Sorry, The Wine Spies doesn't support Internet Explorer anymore. Please use a newer browser to continue browsing our wine collections.
What We Say 2006 Shinbone
EXCLUSIVE ALERT!
Today’s wine is not available through the winery, Our friends at Peterson generously allowed us to scoop the exclusive! Get some while you can…
QPR ALERT:
Today’s wine has, in our opinion, an extremely high QPR, or Quality to Price Ratio, making in a very high-quality selection for its price
SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
Today’s selection from Peterson Winery is a boastful and delicious red blend worthy of your consideration
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 and, sometimes, an added discount!
Mission Codename: Pure Brawn
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: Comb the Dry Creek Valley, in northern Sonoma County, and locate a big and delicious red blend
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Peterson Winery
Wine Subject: 2006 Shinbone, Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Winemakers: Jamie Peterson
Backgrounder: Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley is a treasure trove of great wines. While The Wine Spies have been trying to keep Agent Red from acquiring too many wines from the region he persists. And we indulge him, for the wines he has returned with of late are, quite simply, remarkably great. Today’s wine Agent Red visited with Jamie Peterson, second generation winemaker and son of Fred Peterson, the founder and winegrower for the winery. Read about Agent Reds visit with Jamie, following his tasting notes and mission report below
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Beautiful garnet to ruby red with an inky dark ruby heart. The wine has a tight and springy surface that settles very quickly, leaving behind thick, widely-spaced legs that move slowly down the glass
Smell – A lush, warm and full rush of deep aromatic red fruits and black fruits, showing dark blueberry, blackberry, tart cherry, raspberry, shaved dark chocolate, leather and cigar box with freshly turned soil and sweetwoods
Feel – Full-bodied, yet soft and round at front of the palate – then mouth-coating and slightly drying with lush medium tannins that fade slowly to reveal more great flavors
Taste – Deliciously juicy and flavorful, with bright layers of ripe fruits, featuring lush blueberry, blackberry and cherry, followed by orange peel, raspberry, licorice, chocolate dust and mild spice
Finish – A long, rich and dusky finish that ramps down smoothly as it reveals new flavors while it tapers off
Conclusion – This is a very exciting and deeply delicious wine that now hold the top spot as our favorite red blend tasted in 2009. This wine is so good that you I am certain that you will see it nominated for a Wine Spies Intrigue Award, later this year. I am that confident in this superb wine. This boastful wine is big on flavor and big on aromatics and its brightness makes it a perfect food wine. If you are seeking a great and flexible companion to a hearty meal, this wine is an easy match. I can’t wait to try it with BBQ, now that the weather is improving.
Mission Report:
Today’s wine was one of those happened upon discoveries. You know, the sort that you find almost by accident.
I was making a pickup at one of my dead-drops in the Dry Creek Valley. A local asset had left me samples to consider for a future mission. When I got to the spot, I found a small parcel, obviously not large enough to contain wine. I grabbed it and walked toward my car, all the while making certain that I was not being followed.
On opening the parcel, I found a hand-written note inside:
This location compromised. Proceed to [REDACTED] for the package.
I entered the coordinates into my GPS and made my way to the new drop. On arrival, I scanned the area. Not a person in sight. I proceeded on foot and retrieved the package. It was then that I noticed what appeared to be a a winery across the valley.
Sample bottles safely stowed, I decided to investigate.
“Peterson Winery” read the sign on the building. My pulse quickened. Peterson was a name that had come up a few times recently. I had meant to place them under proper surveillance, but had not had the time to schedule a mission. I got out of the car for a closer look.
I scanned the area, making note of all point of ingress and egress. A good spy should be able to make a quick getaway if needed.
“Are you here to taste some wines today?”
I spun around to see a young man, perhaps in his 20’s. I played along.
“Sure,” I said.
And so the tasting began. We tasted through the range of the wines, and when we got to the fabulous Shinbone, I made the decision – right then and there – to reveal myself and procure the wine for our Operatives.
“Listen,” I said. “I can get this on the calendar next week. Can you move that fast?”
The young man, who turned out to be Jamie Peterson, the winemaker and son of founder/owner Fred Peterson, quickly agreed to allow us access to the wine.
I left with samples, and flash forward two days to the present… Viola! This excellent and very exciting wine is available to you today, dear Operative. If you love big, expressive, juicy, delicious and robust wines, this one is certain to please.
Wine Spies Winery Check:
The location of the Peterson Winery can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Peterson
About This Wine:
Our Shiraz/Cab blend fits into the burly not girly wine category, and is our way of paying homage to our brethren down-under who produce some equally wonderful blends.
Mouthgrabbing favors of juicy blueberry and ripe blackberry layered against a dash of dark chocolate, orange peel and leather – it’s fat out! Plenty of acidity and a rich mineral essence create bright edges and add to the complexity.
With so much happening in this wine, it begs for a party – invite over one or 50, you know size doesn’t matter.
About The Vineyards:
Olson Vineyard – The Olson Vineyard is located just outside of Healdsburg in the southeast corner of the Dry Creek Valley. This Syrah (aka Shiraz) vineyard, adjacent to Dave & Aggie Olson’s house, borders Dry Creek in deep but gravelly soil. The vines are trained to a quadrilateral cordon system, which opens them up for perfect light and air exposure, producing grapes with classic, full-favored Australian-style Shiraz characteristics.
Bradford Mountain Vineyard – Planted in the 1980s on the western edge of Dry Creek Valley, our Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard is 32 acres on the very top of the mountain (elevation 1000 feet). We took great pains to fnd the proper varietals and clones to plant in the mineral-rich mountain soil. The well-drained, red-clay soil, combined with sunny days and cool nights, produces small, intensely favored Cabernet grapes with a higher acidity and a lower pH than valley fruit. These grapes are picked at a higher brix (sugar level) to achieve the perfect balance for exceptional wines.
About Peterson Winery:
We are located in the Dry Creek Valley, in the northwest region of Sonoma County. Peterson Winery’s new tasting room is now open for wine tasting and sales daily 11am-4:30pm. We often pour our wines at local tasting and charity events as well. Check for upcoming events on the News & Events page.
Our wines are also available for tasting at the “LOCALS” tasting room in Geyserville. See tastelocalwines.com for directions and details. Click on the “Find Us” link for a map to the winery and to LOCALS in Geyserville.
If you have any questions about Peterson Winery or our wines, send us an e-mail at friends@petersonwinery.com and we’ll respond as soon as we can.
We can’t tell our whole story here, but we hope that by looking at a few photos and reading a bit more about us, you’ll find out who we are and why we love to make great wines.
About The Winemaker:
Jamie Peterson – It’s not by coincidence that I’m the winemaker at Peterson Winery. I’ve been helping my father at the winery for the past ten years, back to the days of labeling the bottles by hand. I worked two harvests here at the winery, in 2000 and 2001, and the 2001 harvests Down Under in Australia at Lowe Family Winery, and then in New Zealand, at Ngatarawa Winery. With this solid base of experience, much to my excitement I was given the opportunity of taking over winemaking duties in June 2002, and have been loving it ever since.
Overseeing the quality of the wine from when the grapes come in all the way through to the bottle is my main responsibility and priority. Since it’s just my father and I, this keeps me pretty busy, but when I’m not checking up on barrels or wrestling with the bottling equipment, you can often find me at one the numerous tasting events we attend, whether it is for charity or for the love of wine. In my free time, I’ve started a Peterson Winery softball team with my friends here in Healdsburg. I also enjoy cooking, foraging for local culinary mushrooms, reading, and am a Giants baseball fan. Continuing winemaking tradition of Zero Manipulation.
