2019 Petite Sirah
Our favorite Petite Sirah has buckets of wild berries on the nose and complex flavors of Blackcurrant, Blueberry, and Blackberry Jam.
| Appellation | Sierra Foothills |
| Vineyard | Cherokee Creek |
| Designation | Calaveras County |
| Alcohol | 14.80% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Cases Produced | 278 |
Double Gold at the Sierra Foothills Wine Competition
18 esteemed judges thoughtfully evaluated 241 wines in the day-long event, the Sierra Foothills Wine Competition. Professional wine reviewers, judges, and writers from across California included: Dan Berger, Jim Twiford, Mark Chandler, Martin Maxwell, Mike Dunne, Mike Kerrigan, Paul Wagner, Sue Reiner Lyon, Jim Gordan, Rick Kushman, Brad Alderson, John Mensinger, Steve Fox, Bob Adams, Mike Kelly, Brian Miller, Tana Cole, and Pat Dodd all liked our Petite Sirah!
Our Home Vineyard, Cherokee Creek Vineyard, is located in a special place to grow grapes. It is planted in the bottom of what used to be the Calaveras River, which scoured much of the topsoil into the San Joaquin Delta. As a result, the soils here are not deep and the vines must struggle to grow.
Our specialty, Petite Sirah, makes very small clusters of grapes, roughly the size of a fist. This is less than half the size of an average cluster of Petite. The result is inky dark.
Climate plays a major role in our vineyard, too! Our area is hot, with daytime averaging around 94 degrees in the summer until cooling off for harvest. Because it is dry in our area, we do not worry too much about mildew which interferes with the ripening of the grapes and can lead to molds that make flawed wines. We are fortunate to have a five acre pond adjacent to the vineyard which benefits the grapes in two ways. First, we get some coolness off the pond as the breezes set in and cool the air over the vineyard. And second, the airflow created by the two small valleys that make up the pond helps keep the air moving and dry. Most vineyards have to spray sulfur dust every three weeks in order to make sure the mold does not take over. We have not sprayed anti fungal sprays in over 15 years. Also a benefit is that the sparse soil means lower vigor in the growth of the vines. Because there is lighter canopy from the stress of the vines due to the thin soil, air is able to penetrate the canopy and keep the mildew away!
Our vineyard also benefits from the airflow in the afternoons by helping night time temperatures to fall quickly, preserving acidity that gives complexity to the wines. While we may have temperatures in the mid 90’s to mid 100’s during the peak of summer, the nights could be in the mid 50’s or low 60’s. An approximate 40 degree temperature change. Grapes are always harvested at night when they are cool. This helps us get the grapes crushed and prepared for fermentation while they are cool, preventing ‘Rogue Fermentations’!
