2021 Michael's Reserve Petite Sirah

Tasting Notes: 

Typically, Michael has a glass of Champagne around midnight, then walks the length of four football fields to the yacht club to take "Intrigue" (his power boat) on a journey around the Bay. But during the day, he walks among the vines at Hames Vineyard in the Hames Valley of Monterey County. Sometimes, his friend, Lina, joins him. Together, they sip on well-chilled Petite Sirah (this very one), and take turns describing its brambly black and blueberry fruit aromas, tobacco spices and violet florals. Full-bodied and lush, with peppery plum fruits, and firm tannins. A hint of black tea and chocolate rounds out this dazzler.

Appellation Notes: Hames Valley, Monterey County AVA

You will not see any questions about the small east-west-oriented Hames Valley on any exam about wine. Why? It’s pretty tiny. Sandwiched between the southern tip of the Monterey AVA and the San Antonio AVA, it’s a diamond-shaped area with just over 2,000 acres of vines planted. If you’re driving at 75 mph south on the 101 Highway from Wunpost (what post?) you’ll pass straight through it in roughly 13 minutes. By the time you see the US Army Reserve and National Guard near Bradley, you’ve gone by it. In 1994, Mr. Barry C. Jackson of the Harmony Wine Company drafted the petition to establish the AVA, and it met no opposition. A few growers agreed that because the valley is east-west, following the Salinas River, it is protected from the strong winds pelting the north-south oriented vineyards in the rest of Monterey. Vines growing here, in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains, are treated to reasonably warm, in-land conditions. The resulting wines are bold, full-bodied, and expressive, especially those of Syrah and Petite Sirah, which are often imbued with the region's unique “garrigue” character—like sticking your nose in a jar of Herbs de Provence.