Christopher Creek Winery
2007 Reserve Syrah
Syrah
California: Russian River Valley
Mission Briefing
The Earth Mother
2007 Vintage Alert: Today’s wine hails from the 96 Point 2007 vintage. Northern California wines from this vintage are highly prized - and increasingly difficult to find. If you are a fan of fantastic Syrah, please accept this wine with our boldest recommendation.
Today’s 2007 Christopher Creek Reserve Syrah is a remarkable, superb, superior wine that caused quite a stir at our recent tasting panel, where we carefully vet every wine that we showcase.
On opening, this wine gave off a distinctly funky aroma. We almost passed on the wine, but our Agent Red wanted to give the wine a little time. We poured the wine into a decanter, subjected it to a hearty round of swirling, and set it aside. An hour later, the wine had transformed! The funk was gone and it had become, well, incredible!
This delicious wine is a Syrah-lover’s dream and we hope that you get to experience it for yourself.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Very dark and slightly opaque, with dark garnet hues at the core and pretty ruby at the edges. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Dark and funky - but only at first! After some hearty swirling, this wine is transformed, revealing dark fruit mixed with forest floor and a wet minerality. Stewed fruits of plum, blackberry and cassis take the lead. Smoked and dry cured meats add an intriguing undertone. |
| Taste: | Soft and supple on entry, this wine shows dark compote rather than fresh fruits. Dark berry compote, forest floor, clay soil, dried mushroom, cured meats and dried berry fruit coat the palate. |
| Finish: | At the very end, a hint of black pepper coats the back of the palate and the upper throat. Dried berry, cured meats and earth persist for a very long time. |
| Pairing: | A flash seared filet with a farm fresh Béarnaise sauce made with thinly sliced shallots that have been soaked in a few ounces of this wine. |
What the Winery Says
Christopher Creek Syrah Russian River Valley 2007
- Varietal
- 100% Syrah
- Viticulture & Vinification Notes
- Estate grown fruit, harvested at 3.6 tons/acre, hand-selected, barrel aged in French oak for 13 months. Estate bottled. 490 case production.
- Notes From The Winemaker
- Produced in the Classical French Style from multiple clonal grapes grown at the winery site, our 2007 Estate Bottled Syrah displays black plum and red cherry with tastes of sweet chocolate, brown spice, minerals and slight subtle smoky notes. On the palate, the texture is smooth and ample with a very long smooth complex finish created by the rich, yet soft tannins and a rich mouth feel. We would recommend bottle aging this wine for at least a year before drinking to let the tannins soften and the fruit fully develop. Properly cellared, we would expect this wine to age well for 6-10 years. Try our Syrah with Barbecued, Marinated Tri-Tip roast, Game Birds, Lamb, Beef Stew or Spicy Foods (Mexican, Exotic Asian Infusions). Syrah is also a great food companion to chocolate.
About the Winery
Christopher Creek Winery is a small, family owned winery with a long history of producing award winning, estate bottled, and hand crafted wines, with annual production around 4,000 cases. Located in Healdsburg, California on 11 rolling acres in the famous Russian River Valley AVA, with another 27 acres planted high on Bradford Mountain in Dry Creek AVA. Our first grape vines were planted in 1972, with the winery opening up shortly thereafter in 1974. Those first vines are still producing exceptional wines, and can be enjoyed daily as our Reserve Petite Syrah and Reserve Syrah.
Christopher Creek has earned hundreds of awards for its wines since 1974 with the legendary success of our Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc leading the way. Today, we have expanded our portfolio to include Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Viognier, Port and Chocolate Bliss. Growing quality grapes is the primary focus in developing great wines, so each of our wines are hand harvest and hand crafted by our artisan wine maker, Mike Brunson, to ensure quality.
With the growing interest in the Rhone style wines, Christopher Creek offers the opportunity to taste wines produced from old vines. The vineyard, located in the Northeastern part of the Russian River appellation, where the climate is warmer, produces some of the best Syrah and Petite Sirah in the area.
Our 2005 Russian River Estate Bottled Syrah is a “Best of Class-Gold Medal Winner” and our 2004 Dry Creek “Finlay’s Vineyard” Cabernet is a Multiple Gold and Silver Medal Winner. Our 2006 Russian River “Catie’s Corner” Viognier and 2006 Russian River Estate Bottled Petite Sirah are Double Gold Medal Winners. Zinfandels produced by Christopher Creek are consistently “Best of Class”, “Best of Show”, Gold and Silver Medal Winners. Our Petite Sirahs are legendary winners with over 45 Medals and “Best of Class-Gold Medals” during the past ten years.