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 bottles and, sometimes, an added discount!

Mission Codename: Capturing the Essence

Operative: Agent White

Objective: Return to Estancia Estates and secure an allocation of their Reserve Meritage from the exceptional 2007 vintage.

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Estancia Estates

Wine Subject: 2007 Reserve Meritage

Winemaker: Scott Kelley

Backgrounder: Meritage (pronounce like ‘heritage’, no French style accent) wine, blends made in the tradition of the great wines of Bordeaux can only carry the name if the winery is a member of The Meritage Association based in Sonoma County. Most wines made in the US are varietal wines, comprised of over 75% of a single varietal. Unfortunately, this labeling requirement is believed to impair many winemakers from making exceptional blends, since they are often labeled as simply Red Table Wine with the noble grapes of Bordeaux. Thus in 1988 Meritage was born as a way to highlight the winemaker’s art of careful blending and crafting of wines in the tradition of some of Europe’s finest wines.

Today’s selection is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 12% Petite Verdot and is aged for 14 months in French and American oak.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dense and dark garnet with deep purple hues and a dark but clear code that shows glistening garnet streaks when held to the light. The color remains dense to the very edges and when swirled fat legs hang on the side of the glass before slowly descending to the wine below.

Smell – Initially a little tight, but your patience will be rewarded with rich aromas of dark red and black fruit, sweet spice, pepper and soft earthy notes. A touch of toasted oak with vanilla caramel hints and wild anise and other green herbs adds depth and complexity.

Feel – Plush and smooth on entry with the finely textured but firm tannins hitting mid-palate and lingering into the finish. Lively acidity and etched minerality grasps the fruit of this well structured wine.

Taste – Layers upon layers of dark ripe and tangy red and black fruit including dark cherry and blackberry. The fruit blends with black pepper, sweet spice, soft herbal notes and a touch of anise blend with dark textured earthy notes that are felt on the palate. Toasted oak and a touch of bittersweet cocoa and vanilla also emerges.

Finish – Very long with this wines textured mineral and tannins lingering as the ripe fruit and sweet spice gently fade away leaving behind just a touch of tart and bitter cherry.

Conclusion – The 2007 Estancia Estates Reserve Meritage is a delicious wine that showcases the exceptional 2007 Paso Robles vintage . Bountiful aromas and flavors along with a sturdy structure makes this wine powerful and masculine. Its complexity adds the depth and character you would expect from Estancia. Enjoy this wine with grilled steaks or simply by itself in front of a cozy fire. Enjoy this wine tonight after decanting for at least one hour or cellar for up to ten years.

Mission Report:

Below is a recap of Agent Red’s recent interview with winemaker Scott Kelly when we featured the previous vintage of this wine.

SUBJECT: Scott Kelley, Estancia

PLACE OF BIRTH: Salinas, CA

WINE EDUCATION: UC Davis

CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: General Manager and Director of Wine Making-Estancia

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: Estancia’s winemaking philosophy continues to be firmly rooted in terroir, with the goal of producing wines that reflect the unique vineyards and appellations in which they are cultivated.

SIGNATURE VARIETAL: Pinot Noir

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: Becoming GM and Director of Winemaking at Estancia.

WINEMAKER QUOTE: “It begins and ends in the Vineyard.”

WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Greetings, Scott. We are thrilled to be showing your 2006 Estancia Reserve Meritage today. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

SCOTT: Thank you very much. Always happy to chat with the Wine Spies!

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

SCOTT: I knew I wanted to do this since I was seventeen. I grew up in agriculture family and had an early interest in chemistry while in high school. I really found winemaking to be the perfect blend of agriculture and chemistry. My older brother was into viticulture as well, so that probably influenced my career direction a bit.

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

SCOTT: Growing up I had a lot of varied interests, not just in oenology but also in food science, so I pursued studies in Fermentation Science at the University of California at Davis. In addition to winemaking, I also explored the principles and science behind distillation, food engineering and even a little cheese-making. Since my brother and I were experimenting with home brewing during the summers, I took the opportunity to study at Davis’ Institute of Brewing Studies, eventually earning a Master Brewers Certificate. After Davis, I joined the Carmel Brewing Company, and eventually assembled a brewpub in Monterey from the ground up, formulating the recipes and brewing all the beer that we would serve on tap. I had always enjoyed the engineering side of things such as fluid dynamics and heat transfer, and working in a small brewpub allowed me to be hands-on throughout the brewing process and use some of the mechanical skills I learned growing up.

Ultimately though, I found that brewing didn’t really fulfill my creative side, and I found myself gravitating back toward winemaking. In 2000, I joined the Robert Mondavi family of wines working on a variety of brands that took me from Australia to Italy. These experiences abroad really shaped my philosophy about wine and winemaking, my travels to Italy clarified the synergy between wine and food, while making wine in Australia introduced me to a new approach with a focus on the details and the idea that you only get one chance to make a wine great.

RED: What is your winemaking style or philosophy?

SCOTT: Winemaking fulfills my artistic side without giving up the innovative hands-on experience that keeps me in touch with my family’s roots in agriculture. I enjoy all of the challenges that each vintage presents in order to shape the style of wines we make at Estancia.. Our winemaking style is one that fully embraces the coastal terroir.

RED: Tell me, what makes the Monterey and the Central Coast region so special?

SCOTT: Born and raised in Monterey County, I have tremendous respect for the climate – the wind and fog and the impact it has on the fruit and wine. Whether it is using less oak in the Chardonnay to protect the tropical characters or fermenting Pinot Noir only in open-top fermenters to respect the silky tannins, I am really passionate about making estate-based wines that have truly have a reason for being.

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

SCOTT: Estancia Meritage is a sophisticated, rich, complex and luscious wine harvested from the distinctive terroir of our Keyes Canyon Ranch and the Paso Robles AVA.. The 2006 Meritage was a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 8% Petite Verdot. This wine has vibrant, dark black cherries with hints of anise, rosemary and sage. Accents of chocolate powder and soft oak. Intense flavors of chocolate dipped black fruit, accompanied by notes of sweet oak. Wonderfully structured ripe tannins lead to a nice long, fruit driven finish.

In 1999, Estancia planted its Keyes Canyon Ranch, covering nearly 700 acres of vineyards in appellation of Paso Robles. This unique appellation is home to more extreme temperature swings than any other wine-growing region in California. During the day, the vines bask in the warm sunshine and at night they are soothed by a cool marine layer from the Pacific Ocean. In addition, the infertile soils and rugged terrain of Keyes Canyon, encourages the vines to yield small fruit clusters with tiny berries packed full of rich berry tones.

The 2006 harvest was compact due to a wet spring, cooler than average summer, and then a record blast of heat at veraison. September 26th marked the beginning of harvest which continued through October 26th.

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

SCOTT: I think this wine is very versatile, but it would marry particularly well with steak or nicely grilled rack of lamb.

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

SCOTT: When I am not making wine, my fiancée Dena and I try to find time to pursue one of our many hobbies. We golf, cook, hunt, scuba diving and we go fly fishing for Steelhead in Oregon.

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

SCOTT: It’s tough to pick a “favorite” as it really depends on what time of year it is or what we might be enjoying for dinner. Pinot Noir is always a favorite, and I have to say that that the more we play around with the Grenache fruit that we have on some of our Estate properties the more excited I am getting about that varietal.

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: Thanks, this has been a lot of fun. I hope everyone enjoys the Meritage…it’s one of my favorite wines to make each year.

Wine Spies Winery Check:

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