2003 Napa Valley Syrah:
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Wine Spectator - 92 Points

"...firm and massive, with requisite tannic structure. The core flavors are dense currant, mineral, stone and lead pencil and the tannins grab on and don't let go. Drink now through 2011. (J.L.)"

ARTISTICO SERIES

The spring and early summer of 2003 delivered weather full of promise for an exceptional vintage, and with patience through late summer events, the quality expectations were fulfilled. As occurred in the previous vintage, a two-week high heat and low humidity weather pattern at the end of September caused an early accumulation of high sugars and stressed vine canopies. Many winemakers once again scrambled to harvest as they did in the previous year. However, the under-ripe flavor and tannin profiles coupled with elevated acid levels in the grapes indicated it was best to let the fruit hang in spite of high brix. Delightfully, the tail end of September cooled off, bringing down the pseudo sugars (most actually dropped down 1 to 2 brix!) and allowing proper steady ripening. The following month of October was ideally modest and very even, helping our fruit 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 '03 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 2005.
BLEND 100% Syrah
APPELATION Napa Valley
HARVEST October 12th through October 29th, 2003
AGING Seventeen months in French oak barrels, 33% new oak
CASES 234
ARTISTICO LABEL Mother One - painted by A. Buoncristiani





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