Niner Petite Sirah 2012
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A large oak and tannin presence in this wine make it a great complement to grilled red meats and their inherent fat content. Use texture in food to mirror big texture in the wine, but keep salt to a minimum as it can interfere with tannin.
Niner Wine Estates is a family company dedicated to the concept that truly great wine results from talented people controlling the entire winemaking process from the vineyard to the glass. Founder Richard Niner's attachment to farming started early as he grew up farming a small plot of land with his father in rural West Virginia. Niner then followed a somewhat unusual path from farm to vineyard: after putting himself through college and graduate school, he spent over 30 years investing in small businesses. In 1996, one of these business deals brought him to San Luis Obispo County, where he found a renewed passion for farming and saw a bright future in the local wine industry.
At Niner Wine Estates they only make wine from grapes we grow ourselves. From vineyard to glass our entire team is working together with a singular goal in mind: to provide you with wines that combine within them a true expression of our vineyards and the creativity of our people. They farm three separate estate vineyards: Bootjack Ranch resting on the Eastern side of the Paso AVA, Heart Hill Vineyard settled on the Western side, and Jespersen Vineyard nestled in the Edna Valley AVA to the south. Each vineyard has very different soil profiles and climates resulting in three very unique representations of terroir.
With its deep color, firm tannins and bold flavors, there is nothing petite about Petite Sirah. The variety, originally known as Durif in the Rhône, took on its more popular moniker after being imported to California in the early 1880s. Quintessentially recognized today as a grape of the Golden State, Petite Sirah works well blended with Zinfandel and finds success as a single varietal wine in the state’s warmer districts. Somm Secret—Petite Sirah is not a smaller version of Syrah but it is an offspring of Syrah and the now nearly extinct French Alpine variety called Peloursin.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.