2017 Proprietary Petite Sirah

A graceful entry of gypsy plum and young blackberries builds to a lovely mid-palate of dusty cocoa. Lively acidity and youthful tannins drive the earthy finish with notes of smoke, dried lavender, spice, and blueberries.

Member price: $70-$84

Only in those vintages perfectly suited to Petite Sirah will we bottle this elusive, tantalizing varietal. It’s necessary to use the utmost finesse and discretion when working with this varietal, but the resulting wine is supremely elegant and shows beautiful blue fruit – making all the effort worthwhile.

Tasting Notes

Savory tones of thyme, sweet strawberry, and a hint of allspice are present on the nose. A graceful entry of gypsy plum and young blackberries builds to a lovely mid-palate of dusty cocoa. Lively acidity and youthful tannins drive the earthy finish with notes of smoke, dried lavender, spice, and blueberries.

Vineyard Notes

The 2017 season started with a memorable amount of rainfall, which was a refreshing change after five years of drought conditions. Summer brought numerous 100+ degree heat spikes, which made our daily checks on sugar, flavors and acids helpful in ensuring an earlier harvest than past vintages. The weather during the mid-harvest season cooled a bit and included some late foggy mornings. These cooler mornings allowed for a longer growing season for our later-ripening red varietals, giving them more time on the vine. This additional hang time markedly slowed sugar accumulation and ripening, ultimately producing deep, alluring, finesse-driven wines.

Winemaker Notes

Only in those vintages perfectly suited to Petite Sirah will we bottle this elusive, tantalizing varietal. When making wine from this delicate fruit, we will use tall, thin tanks to decrease skin to juice contact and limit the time in tank to 4 - 6 days to enhance its voluputousness. It’s necessary to use the utmost finesse and discretion when working with this varietal, but the resulting wine is supremely elegant and shows beautiful blue fruit - making all the effort worthwhile.

Technical Details

Type:

Red

Varietal:

Petite Sirah

Region:

California

Appellation:

Rutherford

Vintage:

2017

Case Production:

194 cases