2017 Merryvale Petite Sirah Napa Valley

Winemaking

Petite Sirah has a lot of power naturally and offers lovely floral and spice notes when tamed. In 2017, we added just a touch of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon for complexity. All the grapes were hand-picked in the early morning hours to preserve the freshness and skin integrity of the fruit. The fruit was destemmed and cold soaked for 5 days before native yeast fermentation. Fermentation lasted about 14 days at a cool temperature to promote flavors and limit bitterness resulting from too much extraction. Malolactic fermentation occurred in the barrel and the wine was racked every three months for 18 months. Only French oak barrels were used, 50% of which were new. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting Notes

Aromatically appealing, the wine opens with beautiful notes of violets and lilacs, evolving through blue fruits and finally exhibiting notes of chocolate and savory herbs. Round and layered on the palate, the wine has remarkable texture and fine tannins that bring structure and a long finish. It ends again on beautiful notes of dark chocolate and spice.