Palate
Quixote's 2012 Petite Syrah jumps from the glass with exuberant black fruit. Hints of orange peel, smoke, mint and licorice add depth in a pliant, expressive Petite loaded with personality.
Growing Conditions
The legacy of Quixote and it's sought-after wines are above all, how our Winemaking team looks to stay true to the vineyard and let the wines express the true meaning of our Stag's Leap Appellation terroir. Our unique vineyard has five distinct soil types and both east and west facing slopes giving us wines of great balance and complexity.
Harvest
Our grapes are both picked and sorted by hand from small picking bins instead of large 1/2 tons bins that can crush the grapes under their own weight. Any grapes with flaws are discarded to ensure the best quality and flavors.
Winemaking
The grapes then go through a cold soak phase to start extracting flavors and color prior to fermentation starting. During the first 45 minutes of the cold soak about 10-15% of the liquid volume is removed from each tank to help the wines become richer and fuller body. It's from a portion of this removed liquid that we make our Rose of Petite Sirah that sells out early into the summer months.
Aging
20 Months in
35% New French oak
Food Pairing
The vintage has softened some of the contours, giving the Petite far more early appeal than is typically the case here. Once again, this Stags Leap property really shines with Petite.
