LIBRARY RAID ALERT:

There is a very limited quantity of today’s wine, so please be sure to jump in, early. Bill Canihan gave us exclusive access to his private stash, but he only let us have a small allocation of his extraordinary Syrah. At today’s price, the wine will sell quickly.

SECRET SAVINGS ALERT:

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 on orders of six or more and, sometimes, an added discount!

Mission Codename: The Ebullient

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Infiltrate Canihan Family Cellars and return with their delicious Sonoma Valley Syrah.

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Canihan Family Cellars

Wine Subject: 2005 Exuberance Syrah

Winemaker: Alex Beloz

Backgrounder:

Our Operatives love a great Syrah, and they snap them up in record numbers, bucking the industry trends which suggest that Syrah sales are slightly declining. Our Operatives has proven that they are ahead of the curve in so many ways, especially when it comes to purchasing a great wine. Today, we visit our friends at Canihan Family Cellars to bring you their Exuberance Sonoma Valley Syrah, a delicious interpretation of the noble varietal.

The Sonoma Valley AVA is one of the oldest wine growing regions in California with the first vines being planted in the early 1800s. The AVA is located along California Route 12 and its eastern boundary are the southern end of the Mayacama mountains. The unique micro-climate with less rainfall and fog than other parts of the region along with its unique soil provides ideal growing conditions for Pinot Noir. Grown on their tiny estate vineyard, today’s wine is a special treat.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep magenta hues, with a darker heart of dark ruby. Color is evenly concentrated, from center to edge. After swirling, tight clusters of skinny tears from high up on the glass, before streaking downward.

Smell – Fragrant and lush, with expressive black fruit and dried flowers. The wine leads with generous blackberry and blueberry, which gives way to smoked meats, boysenberry, bramble, soft tobacco, pepper, subtle brown spice and a soft hint of toasted oak.

Feel – Soft and round at the tip of the tongue. At the mid-palate, the wine just glides across. It takes on weight at the rear of the palate where supple tannins give the wine a softly chewy feel.

Taste – Pure black cherry at first taste. Then, tart dark blackberry, blueberry, black raspberry and plum follow. As the wine breathes, subtle spice, pepper, dried meat and bramble begin to emerge.

Finish – Dark fruit and earthy bramble are sustained well into the long finish. Flavors persist for a long time, with fruit giving way to soft spice and black pepper. At the tail end, a soft dryness spreads from the rear palate, forward, eventually drying the cheeks and puckering the lips.

Conclusion – This delicious 2005 Exuberance Sonoma Valley Syrah, is another fantastic Syrah from our friend, Bill Canihan. Elegant, flavorful, aromatic and delicious, this wine delights all the senses. We don’t showcase very many Syrah, because we are exceptionally picky about the ones that we choose. We were so impressed with subsequent vintages of this wine that when Bill opened up his archives to us, we went straight for today’s wine. We got our hands on every last bottle and, at today’s special price, this may be your only chance to purchase this special wine. Pair this food-friendly wine with a nice thick steak!

Mission Report:

Busy with the 2011 Harvest, we were unable to secure our usual winemaker interview. Below is a recent interview conducted by Agent Red when we featured Canihan’s delicious Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir.

WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Greetings, Alex Beloz. We are thrilled to be showing your 2006 Canihan Family Pinot Noir today. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

ALEX: Glad to share some info.

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

ALEX: Travels to Europe, specifically Italy, after university. Met some great families that taught me about wine appreciation. I got the wine bug right away. When I returned home I pursued a career in wine.

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

ALEX: My first crush position. There’s nothing like getting the hands-on experience.

RED: What is your winemaking style or philosophy?

ALEX: To make delicious, compelling wines from fruit grown under strong viticultural practices.

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

ALEX: I suppose it’s more a region, the North Coast, that has influenced me. It’s where I learned how to make wine and where I work on a daily basis.

RED: How long have you been making wine?

ALEX: About 12 years now!

RED: Who do you make wine for?

ALEX: For my clients. In the end I make delicious, compelling wines that my clients will enjoy. Ultimately its they who will sell the wine. If they like it and are proud of it, they will be successful.

RED: Tell me, what makes Bill’s vineyards so special?

ALEX: Bill’s wines are grown on a tiny vineyard in southern Sonoma. During the growing season it gets warm enough in the day to ripen fruit well and cool enough in the evenings to give the vine some respite. It’s a very ideal climate.

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

ALEX: Consider and research it well. Get plenty of hands-on experience before committing to a full-on career in winemaking. There is a lot of romance that blinds folks into pursuing such a career not knowing that there is a lot of inglorious hard work and sacrifice in making wine.

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

ALEX: Lab work on the new vintage. Putting the new vintage to bed. And preparing for a busy spring and summer of vineyard monitoring and bottling.

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

ALEX: The 06 Canihan Family Pinot Noir. This wine has had an appropriate amount of time in bottle. It’s showing very well at this time. It’s bright and aromatic. It’s fruit driven on the palate with red cherry and raspberry notes. A nice hint of spice makes the wine compelling.

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

ALEX: A goat cheese appetizer and perhaps grilled salmon as a main course.

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

ALEX: Wine is not my job. It’s my lifestyle.

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

ALEX: No favorites. I like tasty, well balanced wines of all colors, varietals and regions…but it’s got to be good!

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

ALEX: Most of my wines are nice right out the bottle. They’re always better a year out from release. However, if one has little time or patience, as we all do sometimes, I recommend my wines to be uncorked a couple hours before tasting.

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

ALEX: Corton-Charlemagne. Small production. Very pricey. Very good.

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

ALEX: Do you love what you do? I would respond: “I’m one of the luckiest guys on the planet!”

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!

ALEX: You bet!