UNIQUE WINE ALERT:

Today’s wine is fantastic. It is unique, so please read our review, below, before making your purchase. Our tasting panel really loved this wine, but it is a Pinot perhaps unlike any you have experiences!

SECRET SAVINGS ALERT:

Subscribe to our Daily Dispatch (above) and you’ll always know what our Top Secret coupon code of the day is. Every day we issue a new members-only code that entitles you to have Ground Shipping included and, sometimes, an added discount!

Mission Codename: Rocket Powered Pinot Noir

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Vergari Wines, a Wine Spies Operative favorite, and secure David Vergari’s delicious and unique Marin County Pinot Noir

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Vergari Wines

Wine Subject: 2007 Pinot Noir – Marin County

Winemaker: David Vergari

Backgrounder: Earlier this year, we feature a fantastic Pinot Noir from Vergari, a winery that thrilled our Operatives so much that requests have been flooding in for another great Vergari wine. We were patient, though, and we stayed stealthy, waiting until David Vergari’s Marin County Pinot Noir was ready. Today, we are proud to bring you his fantastic 2007.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Like a french Burgundy, this wine shows lovely garnet hues. The wine has from nearly-clear edging, and deepens in color as you look through its deepening garnet core. Spin the wine, and it settles quickly. Long after settling, chubby tears from high up on the glass – and then crawl slowly down to the wine, below.

Smell – Unlike a French Burgundy, this wine is loaded with exotic aromas, leading with boldly spicy and bright red cherry. Floral and earthen notes follow, as do young strawberry and underripe mulberry. These all sit atop subtle dried fall leaves and soft barrel notes.

Feel – Soft and light across the entry, this wine gradually becomes grippy at the mid-palate. From the mid, a mineral-driven dryness appears, spreading outward very slowly – until it eventually dries the lips and cheeks.

Taste – Bold and spicy red cherry charge onto the palate, coating with bold primary flavors that gradually yield to a very earthy flavor that is comprised of dried leaves, dark dried herbs, redwood shavings and forest floor.

Finish – Very long, and very intriguing, as flavors evolve as the feel changes on the palate. The gradual tailing off – and changing of the flavors – is driven by the changing feel of the wine. As the dryness spreads, flavors change. This happens in a way that is unique to this wine. At the very end, as fruit, spice and earthy notes dwindle, soft barrel notes remain for a long time.

Conclusion – When David Vergari recently handed me this wine, he said, “Taste the wine – and then call me, right away!”. Without asking him why, I accepted the sample bottle and, later, followed his advice. On tasting the wine I immediately knew why he had made that request; David’s 2007 Vergari Pinot Noir – Marin County is unique, to be sure. And, in my opinion, very intriguing and very good. I don’t want to seem overly cautionary, but this wine is not a typical California Pinot Noir. Nor is it much like a French Burgundy. It does have elements of both, but the wine seems infused with something extra, something out of this world. This Pinot of a rocket-powered, delicious, spicy, earthy wine that is equally at home on the dinner table with an exotic-spiced meal as it would be at an elegant evening soiree. Way to go David Vergari! You’ve delivered an intriguing wine that is sure to spark lively debate among our brightest Pinot-loving Operatives.

Mission Report:

WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

SUBJECT: David Vergari, owner/winemaker of Vergari Wine

DATE OF BIRTH: Exact date is classified, but I was conceived during Orson Welles’ radio broadcast, “War of the Worlds”. You do the math!

PLACE OF BIRTH: Oak Ridge, TN

WINE EDUCATION: Are you kidding? You mean it’s possible to get a wine education? I have a mail-order degree from UC Davis

CALIFORNIA WINE JOB BRIEF: I wear boxers.

SIGNATURE VARIETALS: Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: Seeing the Southern Cross while working at Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley

CAREER HIGHLIGHT: Meeting myself coming the other way

WINEMAKER QUOTE: I have several: “…it’s just wine, damnit!!!…”, “…Wine snobs are a pain in the arse…”, “…open the bottle, already!!!…”

---

WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Greetings, Elvis. We are thrilled to be showing your 2006 Sangiacomo Pinot Noir today. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

DAVID VERGARI: Hey, it’s my privilege.

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

DAVID: My family is Italian. I grew up with Dago Red. Need I say more?

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

DAVID: On the practical side: Working with Damian Parker at Joseph Phelps Vineyards. It was cool to integrate the cellar experience with the theory I learned in school.

RED: What is your winemaking style or philosophy?

DAVID: I missed that lecture. I’ve been winging it ever since. What seems to work for me is not getting in the way, using oak very judiciously and letting the vineyard express itself

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

DAVID: With Cabernet Sauvignon, I’d like to give a tip of the hat to Randle Johnson and Tom Smith, whom I interned under at the Hess Collection back in the early-nineties. There’s also Damian Parker at Joseph Phelps, who continues to mentor me to this day. Finally, James Halliday introduced me to sooo many wines from his phenomenal cellar when I worked at Coldstream Hills. I took notes and learned.

RED: How long have you been making wine?

DAVID: I started making Zinfandel at home in 1981. Professionally, since the early-90s.

RED: Who do you make wine for?

DAVID: People who will appreciate the style of wine I’ve made… in other words, not everyone. I do not pander to critics and accept the fact that some of them will not “get” what I am trying to accomplish. No big deal. Be true to oneself and let the chips fall where they may. Oooh, that’s heavy, man!

RED: Tell me, what makes Marin County such a special place for Pinot Noir?

DAVID: Well, for starters there is less than 150 acres of Pinot Noir in all of Marin County, so it’s pretty hard to get a hold of grapes to begin with. I like the climate. It’s coastal with maritime influences like wind and fog from the nearby Petaluma Gap. Daytime highs seldom go above the mid-80s, while nighttime temperatures range somewhere from the mid-40s to low-50s, which is ideal for growing quality grapes. Finally, there’s just something about the site that feels right. I’ve gained this sense from traveling and making wine on four different continents. It cannot be quantified…it’s just something that resonates within.

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

DAVID: Give me a call. I’ll try to talk you out of it

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

DAVID: Taking care of bidness. Keeping an eye on what’s in barrels from the 2010 harvest for one thing. We’re just about finished with pruning. Selling the wine is the most important demand on one’s time, because at the end of the day I am really a wine-seller.

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

DAVID: My 2007 Pinot Noir is from Marin County. The grapes come from the Chileno Valley area, located in the northeast corner of Marin.

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

DAVID: YES! (ahem) Okay, I’ll try to be more, uh, serious here. What’s cool about Pinot Noir is its versatility. There are several foods that match up well, such as leg of lamb, salmon, pork tenderloin, and some spicy dishes as well.

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

DAVID: I swam across Lake Tahoe in a relay race. The water was rather cold.

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

DAVID: Whatever I am drinking at the time. Really. During the harvest my favorite white is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or Bear Republic’s Racer 5 IPA.

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

DAVID: Mine? With extreme caution. Wine in general? Remove the cork or screwcap and just enjoy.

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

DAVID: Yes.

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

DAVID: Jeepers-creepers, haven’t I bored you enough? Okay, here goes: “When did you feel comfortable inside your own skin as a winemaker?” Answer: Only recently. I make wine with my heart and guts. It’s scary and exhilarating. When something clicks, I am very grateful. And relieved.

RED: Thank you so much for your time. We learned a lot about you – and about your wine. Keep making your great wines. We became instant fans, the moment we tasted with you at [REDACTED].

DAVID: I really dig what the Wine Spies are doing. It was my pleasure to be with you, again, today.