2001 Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah
100% Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah
Va-va-va-VOOM! Feels great to be offering a Petite Sirah again, especially one so "Carlilian" in nature! The fruit for this wine was sourced from two wonderful vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, the Del Carlo Ranch and the Unti Ranch. While not old vines, they were cropped at very low yields to ensure plenty of ripeness and flavor.
Picked on October 7th, the must was cold soaked for 5 days before inoculation with a yeast strain known for contributing to smooth mouthfeel. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was left to macerate on the skins for several more weeks, another technique for enhancing mouthfeel. After a total of 40 days on the skins, the wine was pressed into a mix of new and used French and American oak. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered in January 2003.
Tasting Note:
Totally black, glass staining. Just looking at this wine gets me excited!!! Deep, dark, rich aromas of blueberry, blackberry, graham cracker, and loamy earth highlighted by notes of vanilla. The wine enters smoothly, quickly enveloping the mouth with its weight and creamy, silky texture. Like thick blueberry syrup. Typical Pet tannins creep in on the finish but only to leave your palate begging, pleading for more. Depending on whether you like young wine or something with some age on it, drink this wine from release to 8 years from vintage date. I doubt my stash will see the end of 2003! (MRO - 11/2/02)