Winemaker Notes
This Petite Sirah hails from Stone Tree Vineyard in the heart of the Wahluke Slope AVA and exemplifies the luscious fruit and power that this vineyard is so well known for. Bound by the Columbia River and the Saddle Mountains, the rapid cooling in the evening helps retain naturally high levels of acidity, which in turn preserves the varietal characters of the grape. Get ready – this wine starts big, stays big and finishes big.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Coming from the Stone Tree vineyard, the 2020 Wahluke Slope Petit Sirah, made with 2% Syrah, is chewy and dense in the glass with hints of herbs, oak and black-fruited aromatics. Full-bodied, the palate is firm in texture, reminiscent of bitter dark chocolate, before ending with a food-friendly nature that will show best when paired with steaks and chops.
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.
Distinguished by a broad, south-exposed, uniform slope and landlocked by the Columbia River to its south and Saddle Mountains to its north, the Wahluke Slope AVA of Washington holds 15% of the total vine acreage of the state and takes its name from the Native American word for “watering place.”
Incidentally the Wahluke Slope AVA has one of the hottest and driest climates of the state so irrigation is not only essential, but also allows complete grower control of vine vigor. On top of its arid and warm environment, strong summer winds blow across this broad slope and ensure both smaller leaf size and grape clusters. The result is top quality wines with great concentration, phenolic ripeness, body and depth of flavor.
Vineyards cover the AVA from 425 to 1,480 feet along the slope. Its deep soils of wind-blown alluvium and sand with a depth, on average, of more than 5 feet along the continuous grade allow optimal drainage for the vines.
Thriving varieties include Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.
Merlots are rich in sweet, ripe cherry, red currant, raspberry and cocoa. Syrahs tend to express black and blue fruit along with savory notes. Wahluke Cabernets are rich in stewed red and black berries.