Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The dense purple-hued 2008 Shiraz Signature reveals a beautiful nose of spring flowers intermixed with blueberries, blackberries, spice and incense. Glorious richness, full-bodied opulence and a majestic, long finish result in one of the best Napa Valley Syrahs money can buy. It should drink well for 6-10 years. This offering must be of some personal satisfaction for proprietor Darioush Khaledi since the Shiraz grape’s origin emanates from the ancient Persian empire.
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Wine Spectator
Smoky, charcoal and rich berry flavors have a sanguine edge, at points hinting at flesh yet clamping down with muscle-bound tannins. Needs time and should reward, yet there's plenty of extracted fruit in this. Best from 2014 through 2024.
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.