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. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from Trecini.

Mission Codename: Comfort Wine

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Trecini vineayards, revisit the Vicini family, and return with another of their great wines

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Trecini Cellars

Wine Subject: 2005 Ladi Vineyard Syrah

Winemaker: Dan Barwick

Backgrounder:

Trecini Cellars, in Sonoma California, has a rich family history of winemaking. Their 2005 Russian River Merlot shows all the qualities of this winemaking tradition.

In November we featured another Trecini wine and our Operatives have been clamoring for another of their offerings.

Today The Wine Spies are proud to bring you Tricini’s Ladi Vineyard Syrah, an amazing wine that Agent Red calls, “Comfort Wine”. Find out more by reading Agent Red’s tasting profile and mission, below.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Inky violet to medium-dark purple with elegantly long and thin legs that creep down the glass

Smell – On opening, an initial blast of dark blackberry with dark coffee grounds – but on decanting for a few hours, the wine really opened up to reveal violets, grape jam, espresso, smoked bacon, plum and a hint of white pepper

Feel – Cool and light in the mouth initially, then the wines soft tannins gently take hold on the top of the tongue and roof of the mouth

Taste – Slightest tartness leads off your tasting, but the wine quickly ‘fruits up’, with flavors of blackberry, acerola cherry, dark plum and mild vegital and softest spice

Finish – Smooth and supple with a long and lingering finish, with flavors that tapers gently and leave your mouth with flavors are cherry and smoky plum

Conclusion – This is a wholesome and delicious wine that would be right at home alongside your favorite comfort foods. If there is such a thing as comfort wine this is it. Trecini delivers a Syrah that is hearty and rich, but not at all overbearing. It floats in the mouth and its soft tannic structure give the wine a wonderful mouthfeel, while its lush aromatics and flavors provide a luxuriant drinking experience

Mission Report:

It was a cold and rainy day in Sonoma County. Just the sort of day I have come to expect in mid-January in this mostly-beautiful and usually delightful California wine growing region… but with a difference; The rain was relentless and the downpour particularly strong.

I had set a secret rendezvous with winery owner, Cathy Vicini, but was beginning to wonder whether I would make it to her or not. Roads were feet-deep with water in places, traffic seemed unmoving and I felt as though I would have done better in a rowboat than my Spy car.

The last time we featured a Trecini wine, I was not the agent on the case. Therefor, I had not had the pleasure to meet with anyone from the winery until today. Although, with this weather, I was beginning to wonder if I would even have the chance.

The spot where we had set for out meeting was nearby the winery’s HQ, but somewhat more interesting; we planned to meet in the center of a private sculpture garden where a few dozen sculptures were spread out over nearly a 1/2 mile stretch. I looked forward to seeing them, if I could just make it there.

By some great miracle, or perhaps just good luck, the weather cleared, the sun shone through the parting clouds and traffic began to move again. I made it with a few minutes to spare and thanked the wine gods as I climbed the hills toward the sculpture garden.

The sculptures here ranged in size from tiny to massive and were either stunning in their beauty – or downright bizarre. If you guessed that my tastes leaned toward the more bizarre ones, you may be right. My favorite was a 15-foot long creation that looked to be made of gnarled wood and welded metal that looked like a robotic, steam-propelled, flying baby whale, called “SirBent”, by Bryan Tendrick.

After a period of standing in awe before this creation, Cathy rolled up in her SUV, a quizzical look on her face. We exchanged prearranged authentication phrases and we both smiled warmly. Cathy had a case of wine for our careful assessment and, in true prohibition-era style, I transfered it from the back of her truck, to the trunk of my car.

Because Cathy had another meeting to make, we spoke for just a few minutes, then thanked each other, and were on our way again quickly.

That’s when the rain started up again. I made for our Sonoma safehouse and arrived there before the worst of the weather hit. Just.

Once safely inside, I built a fire in the fireplace, decanted a bottle of Trecini Syrah and made myself a modest meal of comfort food. On sipping the wine I was struck by its character and the feeling that the wine imbued. Where some wines are obvious party wines and still others are great elegant dining wines, I realized that this wine – with its rich but still soft feel, flavors and aromas – was the perfect comfort wine.

The rest of my evening was spent listening to the rain and reflecting on how some wines impart a visceral feeling, a sense of place, and a sense of the winemaker, when you drink them. Maybe it was being safe from the rain, maybe it was the great wine, but this Trecini Syrah delivered all of these, and a tangible impression that all is right with the World.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of our secret meeting, the sculpture gardens, and surrounding vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.