2004 Napa Valley Syrah:
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Wine Spectator - 92 Points - Wine of the Day - Feb. 7, 2007

"Ripe and chewy, with plump wild berry and blackberry fruit that's well-centered, complex and concentrated, finishing with ripe tannins and a burst of dark fruit. Drink now through 2011. (J.L.)"

ARTISTICO SERIES

The growing conditions of 2004 produced early ripening clusters with small berries full of concentration and excellent quality. Early spring bud break coupled with a warm July and even warmer August and September set the pace to a fast and furious harvest for many. However, our Syrah is strategically sourced from cooler Napa Valley sites to ensure slow and steady ripening that creates optimum concentration of pigment, tannin, flavor, and Syrah varietal expression. Although harvested earlier than the 2002 and 2003 vintages, we still allowed our 2004 Syrah to hang until the second and third week of October.

To ensure our highest standard of quality, we source this Syrah from growers who adhere to our same strict viticultural philosophy. The '04 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 unfined and unfiltered in March of 2006.

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