Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The monster 2007 Petite Sirah Peterson Family Vineyard is a massively concentrated, huge, tannic wine that needs a good 7-8 years of cellaring and should keep 20 years. It will be another legend for Petite Sirah, but unless you are a patient connoisseur, few people will ever get to see it at its best.
Rating: 95+ -
Wine Spectator
Extremely dense, with a chunky mouthful of black cherry, blackberry and dried fig flavors that are accented with toasted nut, pepper and dark chocolate details. Wrapped up in velvety, thick tannins, full of intensity and detail.
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.