2005 PETITE SIRAH
Galleron Vineyard~ Rutherford
THE BLEND 100% Petite Sirah 100% Rutherford
PRODUCTION 788 cases
RELEASE DATE September 2007
STATS
Harvested ~ October 2 - October 4. 24° brix at harvest. 14.2% alcohol. 0.61 gr/1 total acidity. 3.53 pH. Aged 10 1/2 months in French oak barrels
A BRIEF HISTORY
For over 100 years, Cabernet Sauvignon has been the grape
of choice in Rutherford — Niebaum, Tchelistcheff, and
Daniel all established that fact. However, during that time,
another red grape began to slowly gain fame in Rutherford, albeit
on a much smaller stage. Petite sirah was grown alongside the
zinfandels of the day by many an old time grower and it was
known to thrive in the “dust.”
During the initial planting of the Galleron Vineyard in 1998,
Frank Leeds, our vineyard guru, gave his uncle and pioneering
grape grower, Roy Chavez, a tour. When Roy saw the gravelly
soils that stretch across the south side, he intuitively uttered,
“You should put some Pets on that gravel.” And so
we did.There are some who believe that every patch of soil in
the Napa Valley can be matched to a particular varietal and
yield extraordinary results. We can’t say that for sure,
but when it comes to this little Petite sirah, we feel we have
found a match made in heaven.
ABOUT THE WINE
When we crushed the 2005 vintage of Petite Sirah we knew
we had something special. The fragrance of the fermentation
had us lingering over tanks and the intense inky color permanently
stained the press. This was destined to be an extraordinary
wine. Here, in this wine, the meaty, gamey, and inky black fruit
of Petite Sirah meet up with Rutherford terroir, which adds
a velvet-like touch to the tannins and a deep sense of damp
earth. Dense and rich, the wine's finish seems as though it
will last until the dishes are done.
WINEMAKERS
John Williams and Paula Moschetti |
