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2019 Petite Sirah

  • Sensory

    Eye
    Magenta core, fuschia rim.

    Nose
    Initial aromas of herbaceous peat, damp bark, mushroom, tobacco, and smoked meat open to notes of dark red rose and early morning garden. Time in the glass reveals toasted brown sugar, whipped butter, subtle eucalyptus, dark cherry, blackberry.

    Palate
    Full body, layered and highly-structured mouthfeel, grippy finish.

    Cellar life
    Drink now through 2031+.

  • Technical
    • Composition
      85% Petite Sirah
      15% Zinfandel
    • Vineyard Source
      Brown Estate
    • Appellation
      Napa Valley
    • Barrel Aging
      12 months in 40% new oak, 100% American
    • Alcohol by vol.
      14.5%
  • Wherefore

    The fruit for this wine hails from a small 3-acre block in our Big Field vineyard. An outsider to the cult of noble grapes (as is Zinfandel), Petite Sirah is part underdog, part phoenix. Considered lacking in pedigree it triumphs paradoxically on the strength of its many overlooked virtues. A sort of alter ego to Cabernet Sauvignon, unburdened of noblesse oblige, it is everything its royal counterpart aspires to and more. Holding nothing back, neither reserved nor austere, its exuberance and unadulterated power deliver a wallop of fruit, game, and earth. This is vintage no. 12, and our first vintage of estate Petite Sirah — earlier vintages hailed from a neighboring vineyard in Chiles Valley while our estate fruit went into our Chaos Theory red blend. Quiet as it’s kept, Petite Sirah rivals Zinfandel as David’s favorite varietal.