SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:

For fans of big Bordeaux blends, today’s wine is an easy choice! Keep an eye out for our special alerts, at the top of this column, in future listings. We always bring you great wines, but when one really stands out, we issue special alerts.

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Mission Codename: My wine has a first name…

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Send Agent Red to St. Helena Road Winery, in order to investigate reports of a fantastic Meritage. If the rumors are true, secure an ample cache of their 2006 Maier Family Meritage for our Bordeaux blend-loving Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: St. Helena Road Winery

Wine Subject: 2006 Maier Faamily Meritage

Winemaker: pending

Backgrounder: Meritage (pronounce like ‘heritage’, no French style accent) wine, blends made in the tradition of the great wines of Bordeaux can only carry the name if the winery is a member of The Meritage Association based in Sonoma County. Most wines made in the US are varietal wines, comprised of over 75% of a single varietal. Unfortunately, this labeling requirement is believed to impair many winemakers from making exceptional blends, since they are often labeled as simply Red Table Wine with the noble grapes of Bordeaux. Thus in 1988 Meritage was born as a way to highlight the winemaker’s art of careful blending and crafting of wines in the tradition of some of Europe’s finest wines.

Today’s selection is 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot and 3% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petite Verdot.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dark and inky purple with plum-skin hues that reflect a rainbow when swirled. At the edge of the glass, a rim of pure garnet plays with the light. After swirling, chubby, wine-stained legs crawl down the inside of the glass.

Smell – Deeply aromatic, with giant dusky blackberry and blackest cherry up front. These are closely followed by red plum, black plum and exotic spiced chocolate, Asian spice and mocha espresso.

Feel – Big and ultra-ripe, with lush, chewy tannins. This wine utterly fills the mouth – while maintaining a very clean feel.

Taste – Bold and deep, with an explosion of pronounced black cherry and an intriguing slightly-burnt blackberry pastry. These sit atop black plum, red plum, boysenberry, bramble, and spice, with black anise, espresso grounds and soft white pepper.

Finish – Long, dark, dusky and complex, with bold blackfruit that goes on and on, long after the wine leaves your mouth

Conclusion – This is one delightfully giant and boldly delicious Meritage! The bold aromatics had me smelling the wine for several minutes before I ever took a taste. When I did taste the wine, I was blown away by the big, ripe flavors and feel of it. There is noting timid about this wine, but you should note that it it not so big that it overpowers your senses. Rather, everything works together to deliver a wine of great balance. There is elegance with the boldness. I would certainly recommend that you pair with heartier fare, such as BBQ beef rips, or a grilled steak with blue cheese. If you love big wines with big personality, this wine is guaranteed to excite your senses.

Mission Report:

WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

SUBJECT: Richard Maier

WINE EDUCATION: Richard has learned by doing, just like his Grandfather, learning about making wine since before President Regan’s first term in office. He has tasted through the world’s wine regions, learning from winemakers and viticulturists and then coming back to Sonoma County to apply their tips and tricks to our special piece of heaven on the West side of Spring Mountain.

CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: Owner & Winemaker of Saint Helena Road Vineyards & Winery from May 1999 to present. Head of agricultural research and development of Roy J Maier Corp. cane plantations in North and South America and France from 1980-1996.

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: To allow our grapes to express the characteristics of our unique mountain location with the least possible human interference. In the same way we practiced minimal intervention with musical reeds, we have put the same philosophy and strategies into our wine-growing and -making.

WINEMAKER QUOTE: When we tasted our first bottle of wine, our 2003 Roy J Maier, we believed then and we believe now that we have created a great bottle of wine at a reasonable price.

FIRST COMMERCIAL WINE RELEASE: August 2005

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WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Greetings, Richard. We are thrilled to be showing your 2006 Maier Family Winery Meritage today. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

RICHARD MAIER: Thank you, we appreciate your efforts

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

RICHARD: I had tried lots of wine from around the world, but sampling my first bottle of 1985 Jordan Cabernet launched my enthusiasm for soft and smooth red wines. Everything we have done since that first taste has been trying to create a similar experience for others from our own Spring Mountain property.

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

RICHARD: The style of our wines is mostly dictated by the growing season and its end result on our crop for that season. As a wine-maker my job is to put that year in a bottle.

RED: Who do you make wine for?

RICHARD: We hope we find a middle ground that appeals across the generations, demonstrating how exceptional Bordeaux blends can be from Sonoma County without breaking the bank!

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

RICHARD: Our Meritage is a mind blowing blend of our mountain fruit, its dark, deep aromas of Chocolate, Asian spice, black cherry, and coffee mirrored on the full rich palate. The big, ripe tannins are chewy and rich, enveloping the mid-palate and giving the sense that this wine will age well for a long time.

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

RICHARD: My wife Patty’s Barbequed Meat loaf; the recipe is on our website.

RED: In your opinion, what makes the Spring Mountain region so special?

RICHARD: Our Spring Mountain Vineyards are a world of Sonoma County micro climates, letting us explore the variety of styles and wines our property can produce. There is no better feeling than driving through the forest along the pristine Mark West Creek and being unable to see the lights of any other settled property; that makes us feel like we are on top of the world surrounded by our vines.

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

RICHARD: All of the various tasks of a hands on grower and winemaker: keeping up with a cool growing season, making sure supplies are in and ready for crush, and hoping that harvest is done before Thanksgiving!

RED: How would you recommend people approach your wines and wine in general?

RICHARD: Just sitting around the dining room table with food, friends, and family and enjoying our wine.

RED: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

RICHARD: Please keep in mind what drives us—these vines, this fruit, are simply our life and our passion. In short: “A PASSION THAT IS PALATABLE.”

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

Wine Spies Region Check:

The location of the Spring Mountain region, which sits between Sonoma County and the Napa Valley, can be seen in this satellite photo.