Burgess Cellars

There’s a trend occurring in the Napa Valley and that is, I believe the prices are dropping, especially for non-Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Whenever I get a chance to recommend a non-Cab from the valley, I jump at it. You too should be all over this wonderful Syrah from Burgess, one of the more venerable wineries in the region. Burgess produced some mighty wonderful wines in the 1970s and ‘80s, making wines that lasted. Lately, the next generation has taken over and in its attempt at making more accessible, new world wines, I believe they are not up to the standard of the dad and founder, Tom Burgess. While this Syrah is not as long-lived as the father used to make, it’s nonetheless worthy of your attention.

The grapes were sourced from the estate’s Ink Grade Vineyard on the eastern side of Howell Mountain and from Burgess’ Yountville vineyard. There are raspberry aromas with good structure, balance, and varietal typicity missing in many California Syrahs. Hold onto it for a year and then drink it over the ensuing five years.

The wine was aged in 40 percent French barrels and 60 percent American. The stated alcohol is 14.7 percent and there were 5,600 cases produced.

Reviewed August 19, 2007 by Alan Goldfarb.