North Coast

Grape Source   BellestraVineyard, Green Valley

Harvest   October 1st, 2009 at 25.8 brix

Chemistry at bottling:    pH: 3.47    Total Acidity .5.12g/liter   Alcohol: 13.5%   Free Sulfur Dioxide: 30 ppm    Total Sulfur Dioxide: 55 ppm

Notes:

Petite Sirah is absolutely one of my favorite grapes. I have made a "Pets" each vintage for 30 years now, but never before under our Ramsay label, so this is a first! The grapes for this wine came from the vineyard of a great grower-Bob Bellestra. He's easy to work with and a careful farmer. While it has nothing to do with quality, his vineyard is very narrow and has the most amazingly long rows. Sampling the vineyard always makes me feel like I have gone hiking. Petite Sirah grapes are one of the prettiest fruits to look at; the clusters are big and the grapes are big, and the flavor is big-and that, I guess, is what Petite Sirah is all about. This wine is luscious, juicy and full of life. It is the perfect food wine. Pair it with something substantial; no delicate fish for this one!