Austin Hope Petite Sirah & Lagrein 2021
Petite Sirah is a Paso Robles heritage grape, while Lagrein is an Italian grape that remains a rarity in California. When Austin Hope discovered the unlikely synergy between these two varieties, he never looked back. The meaty, saturated character of the Petite Sirah blends seamlessly with the lift and freshness of the Lagrein, culminating with exotic wildberry flavors that dazzle the senses.
Vineyard Notes:
Our Petite Sirah is sourced from two vineyards both located the southeast side of the Estrella district in the heart of the ancient river plains where soils range from gravely sand to sandy loam. The Lagrein is grown and sourced from a historic Paso Robles vineyard in the Paso Robles Highlands district and is one of just a few Lagrein plantings in California and certainly the largest acreage. Soils here are higher elevation plains with consistent loam soils. Both districts are in the direct eastern path of the Templeton Gap winds that consistently blow through just as the vineyard temperature reach highs in the 90’s to cool the vineyards each afternoon about two o’clock in the afternoon.
The 2021 growing season was very typical through early spring with warm days and cool nights. Early summer through harvest gave us some unexpected heatwaves but plenty of marine breezes and mild weather prevailed. The result was a slight delay of harvest while we waited for acidity, pH and brix to balance creating mature flavors.
Winemaking notes:
After harvest, one Lagrein and four Petite Sirah lots were fermented individually in stainless-steel tanks for 10-14 days. Extended macerations and carefully managed pump overs enhanced the extraction of color and tannin. The varietals were aged separately for 9 months, the Lagrein in 100% neutral French and American Oak and the Petite Sirah in 100% neutral French and American Oak. The lots were racked only once during its cellar life, with the final racking occurring to blend, just prior to filtering and bottling in mid-July of 2022.
-
Vintage
2021
-
Varietal
Lagrein & Petite Sirah
-
Appellation
Paso Robles
-
Alcohol
15%
