Petite Sirah
Dry Creek Valley
2005, Sold Out

Petite Sirah is one of the iconic
wines of Dry Creek Valley, finding
its important niche in the Prohibition
years of off-record blends and
home winemaker batches. Local
old-timers tell us of valued customers
for wine grapes who would buy
a quantity of Zinfandel lugs off the
railroad flat car back east but
would always insist on a few boxes
of “Pets” or “Petty Sarahs”, thus to
embolden their wines. That’s what
we do too, but find that a toothy
100% varietal from these grapes is
just the right thing for peasant
cookery.

One of the crown jewels of our
vineyard has been a 1-acre block
of Pets planted in the 1920’s (we
think), apparently laid out for cultivation
with draft horses. Its lowdown
head-trained vines and close
spacing suggested old people at a
country pot luck; touching, whispering,
speaking Italian of course.
They were no longer robust, glorifying
more in their memories than
in today’s modalities.

I speak in past tense because these
vines are no more. Devastated by
virus and depleted by disease they
finally been laid to rest. The area
is currently fallow to gather
strength as a mixed block of boisterous
rough-neck country grapes.

Technical Data
Vintage: 2005
Estate Grapes: 100%
Soil: Benchland, Clay & Gravelly Creek Bottom
Oak: French
Alcohol By Volume: 14.5%
Bottling Date: 07/11/2007
Release Date: 12/10/2007
Total Cases: 344
CA Retail: $28.00

Aging Potential
10-15 years from release

Winery Exclusive