red wine.

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Mission Codename: Spartacus!

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Bennett Lane in the Napa Valley, secure their newest Red Maximus, a wine that was very popular with our Operatives in its previous vintage

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Bennett Lane Winery

Wine Subject: 2006 Maximus – Red Feasting Wine

Winemaker: Grant Hermann

Backgrounder:The Napa Valley, best known for producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon, also produces some of the finest red blends available. For today’s fantastic wine, Agent Red was dispatched to Bennett Lane Winery in Calistoga at Napa Valley’s northern end. An homage to the Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus, Bennett Lane’s 2006 Maximus is a wine fit for roman nobility – and for you

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dark and foreboding, with dark mulberry hues and a nearly opaque core. At the edges, a thick band of red plum color rings the glass. When the wine settles – after a good swirl – skinny legs move slowly down the inside of the glass.

Smell – Darkest blackberry, cranberry and bramble lead the way, followed by more subtle aromas of cocoa dust, bramble, dried purple flowers, softest cedar and mild dark spice.

Feel – Light and cool at the very front of the palate, then soft and round across the mid. When the wine hits the rear of the tongue, tannins reveal themselves, spreading a gradual dryness forward from the back.

Taste – Like last years vintage, this wine is boldly dark and very flavorful, leading with dark blackberry, blueberry, strawberry and black cherry. After a moment, cedar, dark chocolate dust, cherry, dried rose petals and spice also appear.

Finish – Dark and flavorful, with pronounced dark mixed berry and flinty spice. As these taper off, soft leather and mineral-driven cocoa powder show up and then gradually fade away.

Conclusion – Bolder and more robust than the 2005 ’Max, this 2006 shows a sturdier profile than its older brother. Flavors and aromatics are bold, but in check. The mouth feels is balanced, delivering a great deal of complexity, but not without elegance. We paired our review bottles with summer BBQ and the wine was a perfect companion. We found that the wine improved a great deal after decanting. After 30 minutes, the wine softened and revealed more elegance and better flavors. This wine holds true to the Maximus tradition, but delivers a little extra oomph than previous vintages. Once again, Bennett Lane has crafted a wine worthy of Emperors and Empresses!

Mission Report:

WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

Gant Hermann joined Bennett Lane in 2005 as Cellar Master. In line with the owners winemaking philosophy, Grant’s focus at Bennett Lane is to produce well-endowed, handcrafted wines from uncompromised vineyard sources—be it the Lynches’ own estate vineyard in Calistoga or a select parcel in Oakville.

Grant brings new meaning to the term “drink locally.” The down-to-earth Napa Valley native was raised in Yountville and attended Vintage High in Napa. Today he not only works with some of Napa’s top vineyards at Bennett Lane, but he is also a part-time firefighter in the town of Calistoga, where he resides today with his wife Elizabeth and kids Aiden (5) and Chloe (7).

He gained early vineyard experience on his family’s one-acre parcel of Chardonnay in Yountville, and opted for applied education to hone his craft in winemaking. “I’m a hands-on winemaker and have been fortunate to align myself with great mentors over the years. I truly enjoy being intimately involved in the transition of grape to wine,” he told us.

Before getting into the wine industry, Grant spent the latter half of the 1980s working simultaneously in construction while waiting tables at some of Napa’s top restaurants when the area was just developing as a tourist destination. In 1990, he took a job as a harvest worker for Cain Vineyard and has been in the wine industry ever since. He subsequently spent over a decade working at Sterling Vineyards in many capacities, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to get his “hands purple” when he joined boutique producer Bennett Lane Winery in 2005.

In his spare time, Grant savors every minute he can with his friends and his family. He also enjoys coaching tee-ball, mountain biking, boating, golfing, and occasionally embarrassing himself with his guitar at open-mic night at the Calistoga Inn.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Bennett Lane Winery can be seen in this satellite photo.