2003 Dynamite Hill Petite Sirah

This is our thirty-fourth vintage of petite sirah from Napa’s York Creek Vineyard. In recent years, the wine has come principally from the Dynamite Hill block – now the oldest, and our favorite. Cool spring weather and May rains delayed bloom; a mild summer and unusually warm autumn ripened the crop fully. The grapes were demented to dryness on their natural yeasts in eight days. To moderate tannin extraction, we limited circulation of juice over the floating skins and seeds. The 2003 has intense, earthy black fruit and appealingly exotic spice; tannins remain firm. This is a classic, old-style York Creek Petite Sirah. As such, it will need four or five years in bottle to begin to soften, and will age for fifteen or twenty more.

Since 1962, Ridge has championed single-vineyard winemaking, exploring California in search of those rare sites where climate, soil, and varietal are ideally matched. Our aim is to guide the natural process; using traditional methods and minimal handling, we strive to produce the highest quality wines from superior and distinctive fruit.

Rainfall: 60 inches (above normal)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Cool spring weather and May rains delayed bloom. A dry and mild summer and an unusually warm autumn.

Harvest dates: 2 – 11 October
Grapes: Average brix 24.1˚
Fermentation: 100% whole-berry, floating cap. 100% natural primary and secondary fermentation. Drained & pressed at 8 days.
Barrel: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (18% new and one year old, 32% two years old, 50% four and six years old)
Aging: Twenty-four months in barrel

Average Rating: 91.1

No. of Tasting Notes: 24

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