2012 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah

Dark purple in color, toasty oak, pepper, fennel and mint on the nose; concentrated blackberry/plum fruit on the palate with a full tannic structure and notes of cocoa and mint on the finish.

An early spring and long, warm summer provided ideal growing conditions for petite sirah at Lytton Springs. By early October, the dark, tightly-packed clusters had accumulated enough sugar for us to pick all three parcels. To moderate tannin extraction, clusters were destemmed, but left uncrushed; to further accentuate fruit, we included a block of old-vine zinfandel. Floral, peppery aromas, rich fruit, and firm structure characterize this exemplary petite sirah. It will be enjoyable over (at least) the next five to seven years. JO (1/14)

The oldest petite sirah vines on our Lytton Estate were planted in 1901 and the youngest in 1998. We made our first wine from the property in 1972 and until 2002 when we bottled portions of the petite sirah as a separate wine for a limited release, it had always been included in the Lytton Springs Zinfandel. In 2003 we made another limited release and in 2009 our first national release.

Rainfall: 24 inches (below average)
Bloom: Mid-May
Weather: Warm spring and a long, mild summer.

Harvest Dates: 2-5 October.
Grapes: Average Brix 24.8
Fermentation: Natural primary and secondary; pressed at ten days.
Barrel: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (25% new, 50% one and two years old, 25% three years old).
Aging: Fourteen months in barrel.

All estate-grown grapes, hand harvested; destemmed and partially crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally-occurring bacteria; 0.003 g/L tartaric acid added; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush; 89 ppm over the course of aging). Pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions. Ingredients: Hand harvested, sustainably grown estate grapes; indigenous yeasts; naturally occurring malolactic bacteria; tartaric acid; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective SO2.

Vinous Media (July 2014): “The 2012 Petite Sirah Lytton Estate is absolutely delicious. The addition of 10% Zinfandel has softened the typically burly Petit tannins, resulting in a wine that delivers tons of pure pleasure. Menthol, cloves and lavender wrap around a core of blue/purplish fruit in a gorgeous Petite with soft contours (for Petite) and terrific overall balance.” -Antonio Galloni (Rated: 93)

Average Rating: 90.0

No. of Tasting Notes: 52

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