Winemaker Notes
Blend: 80% Petite Sirah, 20% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The inky colored 2012 Petit Sirah comes all from the Wahluke Slope and was raised in 35% new oak. There’s also roughly 20% of Syrah in the blend. Cassis, black raspberries, toasted spice and crushed flowers all emerge from this full-bodied, supple, sexy red that has no hard edge, present, yet ripe tannin and a great finish. Drink this big, rich, decadent 2012 over the coming decade, although I’m sure it will keep for longer.
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Wine Enthusiast
A signature variety for this winery, this bottling includes 20% Syrah. It offers appealing aromas of jammy blue fruit, dried herbs and milk chocolate. It's high octane ,with sweet barrel notes and chewy tannins.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The winemaker encourages the wine lover to "stain your teeth" on this big bad boy. Well, the 2012 Dusted Valley Petite Sirah is certainly that: big. Yet it stays just this side of over-the-top and settles into a nice rich, layered, fruit and oak wine. Gracious and long in the finish, a good bet with grilled beef short ribs. Medium to deep ruby color; powerful aroma of ripe fruit and sweet oak, well integrated, attractive and excellent in quality; medium to full bodied, packed and layered on the palate; dry, medium acidity, well balanced; rich, ripe fruit and plenty of oak in the background; medium to long finish, rich aftertaste. (Tasted: May 6, 2015, San Francisco, CA)
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 large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.