Some Velvet Morning
Like some forgotten Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra album, this two pack of wine is a union of flavors you thought would never meet.
Leather and lace. Crimson and clover. The cross and the switchblade. Some things just seem like they’ll never fit each other, but then, as though by magic, do. That’s what we learned from these two very special limited edition Meridian wines. You never know what beautiful surprise might come from an unexpected place.
Located in Paso Robles, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Meridian has built a reputation producing a quality, yet readily available, entry level wine. Before today, Meridian was just the kind of simple wine you’d be perfectly happy to take from the end cap of your local grocery store. Of course, we can’t sell Meridian short, because those “simple wines” have outperformed brilliantly, winning awards and impressing even Wine Spectator Magazine. Who could have ever expected that from the under ten dollar range?
Well, Lee Miyamura, for one. She’s in charge of producing Meridian wines. Like some small-town matchmaker, Lee Miyamura exercises her craft, finding the flavors that belong together and making sure they meet. After years of working on a mildly looser scale, she decided it was time to showcase her art to the fullest, to let the world see what she and Meridian could do when they gave it their all. We’re sure you’ll agree, in these two limited release wines, Meridian does just that.
Miyamura’s picked the very best fruit, and then picked the very best from that. She’s taken small, controlled batches and focused herself, creating a wine that came in around 500 cases total. For a vineyard that ships 800,000 cases a year, that’s an incredible new scope. And that’s why we’re so pleased to have this wine with us now, and why we’ll miss it when it’s gone for good.
First up, the Syrah, a 2006 limited release. Like a cowboy from the Camatta Hills, this Syrah offers leather and cedar spice in the nose. The concentrated flavors bring out grape and dried black cherries, with a spicy herbal note underneath. It’s spent 17 months in the barrels, and it’s solid. Maybe it’s not some fancy French champagne, but this is a bottle that will be there for you when it counts. It’s just that kind of wine.
The innocent young Sangiovese, though, couldn’t be more different. It’s an angel from 2007, with the aroma of blackberry and cherry. A giggling sip will offer cherry and a touch of vanilla, a gentle mix that captures a childish freedom. This sort of wine, you’d expect, would be for company and music and dancing, not paired off with some sullen Syrah.
And yet, here they are, the cowboy and the lady, him with his dusky fruit flavors and her with her sunny happy taste. Paired off like a square dance, they’ll be do-si-doing right to your wine rack, where they’ll sit side by side in delicious, scandalous bliss. And who cares what people say? This Syrah and this Sangiovese are happy in a Meridian Vineyards Four Pack. Who could ever have expected it? Just Lee Miyamura. She knew they were meant for each other all along.
So don’t be scared. Don’t stay hidden in your comfort zone. Take a chance on this new step forward for Meridian. A four bottle set of two hard-to-find limited edition wines will be something we know you won’t want to miss. Be bold. Take a chance. Don’t let real happiness pass you by.
2006 Limited Release Syrah
- Blend: Syrah – 94%, Mourvedre – 6%
- Appellation: Paso Robles
- Fruit Source: Camatta Hills – 100%
- Varietal: Limited Release Syrah
- Production: 557 cases
- Harvest Date: September 2006
- Brix: 27.3
- Barrels: French Oak – 82%, American Oak – 18%, New Oak – 100% Average Time in Barrels – 17 months
- Bottle Date: April 2008
- Alcohol: 14.6%
- Residual Sugar:1.19 g/L
2007 Limited Release Sangiovese
- Blend: Sangiovese – 87% Syrah – 9% Cabernet Sauvignon – 4%
- Appellation: Paso Robles
- Fruit Source: Vineyarda-Algunas Dias Ranch – 87% Camatta Hills – 13%
- Varietal: Limited Release Sangiovese
- Production:449 cases
- Harvest Date: September 2007
- Brix: 24.3
- Barrels: French Oak – 52% American Oak – 48% New Oak – 50% Average Time in Barrels – 13 months
- Bottle Date: August 2008
- Alcohol: 14.5%
- Residual Sugar:1.00 g/L
Rules and restrictions:
- Wine sold by winery (or a retailer in your state where necessary)
- You must be 21 or older to order
- Whoever receives the package must be 21 or older
- If you're drunk when the package shows up, you will not be allowed to receive it
- Wine cannot be delivered to a P.O. Box
- We highly recommend you use a business address as your shipping address
Thanks to stick-in-the-mud buzzkilling state legislators, wine may only be delivered to the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District Of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
If your state's not on the list, you're out of luck... for now. Keep up with the ever-changing laws over at ShipCompliantBlog.com, and/or sound the alarms with your state assembly person through FreeTheGrapes.org. Meanwhile, all Federal, state and local laws are complied with in providing this wine.
