Wine Last Sold on: October 3, 2012
Starry Night Winery
Featured Wine:
2009 Nervo Station Old Vine Zinfandel
| Varietal: | Zinfandel |
| Vineyard: | Nervo Station |
| Region: | California: Alexander Valley |
| Availability: | Limited |
| Avg. Price: | $30.00 |
| Wine Spies: | $22.49 |
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SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
We only showcase wines that we love. While our emphasis is on quality first, every now and again we come across a real standout wine that rises above. When we do, we issue alerts like this one.
Mission Codename: Sorry, Ridge
- Operative
- Agent Red
- Objective
- Operatives have been clamoring for another big, juicy and delicious Starry Night Zinfandel. Send Agent Red to Starry Night to retreive their 2009 Nervo Station Zin, a wine grown in a vineyard block that was formerly belonged to Ridge Vineyard.
- Mission Status
- Accomplished!
- Winemaker
- Todd Graff
Final Assessment
When Ridge Vineyard winery lost the Nervo Station vineyard to Starry Night Winery, they must have been rather upset. Zinfandel from this vineyard has consistently garnered some of the highest praise from fans and the wine press alike.
Today’s 2009 Starry Night Winery Nervo Station Zinfandel hails from the lush Alexander Valley. The wine is a big, bold, juicy, delicious wine. It drives dark fruit flavors all around the palate - and on into a very long finish. A tad shy, at first, this wine really opens up with some good swirling. When it does come to life, it reveals a complex and well-balanced treat that begs for the companionship of a fine, hearty meal. We recommend a rich pot roast or a grilled, garlic rubbed steak. Stock up on this delicious wine, dear Operative, the Holiday’s are coming!
Tasting Profile
Dark garnet hues with a darker core. Coloration is evenly concentrated, from the dark center of the wine, out to the slightly lighter edges of the glass. After swirling the wine, tall, thin, wine-colored legs move very slowly down the glass wall.
Dark and lush with a heady burst of sweet spiced cherry, cherry liquor, blackberry jam, blueberry, leather, dark, sweet pipe tobacco, bramble and brown sugar. As the wine opens up, it reveals subtle aromas of green tobacco leaf, fresh bramble and caramel.
Soft and round as the wine passes the tip of the tongue. Then, it becomes bold, and mouth-filling as plush tannins give the wine a weighty feeling across the mid-palate. As the wine settles in, all over the palate, it takes on a chewy, full-bodied feel.
Darkly juicy, lead by brambly, tart black fruit, dark blackberry, black cherry and plum. Just behind these, sweet tobacco leaf, mixed dark spice, toasty oak and black pepper join in.
Ultra long, sweet, tart and lingering, with bold sweet dark fruit slowly giving way to spice, sweet tobacco, slate and black pepper at the tail end.
What the Winery Says
Nervo Station Vineyard, located on a hillside in the western part of Alexander Valley, has two blocks of Zinfandel planted in 1896 and one block planted in 1934. As is typical of older Zinfandel Vineyards, there are numerous other varietals inter-planted in the vineyard including Petite Sirah, Carignane and Mataro among others. Farmed by the Nervo family for three generations, these head pruned vines produce a very limited crop that results in concentrated and complex flavors and aromas of ripe plum, blackberry and cassis, with hints of anise, exotic spices and white pepper.
AWARDS
91 Points 2012 California State Fair Wine Competition
COMPOSITION
Zinfandel with “old style” inter-planted varietals including Petite Sirah, Carignane and Mataro
COOPERAGE
Barrel Aged over 18 months - 45% new American barrels, 25% new French barrels 30% select one to three year old American and French barrels
TECHNICAL DATA
Harvest Date: October 10, 2009
Average Sugar at Harvest: 26.4º brix
PH: 3.65
TA: .57 g/100ml
Alcohol: 15.6%
Production: 430 cases
About the Winery
This year Starry Night Winery celebrates its twelfth anniversary as a bonded winery. The story of how we came into existence starts many years earlier when Wayne Hansen, Bruce Walker, Mike Miller and Skip Granger started making wine at an amateur level. Our motivation for this came from a shared life long passion for wine and an increasing disdain for the over priced and often mass-produced wines found in the market.
In our first year we crushed several hundred pounds of grapes and produced about fifty cases of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in Wayne’s basement. By combining the best of both new and traditional methods we found that we could make outstanding wine. We also spent time researching wine making methods, taking classes at UC Davis, and received the advice of some very helpful commercial winemakers. After several years of home winemaking, we finally applied for and received our bond several weeks before harvest in 1999.
At Starry Night Winery, our goal is to produce the finest wines possible that accentuate the regions from where the grapes are best grown. We currently produce Chardonnay and Zinfandel from the Russian River Valley, a Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley, Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley as well as Zinfandel and Petite Sirah from the Lodi appellation. This coming summer we will be bringing back Adara, our Rhone Style Blend and this fall we will be releasing out first Cabernet Franc from Lake County.
In our first year we produced fewer than 1200 cases. Since then we have grown a bit each year and have leveled off our production to about 8,000 cases. Most of our wines are produced in quantities of less than 1,000 cases. By keeping our production small, we are able to pay attention to every detail in the winemaking process and allow the grapes to fully express their terroir. We would describe our winemaking style as minimalist in that we want the wines to make themselves with as little intervention as possible.
We are very excited about sharing our new wines and new releases with you!
