Burgess Syrah Napa 2004

From http://www.thewinespies.com:

Mission Codename: The Eastern Slopes

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: React to the flood of reports that Burgess Vineyard has a standout Napa Valley Syrah. If valid, secure an ample supply for our Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Burgess Vineyard

Wine Subject: 2004 Syrah

Winemaker: Bill Sorenson

Backgrounder: Last month we featured another superb read more...wine from Burgess. It turned out to be our fastest selling wine ever. Taste any Burgess wine and you’ll see why. Their secret? The winery says that 30 years of winemaking experience, on their own land, tending their own fruit, has allowed them ample time to perfect their wines. Drink any of their wines and you will enjoy this perfection for yourself. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes below, followed by a retelling of his original mission report, in which he first becomes acquainted with Burgess.


Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look - Deep garnet to burgundy great clarity through its deep, dark heart. The wine also has a pronounced spring to its surface and it leaves behind slow-moving legs that crawl slowly down the glass

Smell - Beautifully aromatic with a rick blueberry, blackberry, black currant, dusky earth, acacia and a hint of real gardenia and smoky meats

Feel - Supple and wet and big, mouth-coating with great soft to medium all-over-mouth tannins

Taste - Delicious layers of flavors, including dark mixed berry, black cherry, black fig and dark plum with subtle dusted bakers chocolate

Finish - Hugely Juicy and rich, mouth-coating, delicious and supple, with soft tannins and flavors that go on and on forever

Conclusion - Is this the perfect Syrah? We Wine Spies certainly love it! What you get in this wine is a brilliant balance of dusky, earthen, old-world aromatics and flavors, with bright and juicy new-world Napa Valley fruit. This is a deeply flavorful, delicious and richly layered wine that drinks beautifully on its own, but also pairs perfectly with most any foods.    (hide)

July 2008

Powdered sugar deep fruit nose, very warm and inviting, with a layer of crushed flowers on top. Palate is quite smooth and texture is almost creamy, an undercurrent of tannic roughness on the finish. A bit of licorice disappears quickly.

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January 2009

There’s a trend occurring in the Napa Valley and that is, I believe the prices are dropping, especially for non-Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Whenever I get a chance to recommend a non-Cab from the valley, I jump at it. You too should be all over this wonderful Syrah from Burgess, one of the more venerable wineries in the region. Burgess produced some mighty wonderful wines in the 1970s and ‘80s, making wines that lasted. Lately, the next generation has taken over and in its attempt at making more accessible, new world wines, I believe they are not up to the standard of the dad and founder, Tom Burgess. read more...While this Syrah is not as long-lived as the father used to make, it’s nonetheless worthy of your attention. The grapes were sourced from the estate’s Ink Grade Vineyard on the eastern side of Howell Mountain and from Burgess’ Yountville vineyard. There are raspberry aromas with good structure, balance, and varietal typicity missing in many California Syrahs. Hold onto it for a year and then drink it over the ensuing five years. The wine was aged in 40 percent French barrels and 60 percent American. The stated alcohol is 14.7 percent and there were 5,600 cases produced.    (hide)

Wine Tasting NotesThe grapes for the Syrah were picked at optimum maturity and rotary fermented to achieve the best extraction possible. Rotary fermentation allows Burgess to maintain a proper tannin level, while also keeping a wine with a full, rich body. The wine was aged in 1/3 French oak and 2/3 American oak. The oak levels were adjusted to allow the classic blackberry fruit flavors in the wine to come forward. This wine is wonderful with any cheese, light hors doeuvres and grilled meat and vegetable dishes.

January 2009

No written review

February 2009

No written review

February 2009