Crane brothers' dream realized in ripe, lush syrah
Thursday, September 2, 2004

By L. PIERCE CARSON
Register Staff Writer

Growing up in Napa's Old Town, brothers Michael and Rob Crane often
dreamed about teaming up to farm Napa Valley's rich soils.

The older they got, the more the dream took shape.

For anyone familiar with these nose-to-the-grindstone siblings, it came as no surprise when they decided to market their own wine a couple of years ago.

After all, they'd been turning out homemade wine for family and friends for three decades.

The younger of the two, Rob scored his initial wine industry job shortly after graduating from high school. He worked the crush at the once famous Christian Brothers Winery.

"I got some wine on me and in me and fell in love (with the wine industry) at that point," he recalls today.

Michael credits his brother with encouraging him to buy a piece of land where the Crane brothers could grow their own grapes. It seemed only natural that the choice grapes grown on the Dry Creek Road ranch would serve as the backbone of the Cranes' winemaking venture.

"We've been talking about this for 30 years," Michael says as he pops the cork on a bottle of the first commercial release of Crane Brothers Napa Valley syrah.

This ripe, full-bodied Rhone-style wine was the focus of a recent pre-harvest lunch, an opportunity to savor not only the fruit of the 2001 harvest but also reinforce the decision the Cranes made to launch their own brand a couple of years ago.

Michael made the project feasible a few years back when he purchased a 13.5 acre tract on a gentle slope west of Dry Creek Road. The Crane ranch is planted to 3 acres each of syrah, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, with plans to add a small amount of petit verdot soon.

"This sure beats all those years of picking second crop grapes (for their home wines)," Michael declares. "Being in real estate (Napa Valley Land Brokers) meant that I knew a lot of people with vineyards. So we always had great sources for grapes, and as a result, I think we made some really great wine."

Michael lauds his brother's winemaking savvy, talent that earned the Cranes numerous awards at home winemaking competitions at the California State Fair, Napa Town & Country Fair and the Marin County Fair.

"I've been selling vineyards and wine properties now for 18 years," he points out. "Why not have one myself? There's something special about getting on a tractor and seeing what you've been able to accomplish a few hours later. It's great therapy for me."

A staff wine educator and member of the hospitality team at Sterling Vineyards for the past seven years, Rob said he "started thinking hard" about a family brand four years ago. "My brother has this great vineyard and people really liked the wine we were making. So, in 2000, we made about 50 cases of syrah, just to see what the vineyard could do. That wine convinced us to go for it, that our first release should be syrah."

Agreeing with the brothers' assessment of the syrah was Al Perry, winemaker/partner at Biale Vineyards, which has a syrah project of its own, in addition to bottling a number of award-winning small-lot zinfandels. In fact, Perry is now serving as winemaker for Crane Brothers Wines, with the wine being made in cooperation with Biale and Hendry wineries.

"Al has the same vision we do," notes Rob. "He's into big, rich, round red wines and that's what we like, too."

The cabernet sauvignon and merlot from harvests prior to 2003 was sold to Stags Leap Vineyard, the Cranes point out. But as of the 2003 harvest, the brothers intend to use all of their own fruit for four distinct wines.

In addition to 300 cases of syrah, a like number of cases of merlot, a hillside cabernet and a proprietary blend (cabernet, merlot, petit verdot and a little syrah) will be produced each harvest.

"We don't intend to give up our day jobs," Rob insists. "We like them. But the fact that we are making relatively small amounts of the various wines means that we can handle everything ourselves, except for getting some help with distribution."

They've sold out of their initial syrah release, from the 2001 harvest, with the 2002 offering not slated for release until October.

Locally, Crane Brothers syrah ($36) can be found at Back Room Wines, Bounty Hunter, JV Wine & Spirits, Vallerga's Market and Vintage 1870 Wine Cellar. While the retail stock might have been exhausted by now, local wine lists featuring their syrah include those at Fumé Bistro, Celadon, Pearl, Hurley's, Belle Arti and aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train. In San Francisco, the Crane Brothers syrah is offered at Fleur de Lys, Chez Spencer and A16.

"Our goal is to make really good wine at prices that won't raise eyebrows,' Michael declares. "I think Rob and I have done that."