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Mission Codename: Smarter Than I Look

Operative: Agent White

Objective: Acquire a delicious and value oriented 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir.

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Roots Run Deep Winery

Wine Subject: 2007 Educated Guess Napa Carneros Pinot Noir

Winemaker: Barry Gnekow

Backgrounder:

Some of our favorite California Pinot Noir comes from the Carneros viticultural area, a wine growing region which straddles the Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley. The cool Carneros region provides ideal growing conditions for Pinot Noir and Pinot thrives here. Carneros Pinot Noir is revered for its quality, elegance and smoothness, and the 2007 vintage is quickly being recognized as one of the best in many years.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep garnet and burgundy with ruby red reflections shining through its deep but clear core. Along the edges the color becomes ruby with violet hues and when swirled, widely spaced fast thin legs race down to the wine below.

Smell – Fresh and redolent and medium in intensity. Aromas of red and black cherry are layered over spice and sentimental cola notes. Hints of floral violets, subtle black licorice candy, smoke and mocha coffee also emerge as this wine evolves in the glass.

Feel – This medium to full-bodied wine is velvet smooth with silky but well structured tannins and bright but balanced acidity. Rich and expansive on the palate, but feminine in its supple quality.

Taste – Rich and well integrated, this wine has plush flavors of red and black cherry along with ripe plum and hints of strawberry fruit. Flavors of cola (soft vanilla & cinnamon) are layered with subtle smokey oak, floral violet and rose. A touch of spice, earth are mocha are revealed as this wine begins to open up.

Finish – This wine finishes long and clean, fading slowly with its lingering and mouthwatering rich fruit flavors and spice buttressed by this wine’s structure.

Conclusion – The 2007 Roots Run Deep Winery Educated Guess Napa Carneros Pinot Noir is a delicious Pinot Noir that is rich and smooth with great finesse and elegance. Fruit forward, but not overbearing in style and very approachable, this wine is drinking wonderfully right now and will certainly improve with some bottle time.

Mission Report:

WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

SUBJECT: BARRY GNEKOW

DATE OF BIRTH: April 19, 1951

PLACE OF BIRTH: Stockton, CA

WINE EDUCATION: UC Davis

CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: Winemaker for roots run deep winery and educated guess wines

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: Over-deliver each and every time!!!

SIGNATURE VARIETAL: Zinfandel

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: I was the winemaker that got the BATF to approve reverse osmosis as a winemaking process. I was the first it use it.

WINEMAKER QUOTE: “SURF’S UP!”

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WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Greetings, Barry. We are thrilled to be showing your 2007 Carneros Pinot Noir today. We are pretty impressed that you managed to squeeze so much value into your bottle! Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

BARRY: Thanks so much for having me! Yes, it isn’t easy to do what we do and if it was everyone would be doing it. Our philosophy is to always make wines that over-deliver for the price and we are thrilled that you found that to be true in our educated guess 2007 Napa Carneros pinot noir!

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

BARRY: Yes my first time drinking a 1971 Simi Gewürztraminer! The wine was perfect and not because of gobs of fruit and alcohol (which is so common today), but for balance and a pure expression of the fruit. Something inside of me just clicked. I just got it!

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

BARRY: At my first job at J Lohr in 1976. I was the winemaker there for 20 years and i remember how new everything was to me when i started. The owner allowed me the freedom to express myself and try new things and it was there that i really learned everything that I utilize today as a winemaker.

RED: What is your winemaking style or philosophy?

BARRY: It’s just gotta taste good! That may sound simple and it really is, but so many wineries get caught up in using the most expensive methods of winemaking that they lose sight of what is best for the wine. Less is more in some cases, and more is better in others!

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

BARRY: Mayacamas and Ridge wines in the 60’s and 70’s

RED: How long have you been making wine?

BARRY: 35 years

RED: Who do you make wine for?

BARRY: Always for the consumer!

RED: Tell me, what makes Carneros so special?

BARRY: Carneros is such a perfect region for Pinot Noir! It has the perfect climate and soil content. Warm days and cool nights are prevalent due to the region’s close proximity to the bay and the Pacific Ocean. We get a fairly long growing season which promotes great structure, body, and development in the fruit. Great fruit and great acidity makes Carneros a beautiful area to grow our fruit for our Educated Guess Pinot Noir!

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

BARRY: Don’t believe your own winery’s press releases

RED: What is occupying your time at the winery these days?

BARRY: Fermentations, barrel trials, and blending out our 2008 vintages..

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

BARRY: Our EDUCATED GUESS 2007 NAPA CARNEROS PINOT NOIR is truly a labor of love. It is 100% Pinot Noir from both the Carneros and Spring Mountain wine districts. Handcrafted in every way to insure that our wine has plenty of lush fruit to balance out the bright acidity that Carneros is known for. Our Educated Guess 2007 Napa Carneros Pinot Noir spent 15 months in French Oak barrels and is deep, rich, and concentrated in color and texture with ripe strawberry, red cherry and wild berry fruit. Hints of spice and cola with firm tannins in the finish.

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

BARRY: Smoked duck eggrolls

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

BARRY: I tried to start a snail farm prior to becoming a winemaker.

RED: What is your favorite ‘everyday’ or table wine?

BARRY: Any Albarino or Robert Sinskey’s Pinot Gris

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

BARRY: With an open mind and don’t be overly influenced by other people’s opinion of what is good. Judge for yourself!

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

BARRY: 1989 Chateau Margaux

RED: Oh, just that, eh? Tell me, what is the one question that I should have asked you, and what is your answer to that question?

BARRY: Do you like to surf Barry? Of course I do!!! Actually I’m heading to Costa Rica for thanksgiving so while you all are reading this I will be heading to the airport to catch my flight, so happy turkey day to you all!!!

RED: Thanks, Barry. I’ll be enjoying a bottle of your wine with Thanksgiving dinner this year! Have a great trip to Costa Rica. I wish that we could tag along! 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!

BARRY: Thank you so much, it really means a lot to Mark and me that we were able to speak to you all today! Take care and happy holidays!!!