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If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from Peters Family Winery.

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT!: We always hand pick the best wines we can find for you, but when we feature a really great wine, we point it out by issuing special alerts. Today’s wine is excellent!

SAVINGS ALERT!: Today’s superb wine is available, today only, at 25% off the regular retail price. Save even more by enjoying Free Ground Shipping when you buy six or more bottles. Just enter savings code CABSPY at checkout.

Mission Codename: There’s Gold in them thar bottles

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Return to Peters Family Winery to retrieve their Sierra Foothills Cabernet Sauvignon

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Peters Family Winery

Wine Subject: 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaker: Douglas Peters

Backgrounder: 2004 was the killer year for Cabernet Sauvignon. In the right hands, ‘04 Cali Cabs can be spun into pure purple gold in a glass. We have featured two other Peter’s Family wines in the past and today we are pleased to bring you the finest of the bunch. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes and mission report for the full skinny on today’s fantastic wine.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – A deep and dark garnet with a ruby red heart, great clarity and concentration of color right out to the edges, with a bouncy surface and legs that take forever to begin, but then streak down the glass

Smell – Rich and deep with layers of dark fruit of dusky cherry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, light vanilla, and smoky plum, with follow-on aromas of earth and smokey dry cured bacon

Feel – Wet and round at first, then mouth-coating with gorgeous, lush tannins that grip the edges of your tongue and the roof of your mouth

Taste – Layers of lush flavors that almost exactly mirror the aromatic qualities of the wine, bursting with delicious, juice-filled flavors

Finish – This wine surprises, with delightfully soft and lush flavors, soft tannins and mouth-watering and fruity flavors that tail of very gradually and very cleanly

Conclusion – This is another great wine from our good friend, Douglas Peters. While most of the 2004’s we have enjoyed recently need tons of time to stretch out and be best enjoyed, this wine is great right on opening. This is a wine that would be great with the finest cuisine or a great slab of steak. We enjoyed a bottle last night with pepperoni and anise sausage pizza, a delicious pairing!

Mission Report:

Douglas Peters is one of our favorite winemaker friends, always making his great wines available to you, our Operatives. What follows is our original mission report, in which Agent Red hunts harder than usual for a great wine:

One of my most valued Assets, Codename: Valley Girl, alerted me to Peters Family Winery recently. After an undercover visit to the winery tasting room, I needed no convincing that this wine was a wonderful treat that our Operatives needed to be brought up to speed on.

Not to boast, too much here, but you know that when I have my sights set on a wine, procuring it is not usually a problem. Our reputation often proceeds us and wineries make their wonderful wines immediately available to us.

The mission to procure this wine, however, was somewhat more difficult; Peters Family winemaker and head honcho, Douglas Peters was secreted away in an undisclosed location – but I was determined to track him down so that we could negotiate a small procurement for our Operatives.

A flurry of email and telephonic subterfuge ensued and I tracked Doug to his secret lair south of the border. Because his wines are that good, I spared no expense and called on our resident pilot, Agent White, to fuel up the Wine Spies Spy Plane. Reluctant to spend the money for a long flight like this one, Agent White did take a bit of persuasion but, in the end, complied with my request; He was easily convinced after one small taste of this wine.

While I didn’t have an exact location on Doug, I did have the name of the village. After a harrowing landing on a small dirt strip in high crosswinds (an Agent White favorite!), we were able to convince the local constabulary to help us locate Doug. It only too a few cases of wine to do the trick.

We found Doug on the beach, recognizing him from his photo on his website. A glass of wine in hand, Doug seems to be enjoying the sunset.

Wasting no time with subterfuge, I got right to the point.

“I’m sorry to bother you on your vacation, Mr. Peters. I’m Agent Red, Wine Spy, and I am here to ask you for a your wine.”

“Sorry, I don’t link to share glasses with strangers. You know, germs”

Then a smile spreads across his face and he claps me on the shoulder (a feat that, at a head and a half taller than me, requires that Doug stoop slightly to reach me). “I’m just having fun with you,” He says. “Come on, have a seat, I’ll pour you a glass of my wine.”

I explained that is was because of this same wine that I made this expedition.

“It’s gooooood, isn’t it?” he asks.

My turn to smile.

We enjoyed the rest of the bottle, chatting about his wines and his approach to winemaking. Doug creates wines that are certainly of California, but also in a more Burgundian style, giving the wines a great balance between old world and new. This, in my opinion, is a great way to approach winemaking as it delivers the best qualities of these two winemaking styles – without being at odds with each other.

After some deft negotiations, I had secured a small allotment for you, Operative, and then Doug excused himself.

“Here’s another bottle for you,” he offered. I’m off to watch the lunar eclipse tonight. It’ll be 3 years until we see another one. See you back in the States!”

With that, he left me there to further ponder his wine. Doug’s love for his craft shines through in this wine, which exhibits balance, brilliance and a depth of character that I find uncommon.

Bravo, Doug!

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If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes even better than that, as is the case with today’s wine from Clif Bar Family Winery and Farm.

SAVINGS ALERT!: Today’s wine is over 20% off, but you’ll save even more if you buy six or more bottles – because we’ll give you Free Ground Shipping. Just enter promo code: CABSPY

Mission Codename: A View to A Kill(er Cab)

Operative: Agent White

Objective: Seek out the latest killer Cabernet Sauvignon from our friends at Clif Bar Family Winery and Farm.

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Clif Bar Family Winery and Farm

Wine Subject: 2005 kit’s killer cab

Winemaker: Sarah Gott

Backgrounder:

The Oakville AVA, centrally located and adjacent to Napa Valley’s famous Rutherford AVA, was established in July 1993. Oakville is considered on of the most diverse AVA’s in the Napa area and grows some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dark purple with ruby-garnet edges and inky clarity with long slender legs that streak down to the side of the glass when swirled.

Smell – Bold, intense and youthful ripe and sweet blackberries and raspberries. Beyond the fruit forward initial aromas are hints of cocoa, licorice and new oak.

Feel – Rich and full-bodied, initially smooth then medium firm tannins kick in at mid palate with a balance of creamy and mineral textures fill your entire mouth.

Taste – Concentrated layer upon layer of ripe fruit including black cherries and blackberries with balanced flavors of oak, spicy pepper that hits both the tip of the tongue and the back of the palate and lingering flavors of cocoa.

Finish – This wine finishes long and smooth with lingering flavors of fruit, oak and cocoa.

Conclusion – Despite its youth, this wine is surprisingly well integrated with layers of flavors. Give this wine some time to open up by decanting it and you’ll be handsomely rewarded. While this wine is youthful, it is easy to drink and enjoy and will complement a wide array of food or can also be enjoyed by itself. This spy enjoyed this wine with grilled chicken, mushroom and red onion skewers with home made North Carolina barbecue sauce (a special thank you to Bryce at Los Angeles’ Third Stop for the sauce).

Mission Report:

I’m not much of a climber, but I do enjoy a good hike and the great outdoors. Recently, Agent Blush and I flew out to Saint George, Utah and rented a car to go and visit Zion National Park.

For those who haven’t been, it is a spectacular site to see. We had made arrangements to stay at the Zion Lodge, an old and rustic set of cabins nestled deep in the the Zion Canyon. During the day, we’d hike up the canyon, to Emerald Pools, or the Temple of Sinawava and just take in the fresh air. On one of our hikes, this one to the more rigorous Upper Emerald Pool, we ran across some very experienced, but visibly tired, climbers. Sitting there, I pulled out some bottled water (yes water) and a couple Clif Bars. I love the chocolate and peanut crunch version, Blush likes the chocolate brownie.

I offered the climbers a couple of our Clif Bars (they looked like they needed them) and after the obligatory thank yous, they mentioned that they had tried wine from the folks at Clif. Not wanting to blow my cover, I played cool and asked them about the wine.

’I’m no expert, but the Clif Cab is Killer, in fact its called kit’s killer cab’, he said.

’It’s really good!, in fact it be perfect for later as we relax back at the lodge’, the other climber said.

’I really like Clif products, I love their commitment to natural and organic food,’ the first climber continued, ’too bad more people don’t focus on doing things as simply.’

’Yeah, its all about keeping it simple,’ Blush said…

After they left, Blush asked if we had tried kit’s killer cab. ’Not yet,’ I said, ’…but the minute we get back, I’ll dispatch Agent Red to get us some.’

’That would be killer.’, Blush said and smiled…

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA can be seen in this satellite photo.

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If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from Mayo Family Winery.

END OF AVAILABILITY ALERT!: Our new friends at Mayo Family Winery were gracious enough to let us capture their remaining cases of today’s excellent wine. THANK YOU, MAYO!

SAVINGS ALERT!: If you are lucky enough to grab 6 or more bottles of this great wine before we sell out, use coupon code SUPERSONOMA and we’ll give you Free Ground Shipping

EXCEPTIONAL WINE ALERT!: Today’s Petite Sirah is really fantastic. We only wish there was more of it available…

Mission Codename: Make mine with extra Mayo

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Secure a stellar Petite Sirah for our thirsty Operatives, who have been clamoring for the perfect Petite

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Mayo Family Winery

Wine Subject: 2005 Reserve Petite Sirah

Winemaker: Michel Berthoud

Winemaker intel brief: Long-term Wine Spies Operatives know this, but newer Operatives should know that Michel Berthoud was formerly the winemaker for Arrowood Winery. A few months ago we featured an Arrowood wine here.

Backgrounder: Requests for a killer Petite Sirah have been flooding in from all over the Spy-o-sphere so we set Agent Red loose on an urgent mission to find the perfect Sonoma County Petite.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Deep purple with an inky heart, a tight and glossy surface, concentrated color right out to the wines dark edges and tightly-spaced legs

Smell – Rich and deep with big and beautiful hits of dark stonefruit, blackberry, smoked bacon, casis with fresh pepper and the lightest fresh salad herbs

Feel – Round and cool up front, the wine quickly grips in with balanced tanins that go to work, coating your mouth and drying slightly on the tongue and the roof of the mouth

Taste – Deeply layered and highly concentrated flavors of ripe black plum, jammy roasted blackberry and blueberry, dark cherry and sweetwoods

Finish – Long and flavorful and delicious with tastes that go on and on and on…

Conclusion – Petite Sirah is something of a rarity in California, with less than 3500 acres planted. Getting a great Petite seems like even more of a rarity, so when I had the great fortune to come across this particular Petite, I was very happy. Winemaker Michel Berthoud has crafted a masterpiece with with this rich and delicious wine! This Petite is a ready-to-drink gem that is deep with luscious flavors and naturally fresh aromas. The tannins are fairly solid and strong and I declare it to be a ready-to-drink wine that will give you great pleasure. Cellar it, if you have the patience, to see the wine develop as it matures. I tried this wine right out of the bottle, and again after it was decanted for several hours; what a difference. The decanted wine becomes far softer, sweeter and way more enjoyable. I enjoyed this wine at Mayo Family’s Reserve Room with Creole-Molasses Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine-Blackberry salsa, from Mayo chef Billy Oliver. See my mission report and the promise of the recipe below!

Mission Report:

I love you, Jeffrey Mayo! Thank you for ”tricking” me into into experiencing the wonder and deliciousness of your Mayo Family Reserve Room.

It began like this: On the recommendation, no, the insistence of a few dedicated Wine Spies Operatives, I made an appointment to visit with Jeffrey Mayo, who runs the winery. Appointment secured, I conducted my usual thorough background investigation. What I learned was impressive; The Mayo family, their winemaker and their wines were all very well respected. I looked forward to my meeting with Jeffrey, and the simple tasting that would accompany the meet.

I arrived on time at the winery’s Reserve Room, a unique place where wine lovers can enjoy a flight of Mayo Family Reserve wines along with food pairings created by resident Chef Billy Oliver. I assumed that Jeffrey had me meet him at the Reserve Room because it was convenient to his schedule. Instead, I found that he had planned a subtle subterfuge.

Jeffrey welcomed me when I arrived and immediately asked me if I wanted to experience the wine and food pairing that they were famous for. I politely declined, citing a recent lunch, but then Jeffrey told me that he had a ‘small wine emergency’ to attend to. He was apologetic and he assured me that he would be back after about 30 minutes, the perfect amount of time to enjoy the complete tasting. I accepted, knowing that it would, at the very least, be an interesting experience. Instead of interesting, however, it turned out to be incredible.

Firstly, the Chef Billy Oliver and the rest of the Reserve Rooms staff were all great – and they made me feel right at home.

Glasses lined up, four wines were poured. Then a beautifully presented plate of food samples arrived! I was given ample time to explore each Mayo Family Reserve wine before tasting its accompanying paired food. We tasted through the whites first and then came to today’s 2005 Reserve Petite Sirah, which was paired with a Creole-Molasses Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine-Blackberry Salsa. Firstly, the wine was exquisite! Big and bold and rich and layered with aromas and flavors, I wondered what the pairing would be like. I nearly fell out of my chair as bit into Chef Billy’s concoction! Delicious does not even begin to describe it. This was a pairing to die for.

(Don’t worry, we’ll include the recipe with your order!)

The rest of the pairing exercise was rife with much ‘ooohing’ and ‘ahhing’ and not just from me. A local innkeeper came in to enjoy the pairing as well. She’ll be insisting that her guests pay the Mayo Family Reserve Room a visit when enjoying their stay in her Sonoma County inn.

At the end of the pairing, I was well sated and very happy that I had indulged. Jeffrey returned and I could tell by the smile on his face that his mission was accomplished.

We chatted for a while and, right then and there, he agreed to allow our Operatives the opportunity to purchase all of his remaining 2005 Reserve Petite Sirah, as it was clearly my favorite of the afternoon.

Thanks, Jeff! I’m certain that our Operatives will love the wine, too.

Wine Spies Winery Check:

The Mayo Reserve Room, where Agent Red had his exquisite tasting adventure, can be seen in this satellite photo.

The Mayo Family winery main tasting room can be seen in this satellite photo.

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