Martinelli Winery
2009 Hop Camp Vineyard Gravel Lens Syrah
Syrah •Hop Camp Vineyard
California: Sonoma County: Russian River Valley
Mission Briefing
Codename:The Queen of all
Welcome to the Wine Spies Intrigue Awards for 2015! Each year we recognize our most popular and sought-after wines from the previous year - while giving our Operatives one final chance to secure some of the winning wines for themselves.
We’ll never show this wine again, so grab yours while you still can!
Today’s Martinelli Winery 2009 Hop Camp Vineyard Gravel Lens Syrah is our Wine Spies 2015 Intrigue Awards winner for Top Syrah. This wine was made under the supervision of Helen Turley, Wine Spectator Magazine’s “America’s Greatest Winemaker.”
This is one of the best Syrahs we have ever tasted, and we’ve tasted many a fabulous Syrah over the course of these last 8 years.
At 60% off, this wine is expected to sell out - so be quick or you’ll miss out…
Today’s wine is one of the last that was made under the supervision of winemaking superstar (heck, she’s elite-level, too!), the amazing Helen Turley. For those of you that don’t know Helen, she makes some of the most exclusive, most sought-after, most award-winning and most expensive wines in California.
Helen has supervised wine production for Colgin, Peter Michael Winery, B. R. Cohn, Kapcsándy Family Winery, Blankiet Estate, Pahlmeyer Winery, Landmark Winery, and Bryant Family. Recently, Wine Spectator Magazine named her “America’s Greatest Winemaker.”
This Russian River Valley Syrah has an incredible nose that encourages you to enjoy inhalation after inhalation - long before taking your first sip. On the nose, this wine exudes some of the best aromatics we’ve experienced in a Syrah. Aromas include stewed blackberry, blueberry and plum, followed by dry cured beef, lavender, braised mission fig, salty river rock, savory spice and black pepper.
Be prepared to be blown away by the flavors in this exquisite wine. Bold stewed blackberry, blueberry and European black licorice lead the charge. These are followed by concentrated plum and savory spice, with cured meats, white pepper, mocha and baker’s chocolate.
Hurry, though. This wine is very likely to sell out!
Historical Acclaim for this wine:
2007 Vintage
- ~
- 92 points. Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
2006 Vintage
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- 91 points. Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate
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- 93 points. Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Inky dark purple with a darkly opaque heart. After swirling, wave upon wave of mid-height tears move swiftly down the glass wall. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Stewed blackberry, blueberry and plum, followed by dry cured beef, lavender, braised mission fig, salty river rock, savory spice and black pepper. |
| Taste: | Bold stewed blackberry, blueberry and European black licorice lead the charge. These are followed by concentrated plum and savory spice, with cured meats, white pepper, mocha and baker’s chocolate. |
| Finish: | Exceptionally long, with dense, dark flavors that tail off very slowly. |
| Pairing: | Enjoy this bold wonder of a wine with Moroccan spiced lamb kabobs, charcuterie, bold cheeses or a pepper crusted steak, grilled to perfection. |
What the Winery Says
- Winemaker
- Bryan Kvamme
- Consulting Winemaker
- Helen Turley
- Varietal
- Syrah
- Vineyard
- Hop Camp Vineyard
- Appellation
- Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
- Abv
- 14.7%
- Brix
- 25-27
- Aging
- 10 months
- Barrels
- 90% new French oak
- Production
- 195