Tower Road

While rainfall was short of average, the timing was ideal for vine health and wine quality in 2016. Every phenological marker from budbreak in spring to bloom and veraison in the summer occurred 1 to 2 weeks earlier than normal. Petite Sirah emerged from dormancy in the middle of March, just after receiving several days of heavy rainfall. The vine canopy growth propelled throughout the spring, bouyed by additional light rains in April and an ideal bloom period in early May. Tannin structure for 2016 was amplified by a warm veraison period beginning the third week of July. We captured the unctuous, ripe flavors of this classic variety by targeting our early morning harvests around periods of cool weather in late September and early October. J. Lohr’s deft hand at the craft of winemaking is exemplified in the rich flavors, dark color, and soft tannins of this 2016 Tower Road Petite Sirah.