Langtry Estate Lake County Petite Sirah 2012
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The picturesque estate consists of 21,349 acres and straddles both Lake and Napa Counties where cougar, bear and wild boar still roam the remote hills. Despite the vastness, Langtry's vineyards are limited to 400 prime acres, ensuring the highest quality.
Langtry Estate & Vineyards currently produces approximately 120,000 cases of wine annually with distribution throughout the United States. From cane to canopy, to rootstock and clone, Langtry Estate believes that the signature of the wine remains in the soil and climate and in varietals chosen for their synergy with the land.
While Langtry has enjoyed significant critical success, the winery has emerged as one of the top producers of two of the hottest varietal wines on the market today, Petite Sirah and Sauvignon Blanc. Each year, Langtry ranks among the top medal winning wineries at professional wine competitions, and the winery's Petite Sirah has won more gold medals and best of show awards than any other Petite Sirah in the world.
With its deep color, firm tannins and bold flavors, there is nothing petite about Petite Sirah. The variety, originally known as Durif in the Rhône, took on its more popular moniker after being imported to California in the early 1880s. Quintessentially recognized today as a grape of the Golden State, Petite Sirah works well blended with Zinfandel and finds success as a single varietal wine in the state’s warmer districts. Somm Secret—Petite Sirah is not a smaller version of Syrah but it is an offspring of Syrah and the now nearly extinct French Alpine variety called Peloursin.
A warm inland area just north of Napa Valley, Lake County represents a new frontier for California winemaking. While Prohibition halted viticulture here just as it did in so many California regions, winemaking activity remained fairly insignificant for a few decades longer than others. Finally in the 1990s Lake County Sauvignon blanc—uniquely savory and fruity—earned the appellation a renewed reputation.
Lake County is comprised of a handful of unique American Viticultural Areas (AVAs).
Vineyards that settle into the hills on the west side of Clear Lake create the Clear Lake AVA and produce good quality Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon blanc and Zinfandel.
Recently the Red Hills AVA, located within the boundaries of the Clear Lake AVA, has become the focus of some of Napa’s more respected growers. Its notable volcanic and obsidian-based soils could be the source of California’s next best Cabernet Sauvignons. Andy Beckstoffer, a leader in recognizing prime Napa Valley vineyard locales, has already invested heavily in the area.
Guenoc Valley AVA produces fine examples of Petite Sirah, recognized for their voluptuous aromas of clove, cocoa, tobacco and deep red and blue berry flavors.
The High Valley AVA sits northeast of Clear Lake. This warm area boasts multiple soil types allowing growers a lot of flexibility and experimentation with grape varieties. While Sauvignon blanc is a mainstay, this zone excels with Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, as well as other less common varieties like Barbera and Tempranillo.