2013 PETITE SIRAH

GIANNECCHINI RANCH, MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

OLD VINE LIBRARY SELECTION.

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VINTAGE: 2013 Petite Sirah

VARIETAL: Petite Sirah

VARIETAL BLEND: 100% Petite Sirah

GRAPE SOURCING: Giannecchini Ranch, Ukiah, Mendocino County, California

Old Vine planting from 1952. Rich, full bodied, bristling acids and light minerals.

DRINK NOW OR CONTINUE TO HOLD. 

↓ Customer Tasting Notes: ↓

92 POINTS "Much more approachable than other N. CA Petites. Good dense dark fruits, spice, tannins. Bordering on ever so slightly ripe, but everything in balance. "

92 POINTS " Chocolate, blueberry, cedar, baking spices. "

92 POINTS " This can be enjoyed now or likely held for the next several years. "

91 POINTS CellarTracker

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2013 Petite Sirah PDF Factsheet

VINTAGE / VARIETAL: 2013 Petite Sirah

VARIETAL BLEND: 100% Petite Sirah

HARVEST DATE: September, 20th, 2013

GRAPE SOURCING: Giannecchini Ranch, Ukiah, Mendocino County, California

VITICULTURAL AREA: Talmage Bench, Mendocino County, California

VINEYARD SITE: Giannecchini Ranch, Ukiah, Mendocino County, California. Heritage clone on St. George rootstock, head trained bush vines, old-vine Petite Sirah planted in 1952, dry farmed.

SOIL TYPE: Various

CLONAL SELECTION: Unknown / N/A 

VINEYARD MANAGEMENT: Giannecchini Ranch / Giannecchini Family

JUICE ANALYSIS AT HARVEST: 24.9 Brix, ph 3.56

ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 15.2%

BOTTLING DATE: June 2016

AGEABILITY (estimated): Through 2038

OPTIMAL DRINKING WINDOW (estimated): 2020 to 2025

TOTAL PRODUCTION: 90 cases

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: Destemmed, fermented in 1 ton open top fermenters. Aged in 100% neutral French and American oak barrels.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Decant at least one or two hours before serving and don't be shy to leave this one open in your decanter until it fully opens up.

2013 Petite Sirah PDF Factsheet

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↓ REVIEWS: ↓

↓ Wine 1 Percent | February 16, 2021 | " GO WEST YOUNG MAN " ↓

" Hard to believe this thing has 7 years on it, but that’s the way Petite Sirah is. For decades relegated to the files of Cornas and Hermitage as wines literally “undrinkable” at under 10, it has always intrigued me young and the styles have definitely become more approachable–like the other two mentioned–early on. Black and staining, nearly impenetrable purple-ruby, the nose on this one doesn’t show the abrasive tightness of old-school examples, but it’s not far off. The rosy glow of the variety is there–not quite as chubby as Zinfandel–but unmistakable. One of my all-time favorite wine-grapes, but I tend to gravitate to the heritage, un-sung varieties of the early Italian-inspired California wine-making scene. I’m weird like that. Dense but not jammy, a composty overgrowth coating the black cherry and pomegranate. Peaty hints churn through the concentration: a true testimony to the head-trained, old-vine burls growing in severe diurnal rhythms of the North Coast. It’s a thick mélange, toying with licorice, redwood and blood orange on a baseline of dirty petrichor. Decanted vigorously.

In the mouth, the expected tertiary seems to be peeking through a bit more than the bouquet would indicate. Supple and smooth, chalky obfuscation of fruit an event not understood until late-middle–although hinted at in the entry. Ridiculous depth plies a more complex path than the chubby berry would originally indicate, producing a thick elixir sliding down your throat, invigorated on all sides by spicy goodness. It’s SOOO dense, so chewy and teeth-wiping in its delivery, a shocking bolt of energy follows the initial fruit-injection, causing knee-quivering tension and sighing satisfaction despite the initial massage. Tannin races to the fore-front in an attempt to wipe out your lollipop-lickings in crushed-seed fashion but can’t quite overwhelm the black black blackberry. Not a SPECK of heat–despite the proof–a true testament to balance.

Gorgeous from start-to-finish, an absolute DREAM come true for die-hard fans of Petite Sirah–especially those raised on the classic versions. The website shows this vintage still available, so a cellar-direct aged wine is within reach for everyone. This is real Petite Sirah. California in a bottle. 

2013 WEST OF TEMPERANCE Petite Sirah Giannecchini Ranch Mendocino Co. 15.2 "

↑ Wine 1 Percent | February 16, 2021 | " GO WEST YOUNG MAN " ↑ 

↓ Wine 1 Percent | January 6, 2021 | " PLEASE SIRAH PLEASE " ↓ 

" Such a vibrant nose. So REAL. So distinctively unglamorous, un-keyword-ish. Muddy work boots and the energizing fatigue of a hard day. Dungarees with a little grease on them, dark, deep-ripe berry preserves clamoring to life under knee-high grass and black soil, alcohol, wet-asphalt petrichor tinged in caramel, licorice, uneven toast and rawhide. A very closed-in newsprint sorta initial bottle-funk begged for decanting, and I obliged. And now, the green, crisp briary beauty begins its little dance with the black-cherry devil.

You don’t have to follow me long to realize the unsung red varieties are something I have clung steadfastly to for many decades. Petite Sirah. Carignane. Petit Verdot. Tannat. But nothing gets me ordering off your list faster than seeing a PS on there, and while this producer may have *Classic Italian Varieties* in their by-line, they have produced here a wine pushing so many of the right buttons.

Swilly dark ruby with a vibrant pink-purple edge, it flows rich and supple over all surfaces, the briary prick stinging gently available sensors. So ridiculously black and purple and thick on the tongue, ephemeric sweetness postures subtly on the berry and cherry, whimpering briefly of lavish yumminess before the Dogs of Petite Sirah are unleashed on your palate. The tannin calves off in huge sheets, splashing woodsy dankness in all directions with an accompanying acidic mist. Gob-stopping fruit, the absolute DELICIOUSNESS of this wine begs a near-chugging scenario but an OD would be subsequent–although I can think of worse ways to go.

These people have managed to bottle quite possibly the world’s most perfect PS. All the old-world love. All the old-vine California Italian heritage. All the abrasive structure. All the magnificent fruit–but not doing a *jammy* injustice. And I was a little over ONE FULL POINT off my ABV-guess. And at 8, just starting to come onto its own–with two decades to go.

2013 WEST OF TEMPERANCE Petite Sirah Giannecchini Ranch Mendocino 15.2 "

↑ Wine 1 Percent | January 6, 2021 | " PLEASE SIRAH PLEASE " ↑

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