SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:

Today’s wine, made by award-winning winemaker, Heidi Barrett, is a remarkable and superbly delicious example of just how incredible a great Syrah can be. Please do not miss out on this special – and rare – opportunityto sample this amazing Heidi Barrett wine

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Mission Codename: A Perfect Score

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Respond to continued reports that fabled winemaker, Heidi Barrett, has built a remarkable Syrah for Women of The Vine Cellars. If possible, secure an ample cache for our fine-wine loving Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Women of The Vine Cellars

Wine Subject: 2006 Syrah Napa Valley

Winemaker: Heidi Barrett

Backgrounder: Today’s wine is made by the talented and very popular, Heidi Barrett. Ms. Barrett’s award-winning wines are the rare sort of wines that receive stunning 100-point scores. If you are not familiar with her artistry, today’s wine offers you the opportunity to sample her work. Today’s wine is a fantastic wine at a fantastic price.

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 delicious Syrah is a delight with original flavors, deep aromatics and a tender mouth feel. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report below.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Intense, deepest dark garnet with dark purple edges. When swirled, alternating fast and slow legs that show off soft hues from the wine ring the glass

Smell – Pronounced ripe red cherry, blackberry and cassis lead the charge. These are soon followed by soft spice, pepper, dried red rose petals and soft dried meats. After some time in the glass, soft aromas of violet and lavender emerge

Feel – Feather-light and semi-round on the entry, then quickly dry and grippy at the mid-palate with a medium tannic structure that leads to a full and robust mouthfeel. Affter a spell, a slight herbaceous mineral quality appears

Taste – Concentrated and bold, with bright flavors of cherry, bold blackberry, spicy blueberry, cassis, subtle cranberry, spice, black pepper and dried flowers

Finish – Solid, flavorful and long finish with sweet, dusky fruit, lingering oak and a slight tartness that is balanced by a soft earthen oak

Conclusion – This is a very impressive Syrah, which is no surprise, considering that Heidi Barrettt made it from the finest Napa Valley fruit available. This deliciously rich Syrah is drinking just beautifully and I believe that it will continue to progress for a few more years as well. Be sure to decant this wine for at least an hour for the best results. The patient will be rewarded with a wine that is far softer and far more flavorful than on first opening. I am thrilled to be able to bring you this superb wine today and give it my hearty recommendation!

Mission Report:

Today’s fantastic wine comes to us from a unique woman with a unique vision: Deborah Brenner, author of Women of the Vine, Founder & CEO of Women of the Vine Cellars – A Celebration of Wine & Women!

Inspired while writing the book Women of the Vine, author Deborah Brenner created the first-of-its-kind winery. Women of the Vine Cellars unites award winning women winemakers under one brand. Featuring hand-crafted and limited production wines, it is the first “Art Gallery” designed to showcase their individual styles and nuances of their regions

AGENT RED: Greetings, Deborah Brenner. We are thrilled to be showing your Women of the Vine Signature Series wine, made by award winning winemaker, Heidi Peterson Barrett. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

DEBORAH: Thanks, Agent Red. It’s a pleasure to be going on this mission with you today. I’ve compiled a briefing dossier on Heidi Peterson Barrett (follows below). Did you know that she is the only person (man or woman) to get five 100 pt. perfect scores from Robert Parker!

RED: That is very impressive. It shows in her remarkable wines. Thanks, again, for allowing us this exclusive opportunity to showcase this wine for our Operatives today. We look forward to working with you on your other Signature Series wines in the future.

DEBORAH: Sure thing, Agent Red. By the way, my spies tell me that you are a competition fencer as well!

RED: (surprised) How did you find that out?!

DEBORAH: Never underestimate a woman of the vine!

WINEMAKER INTEL DOSSIER

Heidi Peterson Barrett

Heidi Peterson Barrett grew up in the Napa Valley in a winemaking family and was destined to become one of California’s leading winemakers. It is said that winemaking is a combination of science and art. With a scientist-winemaker father and an artist mother it is no big surprise that Heidi was drawn to the wine industry. With great enthusiasm, a love for what she does, and an incredible wealth of experience, Heidi blends the art and science of winemaking like few can.

Through high school, she spent her summers in wineries and vineyards, taking on all jobs from sorting vine cuttings to bottling line work. She then continued her winemaking education at UC Davis. While at Davis she was an assistant to Dr. Ann Noble, the developer of the aroma wheel. Heidi also did an internship at a large co-op winery in southern Germany, which produced many varieties of wine, both whites and reds. There she learned the art of making balanced wines, no matter what the variety.

After graduating from UC Davis in 1980 with a B.S. Degree in Fermentation Science, she went to work for Justin Meyer at Franciscan Vineyards and Silver Oak. After subsequent crush jobs at both Lindeman’s Wines in Australia and Rutherford Hill, in 1981 Heidi became assistant winemaker to Jerry Luper at Bouchaine Vineyards. Then in 1983, at age 25 became winemaker at Buehler Vineyards. It was here that she first attracted critical acclaim by greatly improving the wine quality and taking the production from 6,000 cases to 20,000 cases. This wide range of experience has given Heidi a unique insight into winemaking. " I think it is important to have a wide variety of experience to draw from. You can’t just step in and be the winemaker unless you have a lot of experience in the cellar. I wanted to make sure that when I finally had the title of winemaker, I had earned it."

In 1988, she left Buehler to become an independent winemaker (freelance), making wine for a number of small wineries. Within a week she was hired by Gustav Dalle Valle and was winemaker at Dalle Valle Vineyards until spring 1996. It was there that she took her abilities to the next level, putting Dalle Valle on the map and creating some powerful yet elegant Cabernets, including the famous “Maya” wine, a proprietary Cabernet blend that received two perfect 100 point scores from Robert Parker ( the ’92 and ’93) as well as record breaking bids at the Napa Valley Wine Auction. She started making wine for Screaming Eagle in 1992, which has also received two perfect 100 pt scores (the ’92 and recent ’97). A 6-liter bottle of ’92 SE set a world record for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of wine at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction selling for $500,000. A vertical offering went for $650,000 at the 2001 NVWA.

Since 1988 she has developed a stellar client list of super and ultra-premium wineries. She is currently winemaker for La Sirena, Amuse Bouche, Paradigm, Revana, Barbour, Lamborn, and Fantesca. She is consulting winemaker for the new Kenzo Estate. Other past clients include Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, Jones Family, Rubicon, Grace Family, Vineyard 29, David Arthur, and Showket.
Heidi, who loves the ocean and especially scuba diving, also started making her own wine, La Sirena in 1994 with a tiny production of Sangiovese. "I was looking for a name for my wine which would be as magical as I think wine is. La Sirena which means “the Mermaid” in Italian and Spanish is a way of representing two of my great passions". In 1996 she made the first Cabernet Sauvignon for La Sirena and in 2000 the first Syrah.
She has been a wine judge at various competitions over the last 20 years, was president of Napa Valley Wine Tech, and has graced the covers of both The Wine News and The Wine Enthusiast. She has been a featured guest on several television programs, was winemaker of the year, made Parker’s list of wine personalities of the year 1994,1995 and is on Parker’s wine heroines list of 1998 (one of two from the US). Parker has dubbed her the “first lady of wine”. TIME Magazine named her "The Wine Diva of Napa ".

Heidi lives in Calistoga with her husband, Bo (winemaker at Chateau Montelena) and their two daughters, Remi and Chelsea.