CASE PRICE = $19.99 per bottle (add 12+ quantity to your basket)
Notes from the winemaker:At Highflyer, we work with small, family-owned, benchmark vineyards throughout California where terroir and variety are in perfect alignment. We harvest fruit from the Santa Lucia Highlands, Santa Maria Valley, Sonoma, Santa Barbara and Napa Valley to produce wines that are fruit-forward, thought-provoking, varietally and regionally accurate and delicious. Our name references our winemaker/owner Craig Austin’s other great passion in life: aviation. As a private pilot Craig can fly to a distant region, walk the site, meet with the vineyard management team to ensure our strict farming protocols are being followed and still be home in time for dinner.
Vineyards:
Centerline is a proprietary red blend of Syrah (%) Zinfandel (%) Tempranillo (%) and Grenache (%). Napa Valley’s “Somerston Vineyards” makes up (92%) of the blend while adding a dash of Bennett Valley’s “Vivio Vineyard”
Syrah (8%) gave us unique spicy backbone to the wine. By combining fruit from these two distinct climates
we were able to produce a wine that is remarkably distinctive, complex, balanced and compelling.
What Does It Taste Like?
The Centerline displays sultry aromatics, layered fruit flavors and an uncanny balance. The color is deep, and inviting. The nose explodes with blackberry and blueberry jam, acacia flowers, cocoa, strawberries and espresso. The palate is lush and harmonious.
Ratings & Reviews
Wine Enthusiast Magazine:"Lots of ripe cherries, blackberries and dried herbs in this young, vigorous wine. Shows considerable power and authority, at the loss perhaps of some charm and elegance. Drink it over the next 6–8 years." —S.H. (6/1/2011)
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2009 vintage):"The 2009 Centerline is a bold, juicy wine packed with super-ripe, dark red fruit. It, too, is made in a forward, plump style best suited to near-term drinking. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2014." - Antonio Galloni (Aug 2011)
