Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A spectacular Petite Sirah from Switchback Ridge, this 2002 boasts an impenetrable blue/purple color as well as gorgeous aromas of black fruits, white chocolate, pepper, minerals, and a hint of espresso. Opulent, with beautifully integrated acidity, tannin, and wood, this remarkably civilized Petite Sirah is crammed with rich fruit as well as burgeoning complexity. This beauty can be enjoyed for its extravagant fruit, but promises to evolve for 15 or more years.
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Wine Spectator
Dark and immense, with a lively medley of black cherry, wild berry and boysenberry flavors that are rich and vivid, offering a purity of fruit along with depth and concentration, ending with a complex and well-integrated aftertaste.
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.