Wine of the Week – Mountain Tides – 2018 California Petite Sirah
The Wine
One of the main elements that often gets forgotten about with Petite Sirah is that it is a grape that is loaded with natural energy. Due to the fact that it is often left on the vine until the sugars reach astronomical levels in order to maximize color and density, the natural acidity and freshness of the grape is generally lost and sloughed off along the way, many weeks before it even gets to the winery. This inaugural vintage of the Mountain Tides Wine Co. California Petite Sirah showcases the freshness and energy that is possible with Petite Sirah when it is handled with care, with conscience, and with a desire to make a wine that is compelling both mentally and spiritually. This wine is not for those who take themselves too seriously. It is fun. It is joyful. And it is meant for everyone.
The color of this wine is the first hint that it is not your usual Petite Sirah. It is light and red-colored instead of the typical inky, black wines that most associate with the variety. This wine smells like a fresh fruit punch, jam-packed with red fruit and dusty earth and tastes just as wonderful. There is a moderate amount of tannin due to the amount of whole cluster, but it comes across as more of a savory bitterness than an aggressive astringency. Due to the lower alcohol (13.4%) and the freshness of the acidity, this wine works incredibly well with a variety of foods as well as just a great wine to enjoy on its own. So gather some friends who you hold dear and open a couple bottles because the night is long and the connection is strong.
100% Petite Sirah
California
13.4% Alcohol
16 barrels produced
$20/bottle (sign up here to order)
The Winemakers
Life never moves in the way you expect it. In early 2014, we met in Napa and instantly fell for each other. Less than 8 months later our lives and thoughts would be altered forever when in the early morning hours of August 24th, 2014 Napa was struck with a 6.0 earthquake. We came out relatively unscathed, but it changed the way we thought of the land underneath our feet. No longer did the earth feel static and unchanging. We felt it shift and surge and the power of the land moved us harder than we knew possible.
In 2016, we got married and shortly after that we decided to combine our artistic talents, winemaking experience, and passion into a new project called Mountain Tides. As artists, we believe that we can often better understand the world around us through creative and thoughtful work, and what better way to understand the dynamic and diverse California landscape than to make wines that show how a change in place, time, and process can yield drastically different results from the same grape. We love Petite Sirah in all its forms and we think you will as well.
This precious earth we have is always on the move, creating mountains and hills that are always slowly shifting. If we quiet our minds and hearts we can feel that earth is always moving us as well. With this in mind, our hope is to always be aware of the earth moving and to move with it. Our goal now and forever is to “be moved”.
Wine description and winemaker bio provided by Mountain Tides Wine Co.