We've purchased Petite Sirah grapes from Al Tollini for several years but sadly this is our final bottling of this varietal. In spite of Al's 80-year-old vines delivering concentrated flavors, it has always been slow to sell the few cases of Petite that we produce. Navarro is not a fan of big, tannic red wines so perhaps our style isn't gutsy enough? Perhaps there's little demand for Petite Sirah? Whatever the reason, it is nice to end our Petite production with a vintage where the grapes achieved full ripeness. The grapes were destemmed and fermented in small bins to keep the tannins supple, then aged in seasoned French oak barrels for 22 months. The old vines produced a wine with intense plummy flavors and smatterings of chocolate, blueberry and pepper. Gold Medal winner.
Bill started working at Navarro in 1985 and currently works in the tasting room and on Navarro's tasting panel. Before taking on these roles, he was an important member of our annual winery crush crew for almost two decades
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Bill tasting 2018 red wines prior to blending.