And now for something completely different! Last week we attended a virtual release of a new wine: The Imagine Wine 2007 Winged Paradise Mountain Syrah.
The wine comes from winemaker Ross Rankin, who formerly owned and operated several medical companies. Along with wife Dee and a number of partners, they opened Imagine Wine in 2004.
The winery is located in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County. It has extraordinary weather and unique soils.Not surprising, the 2007 Winged Syrah is a rare and unusual wine.
The wine has been aged for almost six years in oak and kept in cold storage during the process. That alone added an additional $12,000 in expenses. Only 246 cases were produced of this 100% Syrah.
We started with a gourmet dinner and the Imagine Wine 2007 Paso Robles Cabernet, which I’ll cover in another article. We decanted the wine and gathered around the roaring firepit counting down until the exact moment of release, which was 10:00 PM ET and coordinated with a live release party in California.
We allowed the wine to decant for an hour and were glad we did. After all that time in oak, it needs to breathe.
The first impression on the palate is that of blueberries and a rich, full body. The tannins are well integrated and don’t overwhelm the wine. The Winged Syrah is high in alcohol content at 16%, and started a bit “hot.” As our tasting continues, the wine relaxed and unwound in a good way. The complex flavors became more apparent including those of brambles and blackberry. It’s an elegant wine.
It’s recommended to be served 60-65 degrees F. That worked fine for us since we were sitting around a fire with some parts of our bodies roasting but the rest chilled by the night air.
This is a beauty of a wine that retails for $80. I’d be remiss if I didn’t comment on the stunning label, which features a painted reproduction of the “Winged Series 2” sculpture by Blake Rankin. Blake is Ross’ son. The sculpture is amazing and it elevates the wine to a great combination of style inside and outside the bottle.
The Winged Syrah has taken flight with its release. It’s a soaring success which we can highly recommend.
Full disclosure. This wine was provided as a marketing sample.
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