2006 Prospect 772 Sierra Foothills "The Brat"

Founders Ron Pieretti and Wendy Sanda bought a 25-acre parcel in Calaveras County in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, where land is still reasonably priced. Their focus is Rhône varietals, and winemaker Jeff Cohn crafts two wines — The Brat, a Grenache-based blend, and The Brawler, a blend of Syrah and Viognier.

Made from Grenache and Syrah, this Rhône-style blend has pronounced flavors of cherries, accented with sweet, vanilla-tinged new oak. It’s bone dry, and the tannins are pronounced, making the palate long for a bite of well-marbled, grilled steak. Best now for freshness.

Winemaker Jeff Cohn supplies his expertise on the Rhône-inspired wines of Prospect 772, located in the Sierra Foothills just outside of Angels Camp.
It is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah.

Sierra Foothills/El Dorado - This sweeping inland territory (an AVA on its own right), encompassing El Dorado, Fiddletown, Shenandoah and Amador, has been on the grape-growing map since the Gold Rush. With the exception of high-altitude El Dorado, the vineyards here are sun-baked and hot—in other words, best suited to old-vine zinfandel, petit sirah and Rhône varietals. The cooler climes of El Dorado are ideal for cabernet, chardonnay and merlot.

The Sierra Foothills, southeast of Sacramento, are now making some of California's most exciting Rhone-style wines. Four Vines, with an Amador Bailey Vineyard Syrah, is joined by Prospect 772 among those excellent Rhone variety-based wines from the Sierra Foothills. Prospect 772 is a new label from Ron and Wendy Pieretti with Jeff Cohn, of J.C. Cellars (and formerly of Rosenblum), overseeing winemaking. Prospect 772's two wines are The Brawler (Syrah and Viognier) and The Brat (Syrah and Grenache), and their prices are excellent.

Calveras County is a picturesque and remote area in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Popular with outdoorsmen, the region also serves as a northern entrance into Yosemite National Park. In 1865, Mark Twain immortalized the area in his tale of “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. 

Through the 1850s and ‘60s, this was the heart of the Gold Rush. Prospectors of many national origins arrived in the area afflicted with Gold Fever. Those who stayed, notably the French and the Italians, quickly established vineyards and a reputation for producing the best wines in California. Many of these vineyards would long outlive the boom and bust of the Gold Rush and a century and a half later, the red clay and gravelly slopes of Calaveras County are yielding another kind of Mother Lode – the gold medal winning wines of the region. Calaveras County forms the southern third of the broad Sierra Foothills AVA which also covers much of El Dorado and Amador counties to the north. Vineyards here generally lie between 1500 and 2400 ft in elevation – higher and cooler than those in Amador.

According to Wine Spectator: "Ripe, fleshy and full-bodied, with tasty plum and black cherry fruit that has a slight candied edge, ending with a crisp berry aftertaste. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2013. 153 cases made."

Submitted by James Cross

Schulz 2006 Fortunati Vineyard Syrah

THE FORTUNATI VINEYARD was planted by Gary Luchtel of Surh Luchtel Cellars. John Schulz and Gary grew up together in a small town in Iowa and through that relationship Schulz Cellars was fortunate enough to secure a contract on a 2 acre block of Syrah. The Fortunati Vineyard is situated in the heart of the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. Syrah has become an important part of the Oak Knoll AVA due to the ideally suited deep clay loam soils, which produce wines that are rich and complex.

Tasting Notes: Rich but not too fat with a solid core of tannins. Bright and vibrant red cherry fruit with a rich, round mouth feel ending with a hint of anise and cloves.

Varietal Make up:
100% Syrah 
Appellation:  Oak Knoll District

Cooperage: 50% French Oak, 50% American Oak,
50% new barrels
18 months in barrel 

Release Date: June 2007 

Production: 200 cases

Schulz “Fortunati” Syrah is a classically styled Napa Valley wine showing rich, smooth flavors with a firm structure giving it depth and complexity. Beginning with deep, dark fruit aromas that are followed by layers of rich, dense black berry and black cherry flavors leading to a very round texture in the mouth with structure enough to give a long lingering finish.

90 points - Wine Spectator
 "Serves up a complex mix of dark berry, blue, boysenberry and huckleberry all show prominently displayed, joined by spice, leather, cedar and herbal scents. Supple textured."
Drink now through 2013.
The name alone of Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll AVA, with its ideal climate and soil for bold red grapes, inspires taste buds around the globe, so when we had the chance to sample John and Michelle’s Fortunati Vineyard Syrah we were obviously excited. John Schulz is a big shot over at von Strasser, one of our favorite Napa Wineries, and thus we were able to get the inside scoop on his own labor of love. Once you taste this Syrah, you’ll fall in love too.

More info from the Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Dark purple, inky and almost black in color with deep dark garnet edges and clusters of fast thin legs that streak down the edge of the glass when swirled.
Smell– Big, bold and complex in its nose with aromas of wild blackberry and bilberry over a base of black pepper, fresh cut cedar and hints of floral lavender, mocha and an earthy quality.
Feel – Full-bodied, dry and rich with a smooth supple tannins and a touch of spice on the edge of the palate. Its balanced acidity provides a creamy round texture for the bold flavors to come.
Taste – Extremely well integrated for a relatively youthful wine, with flavors of ripe black fruit, ripe plum, mild black pepper and hints of cedar, leather, wild fennel and cocoa.
Finish – This wine finishes long with lingering flavors of its ripe fruit and complex earth, wood and spice components.
Conclusion – The 2006 Fortunati Vineyard Syrah is a delicious wine that is perfect for cozying up to a warm fire with your favorite secret agent. Well integrated and complete with classic aromas and flavors, this is a Syrah that is drinking beautifully now but will also continue to develop over the coming years.

Submitted by James Cross