2022 Napa Valley "Palisades Vineyard" Petite Sirah
100% Petite Sirah
A very generous 4.6 tons of picture-perfect Petite Sirah was picked on September 8th, tying 2014 as our earliest pick date ever for this vineyard. Fully destemmed and cold soaked for five days, we inoculated with a blend of yeast strains known for being strong fermenters and for producing wines with intense varietal fruit aromas. Sure enough, by September 29th the wine was completely dry so the tank was sealed and the headspace (the space between the wine and the tank’s lid) gassed with argon for extended maceration. Two weeks later, after the appropriate level of polymerization of tannin had been achieved (a fancy way of saying the wine had softened), the wine was pressed to all French oak, 25% new. Bottled with no fining and no filtration.
Tasting Note:
Black ruby-purple. On the nose, blueberry, blackberry, and graham cracker with a touch of black licorice. A real knock-out! Full and rich on entry, authoritative but very refined tannins frame the abundant, luscious dark berry fruit. Class in a glass! While enjoyable now with appropriate foods (think prime ribeyes or red wine-braised beef short ribs – yum!), best to give it at least five more years and drink from 2029 through 2042. (MRO - 07/18/24)