Petite Sirah - rich color, rich flavors
The Alexander School Reserve series offers winemaker Kevin Hall the opportunity to deviate from the traditional, giving wine lovers a chance to try something different. This is our fourth vintage of Petite Sirah. He selected two small lots of Petite Sirah from one of our favorite growers located about 7 miles north of AVV . Many years ago, the vineyards were grafted to bud wood selected from an older Petite Sirah vineyard known for inky rich fruit. Decades later, the small valley floor and hillside sites produce tight clusters of tiny pea sized grapes from the old head pruned Petite Sirah vines. There are some that think Petite Sirah is just a version of Syrah. But make no mistake this is not Syrah.
The 2021 growing season enjoyed near-perfect growing conditions. The year began with unseasonably warm temperatures, and lower than normal rainfall. This was followed by weeks of steady daytime heat and cool evenings, allowing the grapes to ripen evenly. We picked the grapes on September 6th. At harvest, the quality of the fruit was excellent with high acidity and intense flavors. After harvest the grapes were soaked for 24 hours to extract maximum color, then inoculated with yeast and punched down twice a day. After fermentation and pressing, the wine was cave aged for 22 months in nine French oak barrels to develop complexity and soften the tannins.
The color of this inky dark purple wine alludes to the rich flavors. Rich aromas of crushed boysenberry and blueberry, vanilla, dark cherry dark chocolate and cola draw you into the glass. There are complex flavors of blueberry, dark cherry, spice and black pepper, along with nice acidity and a long finish. This plush wine is filled with ripe, rich flavors followed by a lengthy finish, giving you time to reflect on enjoying something different.
Accolades:
2020: 91 points - James Suckling
