Venge Vineyards 2007 Atlas Peak Sangiovese

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Mission Codename: The Danish Kings of Napa

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Infiltrate Venge Vineyards, and return with the wine of legend, their perfect Atlas Peak Sangiovese

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Venge Vineyards

Wine Subject: 2007 Atlas Peak Sangiovese

Winemaker: Kirk Venge

Backgrounder: We have had the great pleasure to bring you wines made by today’s winemaker, Kirk Venge (”Ven-ghee”). These wines, from other wineries, were always superb. For today’s wine, we are very proud to bring you a wine made under Kirks own proud label, Venge Vineyards.

The most widely planted grape in all of Italy, Sangiovese, is used in everything from blended inexpensive table wines like Chianti, to the finest Super Tuscans. Italian immigrants introduced this varietal to the U.S. in the 1800’s. First plantings of this grape in the Atlas Peak region of the Napa Valley were legendary and today, some of the most exciting California Sangiovese are found there. For today’s wine, Agnet Red received a secret dispatch from a trusted confidential informant. This informant, a deep cover Operative, directed Agent Red directly to Venge Vineyards. Read Agent Red’s tasting notes on today’s fantastic wine, followed by his mission report, to learn more about today’s old-world-in-California wine

About Atlas Peak: Located N.E. of Napa, on the western slope of the Vaca Mountains, this region has over 1,500 acres under vine. This, in a region of nearly 11,000 acres. Grapes have been growing in this region for more than 100 years.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Dark ruby-red, with concentrated color right out to its ovely pinkish edges. The core of the wine is darker, but still beautifully clear. When swirled, the wine shows a softly bouncy surface that settles quickly, leaving behind a high layer of chubby legs, and a lower layer of chubby legs. On both levels, these start slowly and then take their time moving down the glass

Smell – Gorgeous and earthy and fruity and perfumy all in one, with layers of cherry, blackberry, forest canopy, pepper, mild spice, softest oak and softer thyme

Feel – Velvet smooth and very round on entry, this wine absolutely glides across the palate. Then, after a moment or two, the develops a soft to medium body as supple tannins grip gently at the edges of the palate, coating the mouth and drying the lips

Taste – Beautifully balanced, riding the margin perfectly between bright and dusky, with bright red cherry, blackberry, dark plum and soft pepper, Earthen raspberry, forest floor and soft spices

Finish – A slightly dry, but long and lingering finish with flavors that go from sweet to tart to slightly earthen and smoky, making your mouth water. Flavors really hang on in the back palate, outlasting flavors in the rest of the mouth.

Conclusion – We have waited a long time to bring you a Venge Vineyards wine. I have to say that it was well worth the wait! Today’s Atlas Peak Sangiovese from Kirk Venge is a masterful expression of California Sangiovese. Representing the best of both Old-World and New-World stylings, today’s wine is a modern classic. It strikes a beautiful balance in style, and in its flavors and aromatics. Kirk shows off his winemaking prowess, by building a wine that delivers a great deal to experience. It is also a great winr to simply enjoy. Savor it and find all of the nuance in the wine – or just kick back and enjoy it with a light-hearted summer meal. We did both with our sample bottles and we had a fantastic wime with the wime!

Mission Report:

Agent Red has gone AWOL. Again. We expect him to check in, soon. When he does, we’ll rush to transcribe his interview with Kirk Venge. Please be sure to check back later today. Until then, we apologize for Red’s tardiness. You can be assured that he will receive a harsh reprimand.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The location of the Venge Vineyards winery can be seen in this satellite photo.