Hailing from our exalted Estate vineyard, which sits high atop Mt. Akum, the 2018 Kehret Vineyards Petite Sirah embodies the best of the Fair Play AVA. Steep and rugged, the vineyard’s gravelly, granite soils amplify the dark fruit and dense structure of our Petite Sirah. Very diverse in its expression, the Kehret Vineyards Petite Sirah pairs beautifully with hearty dishes, or as a special compliment to a dense, dark chocolate torte, drizzled with raspberry coulis.

Grapes arrive from the vineyard cool and crisp after an early morning pick. We sort the grapes looking for the best clusters; eliminating any clusters showing sun damage, “raisining”, color loss, or mildew from the field. Grapes are processed through the de-stemmer being careful to put a slight crack in the skin of each grape. This allows the juice from the grapes to begin the fermentation process without allowing harsher tannins from the seeds into the fermentation process. The goal is to add to our tannin structure by extracting the soft and rounded tannins from the skins of the grapes. The must cold soaks for several days before inoculation. Post fermentation the must is drained and pressed. The wine ages in neutral and French oak for one year.

Our rocky, granite filled, and steep vineyards sit atop Mount Aukum at 2615 ft of elevation. We have a 50/50 mix of rock and soil which should stress our vines just slightly. This light stress helps to promote hearty, rich, complex fruit that adds to the character of our wine.