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St. Amant Winery is a small family owned winery that prides itself in producing hand-crafted wines of superb quality. The grapes for all their wines are carefully grown and selected for producing fruit of top quality. Vinification follows old world techniques designed for maximum expression of the terroir of each of the vineyard sites. As with all St. Amant wines produced, production and availability is very limited.
St. Amant has long been considered America's premier producer of port style wines. Traditional Douro Valley varieties have been utilized to produce rich ports that rival even the best of the Portuguese. Dating back to their first Vintage Port in 1981 St. Amant has pursued perfection, declaring a Vintage Port only in those exceptional years that are blessed by mother nature.
 The Wines
| St. Amant Vintage Port
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The Vineyard:
St. Amant Vineyard is located in the Sierra Foothills of Northern California in a quaint valley surrounded by thousands of acres of lakes. Crisp cool nights produce structure in the vines, while hot summer days develop the intensity of fruit necessary for top notch ports. Touriga, Tinta, Cao, Alvarelhao, Souzao, & Bastardo have all been carefully selected, vinified, and blended over the years to express the unique terroir of St. Amant Vineyard.
Winemaker's Notes:
"The 1995 Vintage Port is without a doubt our best vintage port to date. A scant 1.5 ton/acre yield produced a wine with deep ruby color, bursting with fruit and chocolate aromas. The full body explodes with fruit on entry, yet leaves a chewy mouthpuckering grip on the finish. A classic Vintage Port that will evolve for decades to come." - Tim Spencer, Owner/Winemaker
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| St. Amant LBV Port
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Notes:
The 1994 LBV Port has been crafted for immediate enjoyment. Whereas Vintage Port can be quite austere and forbidding in its youth, the '94 St. Amant LBV offers vintage port quality from the day its bottled, without having to wait 10-20 years for it to express itself. Three years of barrel aging have softened the tannins providing for an excellent complement to the end of the day. Ideally suited for restaurants, the LBV will retain its quality and freshness for days after being opened.
Rich complex aromas express the unique terroir of the St. Amant estate vineyards. Extremely well balanced with a fruity entry, followed by a rich full bodied mouthfeel in the middle, finishing with a nutty aftertaste that lingers on the palate. An excellent stand alone after dinner wine, or the perfect complement to traditional cigars, Stilton cheeses, fruits, and nuts. A great value relative to Portuguese Ports, and ready to drink now.
Winemaker's Notes:
"Whereas the 1995 Vintage Port offers sheer power and intensity, the 1994 LBV is an elegant well balanced companion. It offers Vintage Port quality, but at a fraction of the price. Rich and fruity with a soothing lingering finish. this is the wine I finish most days with." - Tim Spencer, Owner/Winemaker
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| Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vines Zinfandel
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The History:
The Mohr-Fry Ranch Zinfandel comes from an old head pruned Zinfandel vineyard planted in 1944 in the Lodi district of Northern California. Mohr-Fry Ranches is a family owned and operated business that has been involved in diversified farming operations since 1855. The grapes for this wine came from a 7.5 acre block planted on their West Lane Ranch, and is head pruned in the typical manner for that time period.
Winemaking Style:
A big ripe chewy Zinfandel made in a style to highlight the rich raspberry and blackberry fruit character from this old Lodi Zinfandel Vineyard. Picked ripe and hand sorted, the grapes were fermented in open top fermenters with punching down the cap for 10 days. Pressed at 4.5 brix, the wine was racked to 60 gal. American Oak barrels (25% new), where primary and malolactic fermentation continued for two months. Ten months of barrel ageing complement the rich Zin fruit, 4% Petite Sirah is blended to add complexity to and balance by contributing depth of color, tannin, and spiciness to the Zinfandel blend.
Alcohol: 14.9%
Brix at Harvest: 27.4
Harvest Dates: 9/16/96
Bottling Date: 8/31/97
Production: 420 cases sold at winery & limited distribution
Winemaker's Notes:
"The 1996 Mohr-Fry Zinfandel is our first experience working with this particular vineyard, and we are very enthused about this wine, and the potential the vineyard has for producing outstanding Zinfandels. Picked very ripe, it expresses rich Zinfandel fruit character. Ripe berry aromas complement the full body and chewy tannins, layers of fruit linger on the palate. Not a Zin for the faint of heart." - Tim Spencer
Food Pairing:
A wine that demands a hearty meal. Grilled and blackened meats, wild game. Cries out for barbecued ribs and tri-tip.
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| Roussanne
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Notes:
Roussanne is most notably associated with the white wines of the Northern Rhone Valley of France, where it is traditionally blended with flabbier Marsanne. It is also one of the four permitted white grape varieties in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Roussanne is an extremely low yielding, late ripening and fragile wine, which explains why it was nearly supplanted by the higher yielding and more vigorous Marsanne. However, its proclivity for producing highly scented, elegant, yet delicate wines have given Roussanne a renewed foot hold in the quality oriented wines of the Rhone Valley. While not quite as fashionable as it's Northern Rhone cousin, Viognier, and rarely seen outside of the confines of Southern France, Roussanne is quietly becoming the darling variety of a select few progressive California vintners.
Winemaking Style:
Perhaps one of the few 100% varietal Roussannes on the market. A scant 8/10 of ton/acre yielded a remarkably perfumed elegant wine, highlighted by an abundance of ripe tropical fruit aromas and spring blossoms. Whole cluster pressing preceded barrel fermentation in French oak. The aromatic juice was inoculated with yeast native to the Northern Rhone. Six months of barrel aging, and a slight sur lies to fill out the middle, give this remarkably aromatic and crisp wine the structure to reward further cellaring, and accompany a wide range of meals.
Winemaker's Notes: "While our experience with this variety is limited to this vintage, I am extremely excited by its potential in our vineyard, and the resultant quality of the wine. A virtual explosion of exotic aromas has highlighted this wine from crush to bottling, intriguing my senses, and yet mystifying my mind as to Roussanne's true nature. " - Tim Spencer
Varietal Composition: 100% Roussanne, Amador Cty, St. Amant
Vineyard
Alcohol: 13.5%
Brix at Harvest: 23.0
pH: 3.35
Bottling Date: 4/18/99
Production: 76 cases
Food Pairing:
"While neither a master in food and wine weddings, nor a connoisseur of world delicacies, I have an inclination and craving for shellfish, perhaps scallops in a light cream sauce, to match the elegant delicacy of this Roussanne."
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| Syrah
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The History:
Syrah, one of the world's noble grape varieties, with its roots in the great wines of the Northern Rhone Valley of France, and the big fruity Shiraz of Australia, is fast establishing itself of the American wine-drinking scene. Offering a wide variety of different styles, Syrah is gaining a place at the table as consumers look for variety in the wines they are drinking.
St. Amant first began experimenting with Syrah in 1995 with their first release, and have since planted this versatile variety at their unique vineyard site in Amador County. The 1998 Syrah is a blend of 60% Amador (St. Amant Vineyard) and 40% from a vineyard in the Lodi appellation, and represents a distinctive full-bodied spicy Syrah.
Winemaking Style:
Crafted in a style similar to many Australian Shiraz with layers of forward fruit expressing exotic floral, cassis, and a slight spiciness in the aromas. Much more complexity than our previous vintages, it is a well balanced full bodied Syrah, toasty notes that complement the soft tannins and spicy finish. Picked ripe and hand sorted, the grapes were crushed and destemmed to open top fermenters for approximately 2 weeks. Gentle pumping over combined with punching of the cap extracted distinct fruit flavor of each of the two vineyard sites. Pressed and racked to 35% new oak (25% French) barrels at 3.0 brix, fermentation and malolactic continued an additional two weeks. Ten months of barrel aging proceeded with the final blend coming together in early August.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Brix at Harvest: 23.8
Harvest Dates: 10/23/98
Bottling Date: 9/17/99
Production: 585 cases sold at winery & limited distribution
Winemaker's Notes:
"The 1998 Syrah is a distinct expression of our first experience with this noble variety from our vineyard in Amador County. The Amador Syrah adds depth and spiciness to the ripe forward Lodi fruit, creating a well balanced and full-bodied wine offering distinctive varietal character and complexity. An excellent and a great value." - Tim Spencer
Food Pairing:
"Drinks extremely well by itself, but also complements beef and pork dishes, while venison and wild duck pair exquisitely with the spicy seductiveness of the wine. It is the type of wine that you can serve to an entire table of people ... it lends well to a variety of dishes, and satisfies a wide array of consumers, from Merlot and Cabernet drinkers, to those that prefer Pinot."
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