Wine of the week: Mi Sueño, 2018 Napa Valley Syrah

This week’s pick is a meaty syrah with potent aromas and flavors of white pepper, blackberry, plum and smoke.|
PEG MELNIK
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

This week’s blind tasting

Non-mainstream reds

Mi Sueno, 2018 Napa Valley Syrah, 14.5%, $55, 4.5 stars. A meaty syrah with full-throttle aromas and flavors of white pepper, blackberry, plum and smoke. Decadent, layered, complex and ripe. Sexy.

Marimar Estate, 2017 Don Miguel Vineyard, Russian River Valley Tempranillo, 14.2%, $57, 4 stars. An earthy tempranillo, with notes of mocha, blueberry and a hint of plum. It has firm tannins and great balance. Nice length. Lovely.

Notre Vue, 2019 Chalk Hill GSM Blend, 14.4%, $69, 4 stars. (51% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 29% Mourvedre.) An aromatic GSM with strawberry aromas and cherry dominating on the palate. Other layered flavors in the mix include plum, herbs and cracked black pepper. Balanced with crisp acid. Zesty finish. Tasty.

Quivira, 2017 Wine Creek Ranch, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Montepulciano Sangiovese, 13.9%, $45, 4 stars. Red and black fruits converge in this tangy sangiovese, along with a note of leather and a hint of thyme. Firm tannins. Smart.

Shannon Ridge, 2019 Lake County High Elevation Petite Sirah, 13.9%, $13. 3 stars. A robust petite sirah with aromas and flavors of blackberry, cedar and cracked black pepper. Potent flavors kept in check with bright acid. Fiesty.

Vintner Rolando Herrera is an entrepreneur who prefers risk over regret.

“I wasn’t afraid of whether Mi Sueño Winery was going to succeed or not,” Herrera said. “I was more afraid of not pursuing my dream.”

Herrera and his wife Lorena, both Mexican immigrants, founded Mi Sueño (Spanish for “my dream”) in 1997. The couple is behind our wine of the week winner — Mi Sueño, 2018 Napa Valley Syrah, 14.5%, $55. It’s a meaty syrah with potent aromas and flavors of white pepper, blackberry, plum and smoke. Decadent, layered, complex and ripe, it’s sexy.

Other tasty uncommon varietals include: Marimar Estate, 2017 Don Miguel Vineyard, Russian River Valley Tempranillo, 14.2%, $57; Notre Vue, 2019 Chalk Hill GSM Blend, 14.4%, $69; Quivira, 2017 Wine Creek Ranch, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Montepulciano Sangiovese, 13.9%, $45; and Shannon Ridge, 2019 Lake County High Elevation Petite Sirah, 13.9%, $13.

As for the winning Mi Sueño syrah, Herrera said his philosophy is to listen to Mother Nature and let the vineyard speak.

“I want to grow the best grapes possible and as a winemaker, find the best time to pick the fruit.”

Now 54, Herrera’s relationship with winemaking began about four decades ago when, as a teenager, he was working on a home renovation for vintner Warren Winiarski of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars.

“He really embraced me,” Herrera said. “He saw something in me — passion, hard work, curiosity.”

Winiarski ultimately hired Herrera to work the harvest of 1985 and mentored him, paying for his classes at UC Davis. Herrera worked at Stag’s Leap until the summer of 1995, rising in rank to cellar master.

Herrera said he was proud to work with Winiarski, the historic figure who had shocked the wine world in 1976 when he won the Judgment of Paris blind tasting with his 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon.

“I fell in love with the wine industry and I thank Warren for opening the doors for me,” Herrera said.

He also fell in love with fellow wine enthusiast Lorena, the oldest daughter of Reynaldo and Maria Robledo. The couple married in 1997 and launched Mi Sueño with 200 cases of chardonnay as an experimental project.

When the chardonnay sold out in a matter of months, Herrera called the test launch their “resume in a bottle.”

Today Mi Sueño produces 10,000 cases a year of five varietals. It has been served at the White House on three occasions, twice when George W. Bush was president and once when Barack Obama was president.

“If I didn’t try Mi Sueño, I would always be questioning why I didn’t take the leap,” Herrera said. “I tell people ‘pursue your dream. Pursue your passions. If it doesn’t work out, you’re not a failure. It’s a beautiful experience. And it’s a steppingstone for the next experience in life that will come up.’”

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.

This week’s blind tasting

Non-mainstream reds

Mi Sueno, 2018 Napa Valley Syrah, 14.5%, $55, 4.5 stars. A meaty syrah with full-throttle aromas and flavors of white pepper, blackberry, plum and smoke. Decadent, layered, complex and ripe. Sexy.

Marimar Estate, 2017 Don Miguel Vineyard, Russian River Valley Tempranillo, 14.2%, $57, 4 stars. An earthy tempranillo, with notes of mocha, blueberry and a hint of plum. It has firm tannins and great balance. Nice length. Lovely.

Notre Vue, 2019 Chalk Hill GSM Blend, 14.4%, $69, 4 stars. (51% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 29% Mourvedre.) An aromatic GSM with strawberry aromas and cherry dominating on the palate. Other layered flavors in the mix include plum, herbs and cracked black pepper. Balanced with crisp acid. Zesty finish. Tasty.

Quivira, 2017 Wine Creek Ranch, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, Montepulciano Sangiovese, 13.9%, $45, 4 stars. Red and black fruits converge in this tangy sangiovese, along with a note of leather and a hint of thyme. Firm tannins. Smart.

Shannon Ridge, 2019 Lake County High Elevation Petite Sirah, 13.9%, $13. 3 stars. A robust petite sirah with aromas and flavors of blackberry, cedar and cracked black pepper. Potent flavors kept in check with bright acid. Fiesty.

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