2002 Napa Valley Syrah:
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Wine Spectator - 93 Points

"Firm, dense and concentrated, with two twists of the pepper mill in the bouquet, along with rich wild berry and blackberry fruit that's dark and intense, offering layers of complexity and finishing with a long, intense aftertaste. Best from 2006 through 2012." (JL)

ARTISTICO SERIES

Patience was tested in the 2002 growing season in the Napa Valley. A wet spring was followed by moderate summer conditions, forecasting a long cool season. The pattern quickly changed and the month of September delivered extremely hot and dry weather causing early accumulation of high sugars and stressed vine canopies. Many winemakers scrambled to pick, fearing the vines and clusters would crash. However, the flavors, acids and tannins in the grapes did not follow the dehydration induced high sugars, so we exercised our patience and took the chance to let the fruit hang. To our delight, waiting for true ripeness paid off. The following month of October was very even and moderately warm, allowing our fruit to reach optimum concentration of pigment, tannin, flavor, and Syrah varietal expression.

To ensure our highest standard of quality, we source this Syrah from growers who adhere to our same strict viticultural philosophy. The '02 blend was handcrafted from small lots harvested exclusively from Jan Krupp's Stagecoach Vineyard in the Vaca mountains above Oakville, John Caldwell's Caldwell Vineyard in Coombsville, and Larry Hyde's Syrah vineyard in Oak Knoll. Sourcing and blending Syrah from these ultra premium vineyards helps us create our Artistico profile of uncompromising quality.

The Buoncristiani brothers created the series “Artistico” to fuse winemaking passion with other forms of art expression. Our Syrah label features original artwork to complement our blend for each vintage. The different vineyard and barrel components are blended in several phases creating optimum complexity while retaining balance, varietal character, and superior quality. This wine was aged in barrels for 17 months and bottled in March of 2004.

P.O. Box 6946 -- Napa, CA 94581 -- Phone: (707)259-1681 -- Fax: (707)259-1740 -- bros@buonwine.com