2006 O'Shaughnessy Mount Veeder Syrah

O’Shaughnessy Estate Winery was founded in 1990 by Betty O’Shaughnessy Woolls, a former Minneapolis real estate developer. She and her husband Paul Woolls remain the owners and operators of the St. Helena winery, which owns 100 acres on Howell Mountain and also has vineyards in Mount Veeder. Sean Capiaux is president and winemaker. The estate makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Wine Advocate has often rated the estate’s Cabs in the mid-90s. Antonio Galloni of Wine Advocate rated the 2009 Mt. Veeder Cab at 95 pts and called it “impeccable from start to finish.”

Mount Veeder AVA was established in 1993, though its origins as a wine producing district date to the 19th century. A German Presbyterian pastor named Peter Veeder was one of the first landowners in the area, and by 1864 one of his neighbors, a German sea captain named Stelham Wing, was producing wine commercially. The area continued to attract German agricultural entrepreneurs, some of whom established the estate that would later become the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery. Today the AVA includes about 1,000 acres of vineyards, most of them at relatively high altitudes. The Mayacamas vineyard, for instance, is at 2,400 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.