Winemaker Notes
2016 was a beautiful growing season for Petrichor. A warm spell in February set the season off to a quick start with an early budbreak. The summer months were ideally moderate, with cool mornings and warm sunny days, void of excessive heat waves. These perfect growing conditions provided ideal flavor and tannin development.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2016 Petrichor Estate Grenache is an explosive, yet balance one, on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This showcases the excellent fruit quality of this grape variety. Pair its jubilant aromas and flavors of red fruit with a stir-fried chicken in plum sauce. (Tasted: May 24, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.