A warm vintage that produced fully ripe fruit, which translated into fruit-forward, aromatic wines. Vine yields were average, as were natural fruit tannin levels. Vintage 2013 produced smooth, rounded wines, packed with varietal aromas and mouth-filling fruit flavors.
Hand sorted clusters, 100% destemmed, berry sorted, then direct to 15 ton fermenter and 3/4 ton bins. Fermented for 21 days, with a combination of hand punch-downs and pump-overs as well as four delestage (rack and return) treatments. Free run wine was drained to barrel directly after fermentation.
91 - A solid and nuanced sip of this varietal for a fair price, this bottling of older vines from Paso's eastern flanks shows plump elderberry and cedar on the elegant nose. A smoked-chocolate flavor hits the palate, bolstered by blackberry syrup, white pepper, bay leaf and dried basil, with plenty of both tannin and acid.
Editors' Choice. —M.K., Wine Enthusiast
Old VinesPetite Sirah
