"This is lovely in violet perfume and bacony leather, structured like a tall building and best left to mellow out for further development." Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, April 2012
- Harvest Facts
- Background
- Vineyard
- Winemaking
- Accolades
Livermore Valley is Petite Sirah Country! A Livermore heritage varietal, Petite Sirah was planted in Livermore Valley in the 1800s; we have over a century of experience in understanding the ideal soils and microclimates for this variety. At Occasio, we have used the wisdom of these “pioneers of Petite” to craft a wine that pays tribute to Livermore’s proud winemaking heritage.
Our 2009 Petite Sirah was sourced entirely of the heritage Concannon clone from Del Arroyo Vineyard, high in the southern foothills of Livermore Valley. Here, the gravelly soil, warm days and cool, coastally moderated nights produce concetrated fruit with excellent acidity and structured tannins.
The grapes were hand harvested in the early morning hours of October 8th. Hand sorted and de-stemmed without crushing, the grapes were cold soaked for 48 hours before fermenting in our specialized Petite Sirah tanks at cool temperature in order to preserve the characteristics of the Del Arroyo Vineyard terroir. Cap temperature was maintained by pumping over every four hours for the first half of the fermentation, decreasing the pump over frequency near the end of fermentation in order to control tannin extraction. At completion of fermentation, the wine was pressed off the skins and transferred to new, American white oak barrels where it was aged for eighteen months prior to bottling unfined and unfiltered.
Gold Medal, 2011 International Women’s Wine Competition
Cellar Selection, Wine Enthusiast Magazine April, 2012
Updating...