Neyers Sage Canyon Red 2010
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The grape varietals used to produce red Rhone wines --- Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignane -- are not widely planted in California. They're demanding to grow, the yields are small, and the wines are difficult to produce. Finding vineyards planted to these varieties in California is rare. Finding vineyards that can produce the high quality, properly farmed fruit necessary for the Rhone-styled wine Neyers had in mind became the search for a viticultural holy grail. Until now, our search has been both frustrating and unproductive. After years of countless vineyard visits and grower interviews, however, we've finally assembled a collection of sources that provide with enough of each of these four grapes to create this Rhone-styled blend named after the road the winery is on -- Sage Canyon.
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Rustic and chewy, with intense dried berry, mineral, cedar and fresh earth flavors. The vivid berry, red licorice and spice attributes are compelling and distinctive, yet this is only a baby so be patient. Carignane, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah and Alicante Bouschet. Best from 2013 through 2022.
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Wilfred
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In 1999, Bruce and Barbara Neyers purchased and renovated a winery on a thirty-acre parcel in the Sage Canyon area of Napa Valley. Over the next 14 months they built a modern, highly functional winery designed for traditional winemaking practices. They produced their first vintage in this state of the art facility in 2000. In 2002, Wine and Spirits Magazine named Neyers Vineyards the Artisan Winery of the Year.
About 25% of our production is Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on Bruce and Barbara’s 50-acre, Conn Valley ranch. They purchase additional grapes from a select group of growers, among them the Sangiacomo family of the Carneros District, Will Nord of Napa, the Rossi Ranch of Sonoma County, Markus Bokisch and the Evangelho family.
Even though Neyers Vineyards sits in the heart of the Napa Valley, Bruce's experience with French wine importer Kermit Lynch has had an undeniable influence on their wines. Many of the French producers Bruce has worked with farm organically, make their wines naturally without use of cultured yeast or laboratory designed malo-lactic starter, and bottle their wines without fining or filtration. Neyers barrels are made in France, to our specifications, from wood that we buy in bulk and air dry for three years, two years longer than normal. All of the grapes are picked by hand, into small bins that hold only one-half ton. They are then laboriously hand sorted and inspected at the winery as winemaker Tadeo Borchardt gently guides the winemaking process along. As Bruce says, “No expense has been spared in our grape growing, winemaking practices, or processing equipment, yet customers repeatedly tell us that our wines represent great value in today's highly competitive wine market.” Bruce Neyers produces his own content for the company blog, “Vintner Tales.”
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.