Sometimes when I buy wine during the pandemic, I approach it with the same attitude as at the grocery store – if you see it and you think you might want it someday, you’d better buy it now. And that’s how I ended up with a sampling of enough Pierce Ranch varietals to last me a whole year!
I introduced you to Pierce Ranch Vineyards and several of its wines back in October, including the 2015 Petite Sirah: https://decantingmonterey.com/pierce-ranch-eclectic-varietals-from-the-san-antonio-ava/. I mentioned there that their wines received many awards in the 2020 Monterey International Wine Competition, including Gold Medal and Best Tempranillo for their 2017 Tempranillo and Silver for the 2017 Petite Sirah – those are the wines in today’s post!
And, as a brief refresher, Pierce Ranch Vineyards is a small, family-owned operation. From Pierce Vineyards web page: “Pierce Ranch Vineyards is a small, family-owned operation centered in southern Monterey County’s San Antonio Valley appellation. We produce limited-run, estate-grown wines with an emphasis on Spanish and Portuguese varieties.”
2017 Pierce Ranch Tempranillo, San Antonio AVA, 13.1% ABV, $28 (#236*)
About the 2017 Tempranillo: “…Located in the southernmost tip of Monterey County, the newly declared San Antonio Valley appellation is already showing itself to be an ideal region for producing nuanced, complex Petite Sirah. Consisting entirely of fruit sourced from our Y Ranch Vineyard’s rocky, hillside Block 1, this, our 2015 bottling, provides and elegant expression of the variety with excellent depth and solid tannic structure. Produced on a very limited scale, it was fermented in small lots and then aged, unracked, in French oak for 18 months. Aromas and flavors of blueberry, black currant, and black plum combined with a savory component and traces of spice.”
My Review: Cherry, blueberry on the rich palate, with currant and a mellow mocha on the finish. November 2020
2017 Pierce Ranch Petite Sirah, San Antonio AVA, 15.3% ABV, $28 (#237*) (gratis)
About the 2017 Petite Sirah: “Located in the southernmost tip of Monterey County, the newly declared San Antonio Valley appellation is already showing itself to be an ideal region for producing nuanced, complex Petite Sirah. Consisting entirely of fruit sourced from our Y Ranch Vineyard’s rocky, hillside Block 1, this 2017 estate bottling provides and elegant expression of the variety with excellent depth and solid tannic structure. A limited run, it was fermented using only native yeasts and aged in primarily neutral French oak for 18 months. Aromas and flavors of blueberry, black currant, and black plum combine with a savory component and traces of spice.” Awarded a Silver Medal at the 2020 Monterey International Wine Competition.
My Review: Dense ruby in color. Deep cherry blueberry and blackberry on the nose. After opening up, smooth, rich dark cherry and berries with a tasty finish. Super good. Petite Sirah continues to be my favorite Pierce Ranch varietal. This wine was given to me by Pierce Ranch – I will always let you know when I have been comped a wine. December 2020
Check out the Piece Ranch Vineyards webpage and Facebook page for their current releases and specials. This might be the chance to get some of their wines before they sell out (such small production means the favorites are gone before we even know they are there. Their tasting room in Cannery Row is open for shopping. You can order their wines via Pierce Vineyard Tasting Room or at (831) 372-8900, and they’ll arrange for curbside pickup or shipping (which is just $5 anywhere in California). Also, they now ship to DC and Virginia, my friends! Maybe a future Washington Wine & Cheese Seminar (WWCS) offering??
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
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