Hawley Petite Sirah 2007, Ponzo Vineyard, Russian River Valley

Vineyards

Ponzo vineyard is located just outside the town limits of Healdsburg, along the Russian River at the mouth of Dry Creek. It’s gravelly bench-lands have produced many award winning wines. The 2007 growing season was very dry with a slow growing season and late harvest. We were able to pick after a heat spike, when the sugar levels had dropped back down. This slowed ripening and the additional “hang time” on the vine led to exceptional flavor development. Brix at harvest 25.4.

Winemaking

The Petite Sirah grapes were crushed and de-stemmed into one-ton, open top fermentors. The juice was chilled with dry ice for extended maceration. After one week, the fermentors were moved outdoors to warm up and the wild yeasts begun the fermentation. Commercial yeast was later added to insure the wine fermented to dryness. We punched down the skins every couple hours to maximize extraction. When fermentation was nearing dryness we pressed out directly to barrels. The wine was aged for nine months in a mixture of 30% French and 70% American oak barrels and was racked from barrel to barrel every three months to soften the tannins, develop fruit character and clarify the wine. Prior to bottling, 5% Zinfandel from Ponzo Vineyard was blended in.

Technical

Appellation: Sonoma County, Ponzo Vineyard
Varietal Composition: 95% Petite Sirah 5% Zinfandel
Harvest Date: October 19, 2007
Alcohol: 14.9%
Bottling Date: July 14, 2007
Cases Bottled: 221
Release Date: Aug 1, 2008

Tasting Notes

This wine is very deep in color with aromas of fresh blueberries, spice, and vanilla oak. In the mouth it is supple and well balanced, with a rich structure.