Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The estate’s 2011 Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Ridge is arguably the most powerful and structured of these 2011s. Intensely varietal and tannic, the 2011 is imbued with the essence of blackberry jam, grilled savory herbs, menthol and melted road tar. The aromas and flavors grow beautifully in the glass, filling out the wine’s broad shouldered frame with aplomb. The Rattlesnake Ridge is not a wine for the faint of heart, but readers who love intense structured reds – and Petite Syrah in particular – will flip out over this wine. Simply put, this is a stunning showing, Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. Range: 95-97
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Wine Spectator
Wonderfully aromatic, with a nose of wilted rose petal, fresh-cracked black pepper and sandalwood. The chewy, dense tannins offer a good framework for the intense, focused notes of blackberry, huckleberry and boysenberry, which lend some serious push to the finish. Drink now through 2020.
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.
Today Cabernet Sauvignon is the star of this part of Napa’s rugged, eastern hills, but Zinfandel was responsible for giving the Howell Mountain growing area its original fame in the late 1800s.
Winemaking in Howell Mountain was abandoned during Prohibition, and wasn’t reawakened until the arrival of Randy Dunn, a talented winemaker famous for the success of Caymus in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early eighties, he set his sights on the Napa hills and subsequently astonished the wine world with a Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Shortly thereafter Howell Mountain became officially recognized as the first sub-region of Napa Valley (1983).
With vineyards at 1,400 to 2,000 feet in elevation, they predominantly sit above the fog line but the days in Howell Mountain remain cooler than those in the heart of the valley, giving the grapes a bit more time on the vine.
The Howell Mountain AVA includes 1,000 acres of vineyards interspersed by forestlands in the Vaca Mountains. The soils, shallow and infertile with good drainage, are volcanic ash and red clay and produce highly concentrated berries with thick skins. The resulting wines are full of structure and potential to age.
Today Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah thrive in this sub-appellation, as well as its founding variety, Zinfandel.