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
94 Points
Decadent, rich, and supple. Aromas of black cherry, dark chocolate, crushed stone, dried herbs, and cedar lead into layered notes of cassis, fennel, baked plums, mocha powder, and cigars dusted with roasted Herbs de Provence, earth and red volcanic mineral notes. Full-bodied and rich, with a firm spine of racy acidity and ultra-fine, gravelly tannins that carry the lasting, mouthwatering finish.
93 Points
Aromas of blackcurrant, dark plum, and cedar unfold alongside soft notes of vanilla and toasted oak. On the palate, structured tannins frame layers of black cherry, baking spice, and a subtle herbal lift from the Merlot blended beneath the Cabernet's backbone. Medium-bodied gem with good concentration finishing long and warm, with lingering impressions of cocoa and dried fig.
94 Points
A full-throttle, blackberry-driven red, laden with chalky minerality and layered with robust tannins. Violet scents mingle with fig and plum fruit in a medium- to full-bodied expression that hits all the right chords, delivering a pleasing one-two punch to the senses.
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