2013 J. Lohr Vineyard Series Tower Road Petite Sirah
Be notified of future releases
Inviting aromas of black plum and a bouquet of hazelnut are followed by flavors of ollalieberry and a French oak signature on the palate. Our 2013 Tower Road Petite Sirah expresses this early ripening vintage with dark fruit and restrained tannins.
— Steve Peck, red winemaker
Wine Details
-
Composition Blend
-
97%
Petite Sirah
-
3%
Syrah
-
-
Origin
Paso Robles AVA, San Luis Obispo County, California
-
Cellaring
This dense wine opens up early with a splash-decant, and should develop in the bottle for up to 8 years.
8 Years -
Food Pairings
Pairs well with aromatic herbs and pan-seared meat dishes such as rosemary lamb chops with roasted fennel.
Vintage
The 2013 vintage in Paso Robles was one of those special vintages that only rolls around about once every decade. Following a dry winter, we saw budbreak near St. Patricks Day and entered bloom relatively early in May. Canopy growth was decent, but on the small side. The secret ingredient for this vintage was the perfect weather at the end of July and into early August, where daytime temperatures were optimal for color development in the fruit during the critical stage of veraison. Our Petite Sirah matured early and reached peak flavors long before winter conditions set in. The resulting wines are exceptionally dark and dense with sufficient supporting tannins to bring balance on the palate.
Vineyards
In the vineyards surrounding Tower Road, in the Estrella and San Miguel districts of Paso Robles, our Petite Sirah thrives on the well-drained yet heavier clay soils of the area. The rarity of autumn rains in Paso Robles allows this tight-clustered variety to reach full maturity almost every year, without the risk of bunch-rot that exists in damper regions of the state and in Europe. Our ripening program requires that we apply netting to the vines in August to assure that birds don’t overfeed on this especially flavorful grape before harvest. Intense summer sun and very warm daytime temperatures in Paso Robles are balanced by the gentle afternoon breezes that creep in from the Monterey Bay to the north and from the Templeton Gap to the west. These winds cool the area by as much as fifty degrees by early morning, preserving the acidity and bright fruit character of our Petite Sirah.
