Nose
Violet and orange zest aromas are beautifully fragrant and complement the floral boysenberry fruit.
Palate
The old vines show their power with tarry density that layer licorice, black pepper and root beer with toasty oak. The 2012 vintage is deceptively lush and pretty, but has chewiness that will suspend the timeage continuum.
Growing Conditions
Our Petite Sirah is sourced from historic, old vines right in the heart of St. Helena. This dry-farmed vineyard is a staff favorite with a 20+ year history at Markham Vineyards! Without the luxury of water for irrigation, detrimental spring and summer heat spikes only contribute to the concentration this vineyard provides. A relatively early ripening varietal (perhaps due to its prime up-valley real estate location), this bottling consistently shows the devilishly dark color and concentration for which "Pets" is known. Our winemaking team selected only the finest barrels from the vintage to create this small bottling.
Aged for over two full years in barrels, the new oak influence barely dents the surface of this monster.
Harvest
The 2012 vintage in Napa Valley was about as close to ‘normal’ as it gets! Average rainfall ended with a nearly ideal budbreak, flowering and fruit set. The frost season was mild and while the harvest was a bit slow to start, it was beautifully abundant in comparison to the previous vintage. Fruit arrived in early October at 26°+ Brix to complete Petite Sirah perfection. We treated this beauty with the respect it deserved and perhaps even shed a tear knowing this was our last vintage from this amazing property. We were rewarded with lush texture, which was the hallmark of all wines produce during the 2012 harvest,
and intense power befitting the varietal.
Winemaking
10 Days Skin Contact 100% Stainless Steel Fermentation
Aging
25 Months in French Oak Barrels 71% New Oak
Food Pairing
Pair with slow-braised short ribs over a bed of buttery mashed potatoes.
