Mission Codename Perched Petite
From $65 all the way down to the $20s…
By now you may know about their winemaker, Dr. Richard Peterson. Haven’t heard of him? You’ve surely heard of Screaming Eagle and Heidi Peterson Barrett. Get this - before Heidi, it was her dad, Dr. Peterson who led the first 4 vintages of Screaming Eagle into cult stardom. Then she took over. That’s not all. Richard also took André Tchelistcheff’s post at Beaulieu Vineyards, helped develop Atlas Peak Vineyards, and presides over numerous institutions including the American Society for Enology & Viticulture, The Wine Institute, Society of Wine Educators, and American Institute for Wine and Food. Oh, and he wrote an award-winning autobiography “The Winemaker”.
Inky, rich, and dark as a starless sky. This has all the weight of a bullmastiff - masculine, brawny stuff. It comes from a small 18-acre Demeter Certified Biodynamic® Vineyard perched at 2,200 feet elevation. As The Tasting Panel review raves, it all “results in a distinctively elegant expression of this teeth-clutching variety.” Can’t argue with their tasting notes either - “dusted chocolate mint, violets, and a sinewy, gliding finish of licorice and purple fruit” though we might add a basket of crushed black fruits in the mix. So much to love! Huge flavor with a long runway ahead of it.
Given how much you love Petites, you’re going to be blown away by this one. While we have some left, at least…
94 Points – The Tasting Panel
“Lake County’s rocky red volcanic soil, the 18-acre estate mountain biodynamically farmed vineyard’s high elevation up to 2,200 feet, results in a distinctively elegant expression of this teeth-clutching variety. Aromas of boysenberry, dark chocolate, and brush lead to a finely grained texture with notes of dusted chocolate mint, violets, and a sinewy, gliding finish of licorice and purple fruit.”
What the Winery Says
2016 Red Hills Estate Petite Sirah
- Consulting winemaker
- Dr. Richard Peterson
- Varietal
- 100% Petite Sirah
- Vintage
- 2016
- Alcohol
- 13.2%
- Appellation
- Red Hills, Lake County
- Vineyard
- 100% Hawk and Horse Estate
- Soils
- Cortina (gravel), bale loam (sand), Pleasanton loam (clay)
- Harvest dates
- September 27 - October 1, 2016
- Yields
- 3 tons/acre
- pH
- 3.55
- Aging
- 20 months
- Barrels
- 100% new French oak
- Production
- 10 barrels