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Mission Codename: Rockin from Graceland to Paso

Operative: Agent White

Objective: Acquire a limited allocation of the famed Black Zeppelin Paso Robles Red Wine

Mission Status: Accomplished

Current Winery: Red Zeppelin Winery

Wine Subject: 2005 Black Zeppelin Paso Robles Red Wine

Winemaker: Stillman Brown

Backgrounder:

Our Operatives love a great Syrah, and they snap them up in record numbers. Today’s Syrah-based blend (with a touch of Alicante Boushet and Cabernet Sauvignon) is a delicious and bodacious interpretation of the noble varietal. The popularity of Syrah is undeniable. Big and bold in flavor and texture, it packs a concentrated punch of flavor that many people love. This Rhone varietal, although many believe that the grape originated in the Persia region, is 100% French in lineage. The Syrah grape is directly descendant from the Monduese Blanche and Dureza varietals and is grown worldwide with great success. Today’s delightful Syrah is a big and bold delight with richly dark flavors, deep aromatics and a plush mouth feel.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dense and deep violet purple in color with garnet reflections through its dark but clear core. Along the edges, the color fades to a deep garnet and when swirled, this springy wine leaves super slow chubby legs along the side of the glass.

Smell – Both powerful but elegant with the Syrah showing first. Blackberry and plum with aromas of earth and spice, including black pepper are followed by notes of toasted oak and vanilla, tobacco and dark cocoa.

Feel – Velvet smooth, this rich, plush and balanced wine has superfine, almost powdery tannins and soft acidity. The tannic structure is enhanced by a touch of spice that emerges at the back of the palate and the tip of the tongue.

Taste – Luscious and rich dark fruit, including spiced dark plum and brambly blackberry (and other dark berries) are layered over subtle black pepper and spice, earthy notes, dark chocolate cocoa and a hint of floral violets, smokey oak and minerality.

Finish – Extremely long with lingering flavors of spiced and earthy fruit along with its supple super fine tannins, smokey oak and a hint of minerality beg for another sip.

Conclusion – The 2005 Black Zeppelin Paso Robles Red Wine is a lovely rich and bold Syrah blend that screams Paso without the overly extracted flavors found by many of its contemporaries. Layers of rich fruit, spice, earthy minerality and other notes progress over the palate making this wine one you can enjoy on its own or as the perfect accompaniment to fall cuisine Bottled with a screw top, this wine can be enjoyed right now or cellared for years to come.

Mission Report:

WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

SUBJECT: Stillman Brown

DATE OF BIRTH: Oct 6 57

PLACE OF BIRTH: Berkeley CA

WINE EDUCATION: I’m a UC Berkeley grad, but my wine education is from the University of Bordeaux; that is to say, Professor Emile Peynaud’s classic “Knowing And Making Wine” was first published in English in 1984, the year I entered the wine business. I must have read that book at least a dozen times.

CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: Founder and winemaker, Jory Winery: 1986-2003; founder and winemaker, Red Zeppelin Winery, 2003-; founder and winemaker, Stillman Wines, 2001-. “Stillman” is my first name, and also my father’s, and I save it for special wines that might not fit into the Red Zeppelin portfolio. Of course, my dad gets free wine as a royalty payment for the use of his name. Ha!

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: Start with superior grapes and don’t screw up. In the winery, I’m progressive/scientific. I’m not an additive freak, but I’m certainly not hands-off. Some bugs are great, others are lethal.

SIGNATURE VARIETAL: Syrah. Though I love Corton clone Chardonnay and 777 clone Pinot.

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: Winning the ‘Syrah Shootout’ at Hospice du Rhone last year, with a wine from a vineyard I planned myself, that had a government-approved label showing the death of Elvis Presley.

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: My annual events, unquestionably acknowledged as the wildest winery parties in California. Yes, you’re invited. (Details at WetZeppelin.com.)

WINEMAKER QUOTE: “Lord Almighty, I feel my temperature rising.” Then I turn on the tank’s cooling jacket.

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WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Greetings, Stillman. We love you, we love your wines, and we are thrilled to be working with you again. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

WINEMAKER: Hola, dude.

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

WINEMAKER: When I was in high school in NY my father was a senior Pepsi exec – stop laughing, we were the only family among the big shots that didn’t have a Pepsi vending machine in the house, we just didn’t like it – and in order to get Pepsi into the USSR, Pepsi agreed to distribute Stolichnaya Vodka in the US. To do that they had to buy a NY company that was also a wine importer, etc etc . . . anyway, there were dinner parties at our house where some really fantastic wines were served. My mother, a native Californian like myself, drank Almaden, but that interested me somewhat less.

RED: And where did you learn the most about winemaking?

WINEMAKER: From Peynaud’s book, and by osmosis; drinking and asking questions of other Santa Clara/Santa Cruz Mountain winemakers.

RED: What is your winemaking style or philosophy?

WINEMAKER: . See above. Plant something that wasn’t there before, and if it works, you can then start with superior grapes. Don’t assume that you can just pick great grapes and crush them, and magically get a great wine that doesn’t need to be looked after.

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

WINEMAKER: There’s definitely no single influence; I learned from everyone from the late Dave Bennion, who founded Ridge, to Adam LaZarre, the Central Coast ubervintner.

RED: We are good friends with Adam, as you know. Please don’t reveal his Wine Spies Agent Name, though. It’s too shocking! Tell me, how long have you been making wine?

WINEMAKER: 25 harvests in California, 8 in New Mexico (concurrently). I also have consulted in Arizona.

RED: Who do you make wine for?

WINEMAKER: Fans, friends, family and fruit flies. Other winemakers and critics can be in the first category, but only if their palates allow it.

RED: Tell me, what makes the west side of Paso Robles so special?

WINEMAKER: It’s the rockiest part of Paso Robles, and one of the coolest. Temperature wise, of course. Much of Paso Robles is too hot and fertile for the varietals planted there.

RED: What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone that is considering a career as a winemaker?

WINEMAKER: Make absolutely sure that you have the nose and palate for it, can identify basic characters and flaws that you’ll encounter, and yet still artistically appreciate great wines.

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

WINEMAKER: I planned and planted this small block of grapes on the west side of Paso Robles, immediately south of L’Aventure, to 2310 vines of Syrah and 500 vines of Alicante Bouschet; I was told that it was the first planting of the latter, a cross between Grenache and Petit Bouschet, in the county in over sixty years. It’s a steep east facing hill that I named the Hill of Graceland in honor of the Australian property and of Elvis, who never drank wine or performed in Australia. I picked in late October of 2005 – immediately before the first rains, in fact – and blended with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon from another Paso Robles vineyard, it was then aged in one year old Seguin Moreau barrels and bottled eighteen months later. It’s very big (32 proof) and full of black fruits, pepper, vanilla and oak; with some fine tannins, it formerly took an hour or so to open up, but it’s been maturing in the bottle. It’s probably the most awarded wine I’ve made this decade.

RED: What is your favorite pairing with today’s wine?

WINEMAKER: Dry aged beef.

RED: Please share one thing about yourself that few people know.

WINEMAKER: That’s tough, because I’m an inveterate babbler; and Facebook has just made it worse. I suspect that everyone who knows me, knows too much about me. But for Wine Spies, I will admit that I like punk rock, regularly go into mosh pits, and have been known to stage dive.

RED: We appreciate that! What is your favorite ‘everyday’ or table wine?

WINEMAKER: Pinot Noir, which I have planted but don’t currently make.

RED: How would you recommend that people approach your wines, or wine in general?

WINEMAKER: Parched, with a corkscrew and a large glass. In general, relaxed; even if you’re going to be analytical, it should still be fun.

RED: If you could choose any one wine to drink (regardless of price or availability), what would it be?

WINEMAKER: La Tache, I suppose.

RED: What is the one question that I should have asked you, and what is your answer to that question?

WINEMAKER: How was your annual winery party?
Wet Zeppelin was the wildest party wine country has ever seen. Several hundred people showed up, and after six bands and at least sixty gallons of wine, people were jumping off the pier, climbing on the roof, fighting in and outside the hall, and driving into public buildings. Jealous husbands threw chairs through walls, drunken security guards staggered away, letting yahoos in the back door to steal wine and get in wild mosh pits, with punks climbing on stage until they were kicked off. Large numbers of uniformed officers arrived, and politely suggested that we shut down (with 3 more bands still to go, including the infamous Dread Zeppelin) just before midnight. We raised thousands for our wine and viticulture scholarship, and everyone that didn’t get arrested or taken off in an ambulance had a great time!
See you next year?

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

WINEMAKER: In the immortal words of Elvis Presley, who showed us the consequence of a wine-free lifestyle, “Thankyouverymuch!”

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Stillman Brown, the winemaker at Red Zeppelin Winery can usually be found rocking out in Cayucos, CA.