Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
For fans of the variety, this is a consistently blockbuster wine, well made and remarkably fruity and floral. Violet aromas ride quietly over rounded flavors of cherry pie as the body takes on full-figured dimension. Richly voluptuous, there’s balance here within the firm robust tannin structure and heady licorice-laden end.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Another monster in the making is the 2015 Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard (15.7% alcohol, 580 cases). This is no ordinary Petite Sirah, but then, few are. Nearly black as a moonless night, the wine’s aromatics soar from the glass, offering up floral notes intermixed with blackberry, incense, blueberry liqueur, graphite and licorice. Huge intensity of flavor, sweet but noticeable tannins, low acidity, but fabulous richness, and a broad, almost endless finish characterize this Petite Sirah that should age well for 30-50 or more years. 91-94 points
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Wine Spectator
Deeply structured and packing some muscle, but wrapped in a rich and supple texture, offering wild berry, cracked pepper and orange zest flavors. Drink now through 2024.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.