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Debuting and Returning Foodies:

[Off the record: Steve Hall reminds me of a "Fred Rogers" kind of winemaker, and I mean that in the kindest and gentlest of ways.]

Steve has that very easy, very comfortable way about him; and he uses that accessible trait to describe meticulous details of his craft…

Namely:

• working with vineyard owners
• being at the mercy of mother nature
• knowing as much about each vine as he possibly could; from the good of the seed to whole of the vine… earth… air and the breezes, moisture, sun… All in one ~ Terroir

In this first of two videos, Robert Biale’s winemaker, Steve Hall is standing in Bill and Margie Heart’s “Old Kraft Vineyard.” Established in 1871, this parcel of land was planted to Petite Sirah in the early 1900s. Steve addresses this particular old Petite Sirah block.

Please note how very low to the ground in stature, and extraordinarily autumnal in color, they are.

Says Steve, “They’re a bit lower than usual, there must have been a water intrusion layer and there wasn’t as much soil depth available.”

There’s a bit of a breeze on this day. I apologize.

[Note to self:" The day Jose and I turn this into a vocation instead of an avocation, let's get a better microphone set up. These flip phones are the bomb for high def, but stink in the exclusionary sound department.]

Thoughts in the vineyard with Steve Hall…

Syrah (father) + Peloursin (mother) = Petite Sirah (offspring)

Your father + Your mother = You (Yeah, it’s that different, and yet has DNA similarities)

While tasting one of Bill Nachbaur’s wines (Acorn Winery ), I noticed that Peloursin was one of the wine’s varieties. I asked his wife Betsy if it would be possible to taste and/or see Peloursin on the vine. Betsy called Bill, he came to the tasting room and said that the vines had just been harvested. I told him, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back next spring… I live so close… Don’t worry about it.”

Bill quietly disappeared, and about five minutes later emerged with three leaves per each of both Peloursin and Petite Sirah. With each meticulous grouping of small, medium, and large, Bill also had collected a small cluster of grapes for each one.

The grapes were part of the second crop that a vine puts out. Artisan winemakers leave these clusters behind, because the brix level isn’t as high as the first crop’s levels. To harvest these grapes will throw off a good brix level.

I immediately began to see what Peloursin has given to Petite Sirah.

The grapes of Peloursin are very tiny, the skins are dark and inky, the juice is quite tannic and has a bit of spice… Peloursin, the mother, adds a lot of character to this most mysterious of all grapes. As dark and brooding as the juice is visually, I then also knew what Syrah has given to Petite… it’s funky, saddle leather, tobacco character.

While I was ogling over my discovery, Bill quietly slipped away again, this time to emerge with three leaves of Syrah and a cluster of that variety as well. This cluster was from a primary growth, but it just didn’t meet Bill’s standards during picking and was left behind. However, it was a great example of what the grapes look like on the rachis (skeleton of the cluster). This one, because it was such a loose berry cluster, showed me that Petite Sirah also got it’s tight bunch cluster from Peloursin.

Syrah’s leaves are much larger then Petite’s, with Peloursin’s leaves being much smaller. Petite Sirah settled somewhere in the middle; not only in size, but also in texture. The leaves of Peloursin are the most hardy. Petite’s are somewhere in the middle, and the leaves of Syrah’s feel much more delicate by comparison to either Peloursin or Petite, with both Peloursin and Petite having a much more complex veinous structure as well.

Looking at these examples, it was easy for me to see how much more Peloursin has added to Petite Sirah’s character, and why – if anything – Petite Sirah is better compared with Peloursin than Syrah.

You know how we look at children and say, “She looks so much like her mother.” Well, this is definitely one of those instances. Look at all three varieties, one can easily imagine the union; and what went through François Durif’s head in 1880, when he crossed Syrah with Peloursin…

While tasting one of Bill’s wines, I noticed that Peloursin was one of the wine’s varieties. I asked Betsy if it would be possible to taste and/or see Peloursin on the vine. Betsy called Bill, he came to the tasting room and said that the vines had just been harvested. I told him, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back next spring… I live so close… Don’t worry about it.”

Bill quietly disappeared, and about five minutes later emerged with three leaves per each of both Peloursin and Petite Sirah. With each meticulous grouping of small, medium, and large, Bill also had collected a small cluster of grapes for each one.

The grapes were part of the second crop that a vine puts out. Artisan winemakers leave these clusters behind, because the brix level isn’t as high as the first crop’s levels. To harvest these grapes will throw off a good brix level.

I immediately began to see what Peloursin has given to Petite Sirah.

The grapes of Peloursin are very tiny, the skins are dark and inky, the juice is quite tannic and has a bit of spice… Peloursin, the mother, adds a lot of character to this most mysterious of all grapes. As dark and brooding as the juice is visually, I then also knew what Syrah has given to Petite… it’s funky, saddle leather, tobacco character.

While I was ogling over my discovery, Bill quietly slipped away again, this time to emerge with three leaves of Syrah and a cluster of that variety as well. This cluster was from a  primary growth, but it just didn’t meet Bill’s standards during picking and was left behind. However, it was a great example of what the grapes look like on the rachis (skeleton of the cluster). This one, because it was such a loose berry cluster, showed me that Petite Sirah also got it’s tight bunch cluster from Peloursin.

Syrah’s leaves are much larger then Petite’s, with Peloursin’s leaves being much smaller. Petite Sirah settled somewhere in the middle; not only in size, but also in texture. The leaves of Peloursin are the most hardy. Petite’s are somewhere in the middle, and the leaves of Syrah’s feel much more delicate by comparison to either Peloursin or Petite, with both Peloursin and Petite having a much more complex veinous structure as well.

Looking at these examples, it was easy for me to see how much more Peloursin has added to Petite Sirah’s character, and why – if anything – Petite Sirah is better compared with Peloursin than Syrah.

You know how we look at children and say, “She looks so much like her mother.” Well, this is definitely one of those instances. Look at all three varieties, one can easily imagine the union; and what went through François Durif’s head in 1880, when he crossed Syrah with Peloursin…

This video is very informative with answers from David Mounts of Mounts Family Vineyards.

Coming from his family vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, owned by his father Richard Mounts, David had the advantage of going to UC Davis. This was to not only learn about viticulture, but David also took enology courses. As a second generation farmer in Dry Creek Valley, when it became time for him to return to the family, David and his wife Lana Mounts wanted to do a bit more. (This is not an unusual scenario.)

Together they wanted to take it to the full spectrum of a grape’s life cycle, and that’s from vine to wine.

David’s done a tremendous job with his award winning wine, doing business as Mounts Family Winery. There’s no better testament to the quality of a grape grower’s fruit than critical acclaim; not that Mounts Family Vineyards needed any further endorsement for their meticulous attention to detail. That was already part and parcel of the fruit that came from the family’s vineyard.

What David has done is take it to even greater depth, insuring the family’s legacy will have another round with yet another generation that is being raised as I write this.

David’s interview is so fascinating that I found one of next year’s presenters for the Tenth Annual Petite Sirah Symposium, sponsored by Concannon Vineyard.

Enjoy…

Gustafson Family Vineyards’  owner Dan Gustafson has been a member of the Board of Directors for PS I Love You for the last two years. Dan and winemaker Emmett Reed have gone out of their way to over-deliver on everything for PSILY’s benefit, including that they’ve provided the Gustafson Family Vineyards site for two of our three Groupies BBQs.

There’s never been a time when being in the vineyards with Emmett that you won’t learn a lot. Emmett explains everything in such a way that’s it’s right there for you to grasp… He’s a great teacher, whether or not he realizes it yet, or not.

Emmett takes part in every aspect of grape growing, and then become 100 percent involved in the micro winemaking production.

Jose Diaz conducted the following vineyard interview, and Emmett was right there with perfect, ready answers.

Enjoy. It’s very informative, if you’re looking to learn a bit more about Petite Sirah grapes growing when it’s so close to harvest.