Welcome to The Wine Spies, where we only feature the best wines that we ourselves sleuth out and thoroughly evaluate. We feature one wine per day and we only feature wines that we love.

EXCLUSIVE ALERT!

Get today’s wine here – and maybe only here. Unless you are a VIE Winery club member, you won’t likely be able to purchase this wine at all. If you are a wine club member, you won’t see this wine until later this month – and you won’t be able to purchase very much of it. Either way, buy some before we run out!

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT!

We always feature great wines, but today’s wine is an absolutely fantastic Syrah.

SAVINGS ALERT!

Shipping Included on 6 bottles or more. Enter this coupon code at checkout (discount will be shown before you complete your order): SPYSYRAH

Mission Codename: The Inside Man

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Capture a superior unreleased Syrah and make it available to our Operatives – before it releases to the general public

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: VIE Winery

Wine Subject: 2006 Syrah

Winemaker: Bryan Kane

Backgrounder: Today, The Wine Spies is the ONLY place where you can pick up VIE Winery’s exceptional 2006 Syrah. It will not be available to the general public until late this month, and when it was released in previous years, it sold out very quickly. We are very proud of our ability to bring you yet another exclusive pre-release today, and is it ever a great one!

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Inky garnet with a deep burgundy heart. Color concentration right to the very edges and thick and close-spaced legs. Hold this wine up to sunlight for a brilliant and glinting show of deeper red hues

Smell – A giant nose of bright honeyed blueberry, dark mixed berry, dusky earth, black olive, sweet cherry and a hint of strawberry, gradually revealing fresh mulch or forest floor aromas

Feel – Exceptionally smooth but rich and full-bodied with a tannic structure that hits mid palate gently at first, the it digs in on the finish (see finish below)

Taste – Balanced fruit flavors of cherry, cassis and tart plum up front, followed by smoked berry and earthy toasted rose

Finish – A long, rich and full-bodied finish with flavors that change and tail off as the wines tannins gently grip the palate, begging you to take another long pull

Conclusion – Bryan Kane has made an exceptional wine in today’s Syrah. While we have come to know and love the Carneros region for its Pinot Noir, Bryan has managed to create an instant classic in this Syrah, with deep aromas, delicious flavors and a superior mouth-feel, this is a truly wonderful wine that I do not hesitate to recommend to you. Recently bottled, this wine is ready to enjoy now, but save a few bottles in your cellar for a couple of years for maximum enjoyment.

Mission Report:

Boy, did I ever make out like a bandit on today’s mission! When Central Command issued orders to recover another exclusive wine – one not available ANYwhere else – for our Operatives, Agent White bet me that I couldn’t score yet again.

As you know, I have been having an incredible run, bringing our Operatives exclusive wine after exclusive wine. In some cases, we were able to bring these wine-exclusives to you days or even weeks in advance of the wines actual release date. We’ve even been able to bring you wines the were ‘only available in the winery’s tasting room’. Actually, to be clear, I have been bringing you these exclusives, not Agent White.

We Wine Spies agents are a tight group to be sure. We believe in collaboration, cooperation and shared glory. Usually. You see, we also tend to have a competitive side, and while I kept knocking down the scoops, Agent White had none. That led to his latest challenge:

Agent White: “Okay, here’s one for you: VIE Winery! They sell out before their wine is even bottled. You’ll never get an exclusive from them. Since you have to return with a Syrah, it’ll be nearly impossible. VIE Syrah is incredible.”

I worked hard to suppress my smile.

Agent Red: “Hmmm. That’s a tough one. Can’t we choose an easier winery?”

I had him right where I wanted him.

Agent White: “What, Red, you scared?”

He proceeded to make chicken noises, but I ignored him, knowing full well that this mission would be a slam-dunk. I accepted his wager of [CENSORED], left our conference room and quickly dialed my contact at VIE.

A few minutes later, the deal was done and I was en route to conduct a tasting. During the tasting, we tasted from two bottles. One had been opened a few hours prior, the other we opened freshly. Both were great, but the 4-hour bottle was far better.

When I returned to Central Command with bottles in hand and a huge grin on my face, Agent White knew that I had done it again.

Agent Red: “This is a real scoop. This is a wine that the general public may not ever even see. For the last few vintages, its been sold out even prior to release.”

Agent White: “I don’t know how you do it Red, but I’m glad that you do…”

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Las Madres Vineyard can be seen in this satellite photo.