Vineyard Sources

This richly flavored grape, long known for its intense characteristics, has been grown in Dry Creek Valley for over 100 years. John Pedroncelli planted our first Petite Sirah vineyard 10 years ago on our Home Ranch in eastern Dry Creek Valley. His intention at the time was to blend the Petite Sirah with our Mother Clone Zinfandel, boosting the flavor and tannin backbone of this fine wine.

In 1997, John decided to blend our Petite Sirah with the fruit from the Pedroni-Bushnell Vineyard. This vineyard is located four or so miles south on the same eastern side of the valley. Along with Zinfandel, Petite Sirah has been grown on this vineyard for over 60 years. The "Family" connection comes from the fact that Carol Bushnell is John's niece and she and her husband tend the vineyards she inherited from her father, Al Pedroni, who was John's brother-in-law.

Winemaking

With over 70 years of winemaking and grapegrowing experience, John likes to experiment with 'new' varietals. John knows how to get the best from fruit brought into the winery. Harvested in early October from a great vintage, this Petite Sirah was brought in at full maturity. The fruit was crushed into stainless steel tanks where frequent pumping-over of juice during fermentation allowed the young wine a substantial increase in flavor. The wine was aged for 12 months in American oak barrels, bottled and released six months later.