Susan's Hill
April 15, 2009
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Pisoni Estate Vineyard "Susan's Hill" -
Santa Lucia Highlands
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06 LUCIA SUSAN'S
HILL SYRAH
95 POINTS Robert Parker, Wine
Advocate
$39.95 a
bottle, or $35.96 on six bottles
GIFT CERTIFICATE
GIVEAWAY!
FINAL
CALL!
2005
CLARENDON HILLS HICKINBOTHAM SYRAH AT
$79.95
Renee
Recipe
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Dear Wine Friend,
At 1,300 feet above sea
level, the Pisoni
estate is the highest vineyard planted in
the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA of Monterey. The
Pisoni estate vineyard is also the source
for some of the most legendary Pinot Noir produced
on the west coast of the United States. So when
the "wildman" himself, Gary
Pisoni, called on me the other day to pour
his latest wines, I was taken aback by a Syrah his son
Jeff has produced from Pisoni estate fruit under the
Lucia label.
In 2001 the Pisoni's decided to
plant 4 acres of Syrah on a protruding
"knob" along a ridgeline at the
vineyard's most
elevated point. Planting the Estrella
and 877 clones (the former is from one of Chapoutier's
Hermitage vineyards) in the coarse and rocky
terrain, the thinking was to allign the rows
north to south so the harsh stressful winds flowed
with the vines to help stem vigor, rather than
batter and possibly harm the vines. This block
became known as Susan's Hill
in tribute to Gary's sister and Jeff's Aunt.
Contracts with Emmanual Kemiji (Miura, and Antiquvs),
and Adam & Dianna Lee (Novy and
Siduri) allow them to purchase the Syrah fruit
from two acres of Susan's Hill. Btw - the 06
Novy Susan's Hill Syrah received 94 points from Wine
Spectator.
From the other two acres, Jeff Pisoni's "cherry pickings"
produced just 240 cases of the 2006
vintage.
After interviewing Jeff on the phone
this afternoon, he has committed the very last
twenty cases to The Wine Consultant.
Syrah is an unusual varietal as it
will adapt nicely to either warm or cool growing
regions. Cooler grown
Syrah should have slightly higher
natural acidity and lower alcohol; translating
to fresher, brighter more exhuberant
fruit. Typically, the Syrah from Susan's Hill is
harvested 30 to 40 days later than the
estate's Pinot Noir. The 06 Lucia Susan's Hill Syrah
displays very vivid violet-like floral and
berry aromas. Its dark color promises clout,
but the palate shows restraint. The wine
has a translucency, so one easily detects
nuances galore; intense berries, black olives,
smoked meat, ground pepper, mineral, and
spice. Full bodied, with finely knit
texture, a core of firm tannin appears on
the lengthy finish.
Truly a messmerizing wine with huge
appeal, the 06 Lucia Susan
Hill's Syrah will reward with drinking over the
next ten years.
Robert Parker's Wine
Advocate - 95
points (Issue #177 - June 2008)
"The 2006 Lucia
Syrah Susan's Hill.....it displays more complex
aromas, with a stronger floral component, and meatiness
and pepper. It boasts an amazing palate impression, full
body, and a multidimensional, skyscraper-like feel in
the mouth, yet remains light on its feet. This stunning
Syrah should drink effortlessly for a decade or
more."
Oh yeah! The price?
$39.95 A BOTTLE!
PURCHASE
SIX OR MORE BOTTLES FOR ONLY $35.96 A
BOTTLE! | |
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You still know a great deal when you
see one!! And you think like me! First, how
can a wine be placed on "close out" list pricing, if it
isn't even suppose to be available or released
yet? Maybe if the wine had received lousy scores
and was stigmatized before arrival, but the 05 Clarendon
Hills Hickinbotham Syrah has received 97 points from R.Parker's Wine Advocate,
and 95 points from Wine
Spectator. No, I am not playing
the retail game, where everything is marked up
higher only to be discounted back to
normal. Final bottles are
arriving this Friday at $79.95 (Should be priced at
$110). Reserve now!
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GIFT CERTIFICATE
GIVEAWAY!! Retail
stimulus package!
Our landlord just purchased 30 gift certificates from us
valued at $20 each. A total of 300
gift certificates with the same value have been
purchased from other merchants in our Greenback
Square Shopping Center. At
10am this Saturday morning, representatives
from the leasing company will be giving these gift
certificates away to the first 300 people in
line. So! Just finish your shopping
at the Farmer's Market behind Sears in the Sunrise Mall,
and head over here. We open at
10am, but the tasting bar is open at Noon and goes until
4pm. You can use your gift certificate to
help purchase any wine in the store.
Hey!! With a $20 gift certificate a bottle of the
06 Lucia Susan's Hill Syrah is only $19.95, or
the 05 Clarendon Hills Hickinbotham Syrah is just
$59.95.
Oh yeah, one
more thing! For those who care, there are no gift
certificates available for redemption at the massage
parlor!.
The Wine Consultant -
est. 1990
Eric
Stumpf
Renee Kroeger
8039
Greenback Lane
- Greenback Square Shopping
Center
Citrus
Heights, CA 95610
(916)
721-WINE (9463)
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