Wine Last Sold on: August 30, 2012
Topel Winery
Featured Wine:
2007 Red Table Wine
| Varietal: | Red Blend |
| Region: | California: Mendocino County |
| Total Allocation: | Limited |
| Avg. Price: | $36.00 |
| Wine Spies: | $27.00 |
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Mission Codename: Duncan’s Delight
- Operative
- Agent Red
- Objective
- Visit Topel Winery and acquire an allocation of their delicious 2007 Estate Red Blend, the perfect multi award-winning combination of 50% Syrah Noir, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 5% Petite Verdot.
- Mission Status
- Accomplished!
- Current Winery
- Topel Winery
- Wine Subject
- 2007 Estate Red Table Wine
- Winemaker
- Donnis Topel
Final Assessment
The primary grape used in today’s wine is the winery’s signature varietal, Syrah Noir, a unique clone of Syrah. Cuttings of today’s Syrah Noir was rumored to be smuggled from a famous vineyard in Northern Rhone, where the varietal hails from. Syrah Noir is characterized as being bold and fruit-rich, with bright flavors and a rich complexity. Grown on Topel’s mountainside vineyard in Mendocino, today’s wine thrives in the Rhone-like environment of the vineyard.
Tasting Profile
Dark ruby red with a darker center of magenta. After swirling this wine, it takes a while to settle. When it does, it leaves behind tall, elegant legs that rocket down the glass wall.
Dried cherry, ripe blackberry, braised plum and raspberry juice are out in the forefront. After the wine breathes for a little while, aromas of chocolate, soft sweetwood, dark dried flowers and flint begin to emerge.
Soft on entry, with a silky smoothness. After a moment, integrated tannins and bright acids frame the wine, locking flavors onto the palate, long into the finish.
Rife with ripe fruit, including big black cherry, blackberry, smoky plum, raspberry and red currant. Swirl the wine for a few minutes and be rewarded with brighter, more natural flavors. As the wine opens, it releases flavors of subtle spice, black pepper, subtle tobacco leaf and a hint of leather.
Bright and juicy, with a very elegant, long and sustained finish that slowly moves from red fruit to black fruit to more earthy flavors. At the very end, subtle flint and black pepper persist long after the fruits fade.
Another phenom that you must not miss out on! This juicy, delicious 2007 Topel Winery Red Table Wine is such a delightful wine. The more you let it breathe, the more you’ll love it, so spin, spin, spin in your glass, marveling at how the wine progresses with each sip. The Syrah Noir grape in this wine is truly unique and very delicious. Our tasting panel described the unique flavor profile of Topel’s Syrah Noir as Santa Barbara Pinot Noir meets châteauneuf-du-pape - which is a really great way to describe this unique, delicious, fantastic wine. Pair this flexible wine with nearly anything. We enjoyed ours with grilled chicken.
This wine is very highly recommended.
About Mendocino
The grapes for this delicious wine were grown north of Sonoma County, along the Russian River and highway 101. The actual AVA is centered between Hopland and Ukiah in the southern third of the county and its grapes are heavily influenced by the climate, which in turn is regulated by the mountain ridges that surround the upper Russian River. The deep alluvial and gravelly loam soils also contribute to the flavor profile of the grapes grown in the region. While Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay are the primary grapes grown in the region, Cabernet Franc, Barbera, Petite Sirah and many other secondary grapes thrive in the climate.
What the Winery Says
Blended red wines are now the fastest growing wine category across all price points, and our 2007 Topel Estate Blend is a perfect example of why. In short, it’s just magnificent — and competition judges agree. It was one of only three red wines from the 2007 vintage to win a Double Gold Medal at the Mendocino County Wine Competition and it also snagged a Silver Medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, which is the world’s largest judging of American wines.
Blending is the highest form of the winemaker’s art. Each variety is carefully measured and the blend is constantly tweaked until the winemaker finds the perfect combination. Our 2007 Estate Blend — aged 26 months in French oak — is predominantly composed of Syrah Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, balanced by small amounts of Merlot and Petit Verdot, all grown in our mountainside vineyards that rise just above the fog line in southern Mendocino County.
Deep ruby and purple colors swirl in the glass and give way to flavors of plum and chocolate (a trait of Syrah Noir). The Cabernet Sauvignon provides copious tannins while the Petit Verdot adds brightness. Everything is rounded out with a splash of Merlot. We love it with just about any red meat — and it’s equally splendid with roasted chicken!
Technical Analysis
- Varietals
- 50% Syrah Noir, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 5% Petite Verdot
- Barrel Aging
- 34 Months in French Oak
- Sugar
- 25.8
- TA
- 0.49
- pH
- 3.8
- Alcohol
- 14.2
- Production
- 225 Cases
About the Winery
All Topel wines are lovingly handcrafted by Mark and Donnis, who employ minimalist techniques to transform simple grape juice into world-class wines that are robust, yet balanced and elegant — soulful wines that perfectly reflect the soil and climate of their origin.
At Topel Winery, the art of making wine begins within 15 minutes after the grapes are harvested, with a “field crush” right in the vineyard. The grapes are then transported immediately to the winery to begin their transformation into wine.
Topel Winery uses the highest quality fruit from our estate vineyards and from selected sites that grow grapes to our stringent standards, for making our different varietals.
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The location of Topel’s Healdsburg tasting room where today’s wine and other great wines can be tasted can be seen in this satellite photo.
