Winemaker Notes
Deep, opaque, and blue blackish in color. Perfume like scents of Sandalwood, clove, cinnamon, black pepper and smoke lead to a bright, full, though not ponderous, mouthfeel with surprisingly refined fine tannins and a long complex finish. This is Napa Petite Sirah singing a beautiful, lyrical, high pitched song.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard comes from dry-farmed, head-pruned, 44-year-old vines planted in bale loam. It was harvested on September 7 and aged in 30% new French oak. "It's my opinion Napa would be famous for Petite Sirah if it weren't for Cabernet Sauvignon," says winemaker Joel Peterson. Opaque purple-black in color, it opens with fresh violets, cassis, aniseed, crushed blueberries and boysenberries plus hints of vanilla and coffee bean. The palate is full-bodied and demonstrates restraint for the grape, with finely detailed black and blue fruits, a firm but ripe frame and long, lifted finish. What a lovely expression. This is approachable now but will age well in bottle.
Rating: 92 (+)
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.