Naughty but Nice!

Greetings!
Valentine's Day will soon be upon us, and I've come across another set of wines that is sure to dazzle your loved one. They are called Naughty and when you see the label, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

The "Naughty" line of wines are limited production, unique wines created by Steve Reynolds, (owner and winemaker of Reynolds Family Winery), in partnership with vineyard management guru Oscar Renteria. Oscars clients include William Selyem, Etude, Rombauer, Robert Mondavi, Caymus, and Duckhorn, and he is also the owner and viticulture genius of Renteria Winery.

The line includes Sticky (a dessert wine), Racy (A Cab based field blend) and Syrah.

I Spoke with Oscar this afternoon and got some of the specifics on each of the wines.
Although I have not tried any of these, I have no doubt as to their quality, based on the past history of both Oscar and Steve.

2003 Sticky – Bottled in 375ml bottles and limited to just 263 twelve-bottle cases, this 50%Semillon/50% Sauvignon Blanc blend is fermented in stainless steel, and then aged in stainless steel and neutral French oak. Because of the growing conditions during 2003, this “early” late-harvest wine is light and crisp, and could be described as a “tropical sorbet”. This will go GREAT with Crème Brulee or fresh strawberries. $28.50

2002 Racy – The individual components of this field blend (69% Cab Sauv; 16% Cab Franc; 15% Zinfandel) wine were fermented separately and then carefully blended together for the final wine. The inclusion of Zinfandel makes this wine a jammy delight that still has plenty of oomph for the discriminating Cab drinker. This should be a great accompaniment for steak OR pizza! Only 648 cases of this fun wine were produced. $38

2002 Syrah –The grapes selected for this wine are from three lots grown in three distinct areas (steep hillside, slopes and rolling hills) in the warmest area of Napa. This wine is 100% Syrah made from two different clones, both of which feature small berries and loose clusters. They used 50% new French oak (which adds to the price) and made a mere 118 cases. The resulting wine is dense, ripe and full of stuffing. This should be a monster of a wine that is capable of long-term aging, but with some decanting (a couple of hours I’d guess), it would be great with lamb or wild game on Feb 14th. $66

If you’d like to grab some of this wine before Valentine’s Day (or before it’s all gone), just let me know and I’ll place your order at HWM. Once it arrives, we’ll let you know and you can go and pick it up.

As always, thanks for your time, and enjoy your wine!
Cheers,
Chuck