2016 J. Lohr Vineyard Series Tower Road Petite Sirah

Vintage

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.

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.