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Anthony Gismondi on Wine
Stags' Leap Petite Sirahtext
92POINTS
17/20

Stags' Leap Petite Sirah 2016

Napa Valley, California, United StatesThe ’16 PS is another terrific effort by winemaker Christophe Paubert. It comes from a handful of ancient vines on the estate and other sites in the north and south of Napa Valley. It’s big and rich awash in fruit, but it comes with complexity of flavours, namely black pepper, raspberries and bitter, dark chocolate. The acidity keeps the wine fresh and linear; the tannins are dense and will give it a long life, but you can drink this wine now, and that is its charm and brilliance. Winemaker Christophe Paubert also uses a small but varying mix of syrah, grenache and mourvèdre to add complexity and balance to the blend. First-class and you can cellar this more than a decade — Paubert practices traditional methods to showcase the unique nature of the petite sirah fruit. Avoiding over extraction, the wine went through a relatively short maceration period (9-12 days on average) that included fermentation, and two of these lots were co-fermented with Viognier to reinforce the floral character of the Petite Sirah. The wine aged for 12 months in American oak barrels (25% new).Tasted: 02 November 2019Tasted by: Prices:
BC$45.99750mlBCLS
AB$42.95750mlfine wine shops
ON$58.99750mlLCBO
Producer: Stags' Leap WineryDistributors: Mark Anthony Wines and Spirits
Grape: Petite SirahCSPC: 533052UPC: 00626990001638