SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:

We only showcase wines that we love. While our emphasis is on quality first, every now and again we come across a real standout wine that rises above. When we do, we issue alerts like this one.

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: Setting the Stage

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Peters Family Winery’s to retrieve the newest vintage of Doug Peters’ delicious Sonoma Stage Vineyard Pinot Noir

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Peters Family Winery

Wine Subject: 2009 Sonoma Stage Vineyard Pinot Noir

Winemaker: Douglas Peters

Backgrounder: We have now had the pleasure to show four successive vintages of today’s wine. Each year, this wine expresses something different and unique about its vintage, making this wine an excellent study in the consistency of terroir and vineyard over the variability of each growing season.

The Sonoma Coast AVA is the 750 square mile area with the Pacific ocean on its western boundary, the San Pablo Bay to the south and Mendocino County to the north, headed inland to the other designated AVAs in Sonoma County. The region is heavily influenced by the cooler ocean climate, increased rainfall and fog that lingers long on the coastal mountains. The specific climate suits the demanding Burgundian varietal of Pinot Noir very well.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – With a gorgeous heart of pure ruby, perfect clarity and a lovely ring of pink that runs around the glass, this is one pretty wine. Swirl it well and marvel, as wave after wave of slow moving legs move slowly down the glass wall.

Smell – Sweet, spiced cherry candy and lush fresh strawberry jump from the glass. These are followed by cherry cola, dark bramble, sweet cigar box, toasty vanilla and a hint of pencil shavings.

Feel – Soft, round and tender on intial entry. Then, as the wine crosses the mid-palate, it settles there, taking on a very plush, medium to full-bodied feel. Bright acids and plush, integrated tannins frame the fruit.

Taste – Sweet black cherry and tart Rainier cherry out in front, followed by wild strawberry, red currant, black tea leaf, sweet cedar and bramble bush. After the wine breathes for a spell, sweet brown spice, dried cranberry and a hint of graphite round out the palate.

Finish – Juicy and long, with clean, sweet fruit slowly yielding to earthy spice and woody elements.

Conclusion – This is the fifth consecutive vintage that we have had the distinct pleasure to sample. This is intriguing and we hope that you were able to enjoy this experience alongside us. While the vineyard (and its terroir) and the winemaker are the same, there are distinct differences year to year. Attribute this to changes in weather year over year, but also to the skill of Douglas Peters, winemaker of this delicious 2008 Peters Family Winery Sonoma Stage Vineyard Pinot Noir. This wine was delicious right out of the bottle, but after 30 minutes of decanting it really came to life. Loaded with juicy fruit and balanced against delightfully earthy components, this wine offers approachability and complexity – without being too funky. Instead, this juicy wine delivers balance and intrigue in a flexible, palate-cleansing package that works beautifully with nearly any meal. Highly recommended!

Mission Report:

WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

SUBJECT: Douglas Peters

WINE EDUCATION: Stanford University, BA

CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: Domaine Carneros, Trefethen Vineyards

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: Make great wine!…by respecting and nurturing the natural processes at work in the vineyard and the winery.

WINEMAKER QUOTE: “Vino ipsa loquitor”

FIRST COMMERCIAL WINE RELEASE: 2003

WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Welcome back, Douglas. It is wonderful to continue to get to know you and your great wines. And, we are thrilled to be showing your Sonoma Stage Vineyard Pinot Noir today. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

DOUG PETERS: You are welcome! I am happy to share this special pinot noir with your operatives.

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

DOUG: Not a specific experience, but an accumulation of experiences tasting and sharing wines from around the world, which made me aware how wines, particularly great ones, can truly be a celebration of life and nature.

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

DOUG: I always admired Baron Mouton Rothschild, Robert Mondavi, and many others who came after…

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

DOUG: I love this Pinot Noir’s wonderful expression of classic pinot noir varietal character, and the terroir of the single vineyard site. The wine is a blend of the two clonal selections, Swan and Calera, planted in Sonoma Stage Vineyard. The grapes from each clone were separately hand-picked, fermented, and barrel aged for over two years before assemblage of the final blend. Due to the distinct differences between the clones, the grapes from each clone produce pinot noirs with distinctly different flavor and aroma profiles. As a result the final blend containing wines from both vineyard clones is very complex, yet beautifully balanced. It is lovely now in its youth, and I think it will evolve into an even more special wine in the cellar for many years to come.

RED: In your opinion, what makes the Sonoma Coast growing region so special?

DOUG: The Sonoma Coast appellation is ideally suited for pinot noir and chardonnay production, because of its proximity to the coast, and the beneficial effects of marine cooling, combined with ample sunny weather to achieve full ripeness. However, the Sonoma Coast appellation is very large, with numerous micro-climates, so it is important to note that the grapes for the PFW Pinot Noir are grown in the Petaluma Gap sub-appellation of the Sonoma Coast appellation. Located at the eastern edge of the Sonoma Coast appellation bordering Napa, the Petaluma Gap shares some of the best attributes of the neighboring Russian River and Carneros appellations as well as characteristics of the larger Sonoma Coast appellation..

RED: How would you recommend people approach your wines and wine in general?

DOUG: With an empty glass!…and an open mind.

RED: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

DOUG: Cheers!

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

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The approximate location of the Peters Family Winery can be seen in this satellite photo.