Double Gold Medal
- 2009 SF Chronicle Wine Competition
- 2009 NY Finger Lakes Wine Competition
There is nothing we like better than finding a small producer making killer wine at a great price. We first encountered Crane Brothers when we offered their Napa Cabernet, a stunning value. An even better value is their Syrah, which is also estate grown on their family ranch in Napa’s Oak Knoll District, using organic and sustainable farming methods. In this somewhat warmer district, Syrah is able to ripen fully offering huge fruit flavor, along with softer tannin, while still having cool nights to preserve acidity.
The 2005 Crane Brothers Napa Valley Syrah is dark ruby in color, with Syrah’s trademark inky core. The nose is surprisingly red-fruit driven, with strawberry, raspberry and pomegranate, along with a damp earth character. A nose this fresh and lively is a bit unusual for Syrah, but is definitely welcome. The palate shows Syrah’s true character, with black cherry, leather, blackberry, eucalyptus and chocolate on the finish. This is rich and mouth-filling, yet without being heavy, which makes it a perfect foil for game or mushroom dishes. Syrah seems perpetually poised to become everyone’s favorite “new” red grape, but as long as it remains a little under the radar, it represents a great source of powerful, full bodied red wine at a bargain price. You simply don’t get wine with this level of intensity and focus for just $25 very often. Stock up while you can!
Grape Sourcing: Crane Ranch Vineyard, Oak Knoll Appellation
Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah
Winemaking: Hand harvested in cool morning hours Fermented in small temperature controlled tanks Hand sorted and cold soaked for 48 hours
Harvest Date: October 23rd & 27th
Cooperage: 16 months of aging in French Oak barrels (40% new oak)
Alcohol: 15%
Production: 325 Cases
Gold Medal
Light pink in color with aromas of watermelon, cranberry, orange rind, and fresh spring flowers that leap from the glass. The palate offers more peach, strawberry, and melon, with an intriguing note of rose and hibiscus. It's crisp with just the perfect hint of red fruit, and delicate whisper of strawberry that gives goosebumps.
91 Points
Shimmering ruby-purple hue. The nose is a walk through a damp Sonoma forest—mossy bark and wild earth—brightened by high-toned notes of cranberry sauce and blood orange. On the palate, it's generously long in the mouth, with good concentration. It's a masterclass in tension: intense, cherry and red current fruit meets dark spice and fine, sandy tannins.
96 Point Vintage
Entices with aromas of Bing cherry, raspberry, and cedar spice. Indicative of the cool vintage, the wine carries a freshness throughout. The palate offers a harmonious balance between bright red fruit, spice, and nicely woven tannins.
Gold Medal
Generously packed with black cherry, cola, cassis, and plum that all intermingle together in a creamy, velvety texture with great layering, finishing with delightful notes of oak and spice. Persistent, well-defined structure, wonderfully balanced.
97 Points
Rich dark fruit flavors of blackberry and cherry with notes of baking spices, licorice, coffee, and chocolate that interlace seamlessly with complexity, creating a wine that is both structured and delightfully supple, achieving an ideal balance of tension and grace. Artfully composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon with 17% Cabernet Franc, resulting in harmonious depth and freshness.
92 Points
A powerful expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. On the nose, it's enticing and fragrant, bursting with fresh blueberries, blackberry tart, cedar, black olives, and hints of spicebox. Its palate provides big, round chewy tannins, sweet ripe black cherries, blackberry cordial, Bourbon-soaked maraschino cherries, maple roasted walnuts, and a touch of vanilla.
PDF