2017 Brecon Reserve Petite Sirah (Library, Club Only!)
Made to the tune of Simple Minds “Up on the Catwalk”. Which is kind of ironic really as there were no catwalks on these open top fermenters. Indeed, it was easy to fall into a simple mind state at three in the morning punching down these babies, the room would fill with violets and this wonderful purple froth arose from the cap. Some of these primary colors and aromatics made it through to the final wine along with a myriad of complex oak and maturation characters. The super silkiness only really manifested itself after a full forteen months in barrel.
93pts. Jeb Dunnuck. November 2019
91pts. Wine Enthusiast.
Cold soaking and coarse grain American oak are key components. Certainly the opposite thinking to the fine-grain manta used on many a Bordeaux wine. However it works exceptionally well here, and interestingly enough, in some of the most highly awarded Barossa Valley Syrahs.
| Download Wine Notes |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Varietal | Petite Sirah |
| Varietal Composition | 96.7% 2017, 3.3% 2016
93.5% PS Mainini Palisades clone, Monterey
3.2% PV Brecon, Adelaida.
3.3% Cabernet Sauvignon, Brecon, Adelaida
|
| Appellation | Monterey |
| Sugar | 0.09g/100ml |
| Acid | 0.60g/100ml |
| PH | 3.75 |
| Aging | Drink Now - 2028 |
| Alcohol | 14.80% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 02/28/2019 |
| Cases Produced | 352 |
From the Mainini vineyard (AKA Gee Gee’s Ridge). A stunning Calcareous ridgetop, head trained vineyard. It’s spiritually Paso Roblian, although the vineyard itself is just over the Monterey County line. For the first time we used just a single clonal selection, the Palisades clone, from this vineyard. This particular Clone has always been about providing both silky mouthfeel and ripe, bordering on jammy, fruit. Hence the smidgin of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon that snuck into the blend as a complementing backbone.
