2019 Comanche Cellars Petite Sirah, Pierce Ranch, San Antonio Valley
Tasting Notes
This Petite Sirah has deep rich flavors and velvety tannins. New to our portfolio, this single varietal wine is big, bold and full bodied with aromas of dark fruit, vanilla and bay leaf. It truly is a unique grape, just don’t confuse it with Syrah!
Specs
Vintage: 2019
Appellation: San Antonio Valley, Monterey County
Aging: 28 months in 50% new American oak
Harvest Date: 9/17/19
Bottle Date: 1/15/22
Alcohol: 13.5%
Case production: 89
2019 Comanche Cellars Reserve Cabernet Franc, Circle S Ranch, Cienega Valley
Tasting Notes
This special single varietal wine starts with a bouquet of spice and raspberry leading into notes of dusty plums, turned earth with soft tannins and an almost savory finish. Impressive and elegant, this wine is perfect for any important occasion.
Specs
Vintage: 2019
Appellation: Cienega Valley, San Benito County
Aging: 27 months in 50% new French oak
Harvest Date: 10/24/19
Bottle Date: 1/15/22
Alcohol: 12.7%
Case production: 139
What’s Included
4-bottles:
2x 2019 Comanche Cellars Reserve Cabernet Franc, Circle S Ranch, Cienega Valley
2x 2019 Comanche Cellars Petite Sirah, Pierce Ranch, San Antonio Valley
Case:
6x 2019 Comanche Cellars Reserve Cabernet Franc, Circle S Ranch, Cienega Valley
6x 2019 Comanche Cellars Petite Sirah, Pierce Ranch, San Antonio Valley
My name is Michael Simons, and what started as a love affair with wine has turned into a passion for producing small lots of very handcrafted wines from neighboring vineyards. Our tiny (1,800 cases) winery is named after Comanche, my horse when I was ten years old. He was an important part of a young life, and I use his name as a loving tribute to this old friend. These days, I ride a bicycle, and since this love affair with wine turned into a full-blown obsession, finding time for riding anything can be tough. But I still think of Comanche often and am proud that his name and shoes are on every bottle of my wine. Maybe those horseshoes will bring you some good luck!
Comanche Cellars is on California’s Monterey Peninsula, where we take advantage of the incredible wealth of vineyards that can be found in almost every direction. All throughout the Santa Lucia Highlands, Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley, and Santa Cruz Mountains AVA’s, there are winegrowers and winemakers producing incredibly beautiful wines that, we think, can and will rival the best the world has to offer. We’re happy to be in the sweet spot right now, as Wine Enthusiast recently named Monterey as one of the Top 5 winegrowing regions worldwide!
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
@rjquillin I don’t have an exact number off the top of my head (22-24 brix), but I will tell you that the brix is only one piece of the puzzle. The other components are the physiological ripeness of the berry such as ripeness of the skin and seeds.
@comanchecellars Thanks, yet again.
It’s just refreshing to see these numbers given how many now approach, or exceed 15%.
Did this ferment out to those numbers or did you end up making some adjustments as well.
Perhaps already addressed, but is this your first vintage bottling for these?
I like both these grapes and this is tempting. @JOATMAN for me is a well known and trusted palate.
Still learning @connorbush.
@connorbush@rjquillin this is the first vintage for the Petite Sirah and second for the Cab Franc. They both happily fermented all on their own with very little residual sugar. Open top fermenters with twice daily punch-downs.
Upon opening initial pour: garnet red. Smell of cassis, blackberry, and plum. Initial entry: “bitey” is the word my wife used, which is probably not a commonly used word with wine, but I understand where she is coming from: the tannins are a bit aggressive. Flavor is blackberry and other kinds of dark brambly fruits. The finish is long, but mostly those pucker tannins.
After being open 24 hours, not much change (which can be a good thing). Still lots of the tanning, still the same smell and taste. This holds up well. I thought of trying a Vinturi, but never got around to it.
Still interesting after 48 hours. No sign of weakness, still plugging along. I could drink this, my wife is not as forgiving.
Open bottle… 1st sip… WOAH RASPBERRY, Tart Cherry, Mega tannins, Bitterness, Dry. Just so much raspberry and bite.
Bitterness has mellowed to spice, still raspberry… Hmmm… What’s that? STRAWBERRY. Ooo, even slightly more deep/rich/darker than strawberry… Not blackberry --Hmmm, maybe plum or fig. Maybe olives?
Revisiting a while later.
Still raspberry, green bell pepper, tart cherry, herbally, maybe a lingering finish of berry cobbler? The slightest hint of maybe rusty ish ness?
Where did all this come from?! You sneaky beverage!
Wayyy less intensely bitter. Sweeter. Spicier. Maybe white pepper. There is some greenery now too. Minty perhaps or maybe I am losing my mind. Still dry but less so?
Much more approachable. Fun and exciting. New tastes each time I revisited the glass. Started fruity sweet with tons of bite and dryness and finished with earthy savory much less bitter tannin bite but still present. Certainly cherry now but less tart more ripe.
It seems medium approachable. Not too aggressive but in no way at all is it dull.
One thing I found consistent was the nose. Always raspberry.
Initial open, oh no it is not for me. After a little bit of time and it turned into a really fun and enjoyable wine.
Thanks all. Fun to rat with ya.
Overall feels medium, approachable, and fun. Poured for the mrs who is notoriously not into reviewing anything and usually hits me with an ‘its ok’ or ‘oh no’-- We got a ‘pretty good!’
We’re happy to be sharing two of our most popular wines with you. Honestly, a fantastic deal…and perfect wine to pair with BBQ season. Any questions for the winemaker?
@comanchecellars
Thank you for hanging out on the threads! I’m a pretty big fan of these varietals and I have a few questions. Firstly, I apologize if these are elementary so please be patient with me! I love cab franc with steak and you mentioned good with bbq, the thing I don’t like is that sometimes there’s an over abundance of green bell pepper or green olive. Would you say this has that? I also love petit and am wondering if the tannins that were mentioned in the rattage would be mitigated with cellar time or decanting. Anyway, thank you very much and I appreciate your help!
@mattkillpatty our Cab Franc does not have green pepper/olive. We get dusty raspberry. For the Petit Sirah, I believe it will mellow with time. And decanting would open it and give more flavors to override the tannins.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2019 Comanche Cellars Mixed Reds - $40 = 16.66%
I’m in for a case. Two of my favorite varietals and those lower ABVs make this an irresistable offerring. Thanks for the rattage, it really helped tip the balance!
2019 Comanche Cellars Petite Sirah, Pierce Ranch, San Antonio Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
2019 Comanche Cellars Reserve Cabernet Franc, Circle S Ranch, Cienega Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$540.00/Case for 6x 2019 Comanche Cellars Reserve Cabernet Franc, Circle S Ranch, Cienega Valley & 6x 2019 Comanche Cellars Petite Sirah, Pierce Ranch, San Antonio Valley at Comanche Cellars
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Tuesday, May 31 - Wednesday, Jun 1
Comanche Cellars Mixed Reds
4 bottles for $79.99 $20/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $199.99 $16.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2019 Petite Sirah
2019 Cabernet Franc
Really curious about these low AbVs
@rjquillin nice areas with good cooling and enough shade to keep the alcohol lower? Also some very old vines in Cienega Valley might help.
@rjquillin grapes from cooler areas will typically produce wines with lower alcohol. I also choose to harvest at appropriate ripeness.
@comanchecellars
Even more curious now.
What was the brix at harvest?
tnx
@rjquillin I don’t have an exact number off the top of my head (22-24 brix), but I will tell you that the brix is only one piece of the puzzle. The other components are the physiological ripeness of the berry such as ripeness of the skin and seeds.
@comanchecellars Thanks, yet again.
It’s just refreshing to see these numbers given how many now approach, or exceed 15%.
Did this ferment out to those numbers or did you end up making some adjustments as well.
Perhaps already addressed, but is this your first vintage bottling for these?
I like both these grapes and this is tempting.
@JOATMAN for me is a well known and trusted palate.
Still learning @connorbush.
Any SoCal split interest?
@connorbush @rjquillin this is the first vintage for the Petite Sirah and second for the Cab Franc. They both happily fermented all on their own with very little residual sugar. Open top fermenters with twice daily punch-downs.
@comanchecellars @connorbush @rjquillin any adjustments to acid or water?
@connorbush @klezman @rjquillin no water adjustments, I’ll check my winery logs for acid and get back to you.
Comanche Cellars Petite Syrah
Upon opening initial pour: garnet red. Smell of cassis, blackberry, and plum. Initial entry: “bitey” is the word my wife used, which is probably not a commonly used word with wine, but I understand where she is coming from: the tannins are a bit aggressive. Flavor is blackberry and other kinds of dark brambly fruits. The finish is long, but mostly those pucker tannins.
After being open 24 hours, not much change (which can be a good thing). Still lots of the tanning, still the same smell and taste. This holds up well. I thought of trying a Vinturi, but never got around to it.
Still interesting after 48 hours. No sign of weakness, still plugging along. I could drink this, my wife is not as forgiving.
@JOATMON
@JOATMON thank you for the review
Comanche Cellars 2019 Cabernet Franc - Reserve
Open bottle… 1st sip… WOAH RASPBERRY, Tart Cherry, Mega tannins, Bitterness, Dry. Just so much raspberry and bite.
Bitterness has mellowed to spice, still raspberry… Hmmm… What’s that? STRAWBERRY. Ooo, even slightly more deep/rich/darker than strawberry… Not blackberry --Hmmm, maybe plum or fig. Maybe olives?
Revisiting a while later.
Still raspberry, green bell pepper, tart cherry, herbally, maybe a lingering finish of berry cobbler? The slightest hint of maybe rusty ish ness?
Where did all this come from?! You sneaky beverage!
Wayyy less intensely bitter. Sweeter. Spicier. Maybe white pepper. There is some greenery now too. Minty perhaps or maybe I am losing my mind. Still dry but less so?
Much more approachable. Fun and exciting. New tastes each time I revisited the glass. Started fruity sweet with tons of bite and dryness and finished with earthy savory much less bitter tannin bite but still present. Certainly cherry now but less tart more ripe.
It seems medium approachable. Not too aggressive but in no way at all is it dull.
One thing I found consistent was the nose. Always raspberry.
Initial open, oh no it is not for me. After a little bit of time and it turned into a really fun and enjoyable wine.
Thanks all. Fun to rat with ya.
Overall feels medium, approachable, and fun. Poured for the mrs who is notoriously not into reviewing anything and usually hits me with an ‘its ok’ or ‘oh no’-- We got a ‘pretty good!’
@connorbush appreciate the rattage - thanks
We’re happy to be sharing two of our most popular wines with you. Honestly, a fantastic deal…and perfect wine to pair with BBQ season. Any questions for the winemaker?
@comanchecellars Well, there’s a comment about AbV above that’s kind of a question not in the form of a question…
@comanchecellars
Thank you for hanging out on the threads! I’m a pretty big fan of these varietals and I have a few questions. Firstly, I apologize if these are elementary so please be patient with me! I love cab franc with steak and you mentioned good with bbq, the thing I don’t like is that sometimes there’s an over abundance of green bell pepper or green olive. Would you say this has that? I also love petit and am wondering if the tannins that were mentioned in the rattage would be mitigated with cellar time or decanting. Anyway, thank you very much and I appreciate your help!
@comanchecellars How long do you think you could cellar?
@canonizer you can safely cellar and enjoy for 3-4 years.
@mattkillpatty our Cab Franc does not have green pepper/olive. We get dusty raspberry. For the Petit Sirah, I believe it will mellow with time. And decanting would open it and give more flavors to override the tannins.
@comanchecellars well, in that case, I’m in for a case! Thank you!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2019 Comanche Cellars Mixed Reds - $40 = 16.66%
@chipgreen Our Cab Franc retails for $52 and our Petite Sirah is $38. Quite a deal!
I’m in for a case. Two of my favorite varietals and those lower ABVs make this an irresistable offerring. Thanks for the rattage, it really helped tip the balance!