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Mission Codename: Stretch Armstrong

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Secure a library vintage Bordeaux style blend from Napa Valley’s St. Clement Vineyards

Mission Status: Accomplished

Current Winery: St. Clement Vineyards

Wine Subject: 2005 St. Clement Cabernet Sauvignon, Armstrong Ranch, Diamond Mountain, Napa Valley

Winemaker: Danielle Cyrot

Backgrounder: Today, The Wine Spies return to our old friends, St. Clement Vineyards. We are very fortunate to be able to show their extraordinary wines and today we bring you a particularly great one. The Diamond District AVA (American Viticultural Area) sits at the northern most tip of the Napa Valley, in the Mayacamas Mountains. The higher elevation of the region sees more direct sunlight and less cooling that the rest of the valley, leading to the production of some of the most concentrated and delicious Cabernet Sauvignon in the entire Napa Valley.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dark ruby red with clear and slightly darker heart and concentrated color, right out to the rim of the glass, where fine pink-ruby hued edges dance in the light. On giving the wine a swirl, the surface of the wine shows as softly springy look. It settles quickly, leaving behind tightly-spaced clusters of tears that start off chubby and then go thin as the make their way down the glass

Smell – Lush and bright, led by ripe blackberry, boysenberry and dark cherry. These aromas are quickly joined by soft dried meats, fresh bramble, plum, cassis and black pepper. Just below the surface, a hint of freshly picked Serrano pepper peeks through

Feel – Velvet smooth, lush and soft, this wine starts off tender and round, and then fine-grained tannins make a gradual appearance that eventually leads to a soft, around the mouth dryness

Taste – Delicious and complex with balanced flavors of blackberry, blueberry compote, dusty dried rose petals, sweet red plum, black pepper and soft cinnamon

Finish – Long and bright, with softly tart flavors that linger. After a few long moments, a gentle dryness is introduced, making your mouth water – and reminding you to take another sip of this great wine

Conclusion – The 2005 Armstrong Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Clement is another remarkable treat from a winery that we have come to expect the greatest wines from. Winemaker Danielle Cyrot continues to impress us with her remarkable skills. Today’s wine is a somewhat more light-hearted interpretation of a Howell Mountain Cab than we have become accustom to. While there is great depth and plenty of character present in this wine, you’ll find it to be quite palate friendly, and more food friendly than other examples from the region. In other words, your mouth will not be blasted by the wine. Instead, this wine is a delightful compliment. We enjoyed our review bottle with a wide array of foods, including a Thai papaya salad, grilled flank steak, curry potato croquettes and clay-pot roasted blackened chicken. These were unusual choices, to be sure, but the wine complimented each with ease. This wine gets our very big Wine Spies recommendation!

Mission Report:

The following is an extract from our first-encounter mission report, in which Agent White first becomes acquainted with our now-good friends at St. Clement:

It was perhaps the strangest of locations to start a wine mission. I entered the church and as the instructions indicated, I was to go to the second pew and show penance. As I knelt, in the pew, I noticed a book with a bookmark in it. Looking more closely, it was a history of the Papacy and the page that was bookmarked was about Pope Clement I (Clemens Romanus), who is also known as St. Clement. No being sure if this was the clue, I stayed for another hour and beyond the woman practicing on the organ, nobody came or went from the church.

Back at HQ, I entered in our research computer the search term ‘Clement’ and found that indeed, the bookmark was a clue. All signs pointed in the direction of St. Clement Vineyards in Napa Valley. We had an asset who could get us some additional intel so I PIN messaged Agent Malbec and within a few hours a courier had delivered a bottle of the St. Clement to our front company.

The bottle was immediately taken to the lab for analysis. The results were clear; It was an almost perfect wine, with fruit from one of the best vineyards in Napa. St. Clement had been on our radar for a couple months. Their winemaker Danielle Cyrot, with a long lineage of European winemakers was making quite a name for herself.

But as we always say, the proof is in the juice… Lab results, research, walks through the vineyards are all nice, but its in the glass that matters… Well, there’s no knelling for St. Clement wines. After tasting it, we were jumping for joy.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of St. Clement Vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.