Notes from the Winemaker:The individual vineyards were harvested and fermented separately. The wines were aged as separate lots before being blended. To add character and nuance, this wine benefited from Rosenblum Cellars’ cutting edge barrel and yeast programs. Once blended, the wines aged without racking again until bottling. For this wine we applied a very gentle, hands-off approach to the winemaking. We find the less we work on certain wines, the more we get out of them.
This rich, spicy Petite Sirah is produced from vineyards located on the foot of Mt. Diablo at the edge of the San Francisco Bay. This area has a rich history of quality grape production dating back more than 120 years. The vineyards are planted with two selections of Petite Sirah, both from 80 to 100 years old. The individual vineyards that encompass this wine all have their own aromatic and flavor profiles. Blended together, we have created an incredible
example of what Contra Costa can achieve with this varietal.
There’s one word to describe California’s 2007 vintage—spectacular! Winter rainfall was lower than average, but moderate temperatures through the growing season kept the vines happy and stress-free. These conditions fostered small, concentrated grapes with intense flavors. The early spring budbreak led to an early onset of harvest in August, but then the
weather cooled and prolonged ripening of late-maturing varietals into early November. The long hangtime led to rich, mature flavors.
98% Petite Sirah
2% Zinfandel
Aged 14 months in 40% French and 60% American oak barrels
What Does It Taste Like?This wine exhibits great color with a bouquet and flavors of ripe
blackberries, plums, chocolate, black pepper, violets and spice. Contra
Costa will soon be known as the Mecca for Petite Sirah. This wine is
amazing both in aromatics and flavors, not to mention the color, which
is jet black. The perfect wine for hearty fare such as mixed sausage
ragu, barbecue smoked prime rib, leg of lamb on a bed of thyme, or a good old-fashioned pot roast.
The perfect wine for hearty fare such as mixed sausage ragu, barbecue smoked prime rib, leg of lamb on a bed of thyme, or a good old-fashioned pot roast.
