2014 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley
Tasting Notes
Classic aromas of leather, fresh-tilled earth, and fine-grain oak mingle with notes of red and black fruit. The silken entry reveals a bright acidity in this perfectly aged wine. The qualities found on the nose are repeated on the palate: rich loamy earth and kid-glove leather weave through dark cherry, blackberry, and pomegranate flavors. Hints of rhubarb, white floral, and brown spices appear mid-palate, adding interest and depth. A gentle structure of integrated tannins and oak frames this beautifully balanced Syrah.
An ideal wine to serve with an artisan cheese platter for dessert, or lamb shanks served over creamy polenta.
Specs
Composition: 93% Syrah, 6% Viognier & 1% Petite Sirah
Cooperage: 100% French oak barrels; 50% new, 25% 2-year-old & 25% 4-year-old
Bottling Date: February 2, 2017 (unfined & unfiltered)
Closure Type: Natural cork from MA Silva
Production: 75 cases
Release Date: August 2022
2015 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley
Tasting Notes
The nose only hints at the depth and beauty of this stunning Syrah. Aromas of vine-ripened blackberry mingle with fine-grain leather, creamy oak, loamy earth, and the essence of polished tannins. A silken mouthfeel quickly tames the robust tannins that dissipate as the wine breathes, letting the elegant and perfectly integrated flavors come through. Concentrated boysenberry, black plum, dark cherry, and huckleberry infused with luscious cocoa, black cardamom, lavender, and a cedar essence coat the palate and linger into a long finish. The seamlessly integrated structure steps back as the wine opens, allowing this sophisticated and graceful wine to shine.
Savor this Syrah as you enjoy a traditional osso buco or slow-cooked chicken mole served with handmade corn tortillas.
Specs
Composition: 93% Syrah, 6% Viognier & 1% Petite Sirah
These beautifully aged wines are reminiscent of a fine French Côte Rôtie (but without the import tax).
The “Gravity Flow Block” Syrah is the realization of a dream of mine to produce a Syrah grown on the most exposed, well-drained location on our Bradford Mountain vineyard. This rocky hillock directly behind my house on Bradford Mountain got its name from the fact that at the top sits our 10,000-gallon water tank that serves our house and garden via gravity flow. Though I had cleared the brush off the hill in the early 1990s, it remained unplanted through the remainder of the decade as I put my efforts into our new winery.
In March 2001, I planted the vineyard to 90% Syrah (five clones), 8% Viognier, and 2% Petite Sirah with the vines planted 3 feet apart in the row and 6 feet between rows. Though the rocky ground made digging the planting holes a pain, we dug extra large holes mixing the rocky parent soil with substantial quantities of compost to give the vines a jump-start. In 2003, we harvested and produced our first Syrah from this planting.
Our Gravity Flow Block Syrah is a big, flavorful wine, displaying the classic “iron fist in a velvet glove” qualities that are very representative of both the vintage and the vineyard on Bradford Mountain.
By co-fermenting the Syrah and Viognier (a nod to the methods of the Northern Rhone Valley in France), the union of aromas and flavors begin at the wine’s birth. The Viognier contributes significant yet subtle influences with its delicate floral and fruit components. The resulting wine is head-spinning with seductive aromas, big chewy, juicy flavors, and lots of fruit. And, at the core of this wine, you’ll discover that amazing mineral essence, the trademark of Bradford Mountain terroir.
What’s Included
2-bottles:
1x 2014 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley
1x 2015 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley
Case:
6x 2014 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley
6x 2015 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley
Peterson Winery has been producing wine in Dry Creek Valley for 30 years and, like most wineries in the Valley, produces Zinfandel as well as other wines. Yet a closer look shows that is where the similarities end.
Owner Fred Peterson is an iconoclast with an old world winemaking philosophy and a reverence for sustainable farming. The Peterson approach is to capture the essence of vintage and vineyard—a philosophy they call Zero Manipulation—with low tech, yet high touch, to produce wines of a place, wines with soul. The evolution of Peterson wines and winemaking accelerated when Fred’s son Jamie became assistant winemaker in the summer of 2002. In 2006, after moving from the tiny red barn on Lytton Springs to Timber Crest Farms, Jamie was given the overall responsibilities as winemaker. As a winegrowing team, Fred and Jamie assess the grapes from each vineyard and vintage as the season progresses, evaluating how the weather, soil and site are interacting for the particular vintage. At Peterson winery, the winemaking process begins while the grapes are still on the vines. Zero Manipulation is a discipline the Petersons follow to capture the character and balance of inherent in the grapes. Zero Manipulation means using the most gentle, traditional winemaking practices possible to maximize the flavors, aromatics and texture of the wines. Fred and Jamie celebrate vintage differences and don’t tweak or homogenize the wine to obtain consistency of flavors, a common practice in mass-market wineries. For Fred and Jamie, Peterson Winery is all about the wines. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll see the heart and soul that goes into every bottle.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Peterson Library Syrah from Dry Creek Valley
2 bottles for $54.99 $27.50/bottle + $4/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $239.99 $20/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Thursday night as I was pulling into the driveway after work the delivery man pulled in behind me. I couldn’t wait to get inside and open the box! We were very excited when we saw the 2014 Peterson Syrah. We spent some time in the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma, it is one of our favorite regions to visit. We decided we would wait until Friday night to open it and pair it with dinner.
When we opened the bottle, we poured a taste to compare the wine with and without food. The nose is beautiful and what I would expect from Dry Creek Valley, very earthy. The first sip I tasted the dry earth, but in addition, it had a hint of blackberry and plum coming through. We sat the bottle on the table as we grilled the meat and roasted the vegetables. This wine paired very well with grilled pork loin and roasted green beans. As the wine sat open the taste opened up and really came alive. More red fruit flavors came out with a hint of cinnamon (for me, not my husband).
We decided to save a glass for dessert and paired the wine with Belgium truffles. We were very pleased with our decision to have the wine with the chocolates. The richness of the chocolate added to the complexity of the wine and the taste of the oak. This wine is beautiful and would pairs nicely with grilled meat and dessert, I wish we would have started the meal with a small cheese plate.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Peterson Library Syrah - $90 = 27.26%
Thrilled to be contacted by Alice this week for a last-minute rattage.
Upon pop and pour, the nose is met mainly with dark bing cherry. The high-ish alchohol (15.5%) is also quite noticeable but doesn’t detract one bit.
Color in the glass is a beautiful dark ruby with nice legs. Flavors are somewhat complex. We got fig, plum, tart berries & black currant. After some time in the glass, the flavors didn’t change much - and that’s a good thing. The finish of this juice is velvety and satisfying.
We enjoyed this bottle with a traditional chile verde and fajita veggies. It was great. We could imagine this pairing well with most any red meat or bold plate. That said, no pairing is necessary. This bottle pleases all by itself.
Peterson Winery’s motto is “No Soulless Wines”. This bottle certainly lived up to that promise.
Easy decision - in for a case.
Thanks for the nice rats, and all who have already bought! Little late getting in to say hi, but family in town, and our first sunny and dry weekend in a solid month +.
We debated whether we wanted to offer this to Casemates or just to our club, but felt like it would be a great fit and mini reward for everyone. Only two barrels of the 2015 were made… and three barrels in 2014; peak of that stretch of drought years. My semi-joke on 2015’s is that we didn’t make a single wine under 15% alcohol. But the natural acidity in the wine is still higher than the 2014, keeping it lively and not at all tasting overripe. Both vintages have a lot to offer and I hope y’all enjoy! Will try and answer any questions later today if there are any
2014 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
2015 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley
Tasting Notes
Specs
About the Wine
What’s Included
2-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$576.00/Case for 6x 2014 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley + 6x 2015 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block, Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley (not online) at Peterson Winery
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Feb 13 - Wednesday, Feb 15
Peterson Library Syrah from Dry Creek Valley
2 bottles for $54.99 $27.50/bottle + $4/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $239.99 $20/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2014 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block
2015 Peterson Syrah, Gravity Flow Block
Huge alcohol on the 2015!
Funny comment on the import tax - wines from California are so often way more expensive than from France!
@klezman Generally true, although I’ve never seen Côte Rôtie at Casemates prices!
@worbx only on a couple random sales, yeah
Sure hope there are rats for this!
2014 Peterson Syrah
Thursday night as I was pulling into the driveway after work the delivery man pulled in behind me. I couldn’t wait to get inside and open the box! We were very excited when we saw the 2014 Peterson Syrah. We spent some time in the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma, it is one of our favorite regions to visit. We decided we would wait until Friday night to open it and pair it with dinner.
When we opened the bottle, we poured a taste to compare the wine with and without food. The nose is beautiful and what I would expect from Dry Creek Valley, very earthy. The first sip I tasted the dry earth, but in addition, it had a hint of blackberry and plum coming through. We sat the bottle on the table as we grilled the meat and roasted the vegetables. This wine paired very well with grilled pork loin and roasted green beans. As the wine sat open the taste opened up and really came alive. More red fruit flavors came out with a hint of cinnamon (for me, not my husband).
We decided to save a glass for dessert and paired the wine with Belgium truffles. We were very pleased with our decision to have the wine with the chocolates. The richness of the chocolate added to the complexity of the wine and the taste of the oak. This wine is beautiful and would pairs nicely with grilled meat and dessert, I wish we would have started the meal with a small cheese plate.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Peterson Library Syrah - $90 = 27.26%
2015 Peterson Library Syrah, Dry Creek Valley
Thrilled to be contacted by Alice this week for a last-minute rattage.
Upon pop and pour, the nose is met mainly with dark bing cherry. The high-ish alchohol (15.5%) is also quite noticeable but doesn’t detract one bit.
Color in the glass is a beautiful dark ruby with nice legs. Flavors are somewhat complex. We got fig, plum, tart berries & black currant. After some time in the glass, the flavors didn’t change much - and that’s a good thing. The finish of this juice is velvety and satisfying.
We enjoyed this bottle with a traditional chile verde and fajita veggies. It was great. We could imagine this pairing well with most any red meat or bold plate. That said, no pairing is necessary. This bottle pleases all by itself.
Peterson Winery’s motto is “No Soulless Wines”. This bottle certainly lived up to that promise.
Easy decision - in for a case.
Any interest in splitting a case from the SE MI folks?
@joe139 sure thing, I would take a pair
Happy New Year to you both!
@joe139 if you’re looking for a 3 way split, I’d be interested too.
@joe139 @ttboy23 @StellaDarling I grabbed a case too if we need more for splitting…
@joe139 @kasandrae @StellaDarling @ttboy23 Do you have all the takers you need? I would take 6 or 4, if someone has excess.
SoCal (SD?) 3-way splits?
@rjquillin I could do 4
@accs Thanks
After getting a couple cases of the Malbec for daily drinkers, it was an easy decision to pass up this offer - so… In for a case.
Anyone in Syracuse NY up for a case split
/giphy adaptable-muscular-magpie
Peterson = Buy. In for a case.
Anyone in PDX want half a case? I would love to try their higher end wine but I don’t think I need a whole case
/giphy indigo-boisterous-sponge
Damn! Wasn’t paying attention and put a case in the cart only to have it tell me they can’t ship to Kansas!
Thanks for the nice rats, and all who have already bought! Little late getting in to say hi, but family in town, and our first sunny and dry weekend in a solid month +.
We debated whether we wanted to offer this to Casemates or just to our club, but felt like it would be a great fit and mini reward for everyone. Only two barrels of the 2015 were made… and three barrels in 2014; peak of that stretch of drought years. My semi-joke on 2015’s is that we didn’t make a single wine under 15% alcohol. But the natural acidity in the wine is still higher than the 2014, keeping it lively and not at all tasting overripe. Both vintages have a lot to offer and I hope y’all enjoy! Will try and answer any questions later today if there are any
Can’t pass it up. Case ordered.
/giphy optimal-zippy-roll
Well, thanks to @PetersonWinery comments, I am in too. I love small-batch stuff!
/giphy flexible-uneasy-anteater
Thanks Always great wine
, in for a case -
prudish-miraculously-square
I have always enjoyed the Peterson wines. Particularly, like the pH numbers on these wines. I’m in.
Cheers,
Scott
Love Peterson wines. Anyone in West MI down to split a case?