Winery
of the Week:
Peterson - Dry Creek Valley, Ca
For
our third installment exploring wineries in Sonoma County's
Dry Creek Valley, we turn to Peterson. There, for over twenty-five
years, owner Fred Peterson has a passion for producing old-world
style wines. He and winemaker Jamie (his son), approach their
craft with a "Zero-Manipulation" philosophy. This
means each wine highlights the particular character of each
vineyard and each vintage, rather than consistently similar
style that mass-market wineries strive to achieve. From what
we tasted, the method is serving them well.
Click
on labels to enlarge |
Peterson
2012 Petite Sirah
Winery:
Peterson
Grape(s): 86% Petite Sirah, 7% Carignane,
& 7% Zinfandel
Region: Dry Creek Valley, Ca
Year:
2012
Special Designation: n/a
Farming Certification:
n/a
Price: 30-35
Review:
From a lovely purple hue comes aromas of blueberries,
blackberries, and black cherries, along with dark chocolate
and anise elements. Cocoa tannins carry flavors of blueberry,
cherry, and boysenberry into expressions of dark chocolate,
smoky vanilla, and violets on the palate. A rich, mouth-filling
wine that delivers opulent fruit now, but still has the
backbone to hold up to or a spicy steak fajita or a few
years in your cellar. 350 cases were made.
Rating: 90 |
|
Peterson
2013 Zinfandel
Winery:
Peterson
Grape(s): 85% Zinfandel, 8% Petite Sirah,
4% Grenache, & 3% Carignane
Region: Dry Creek Valley, Ca
Year:
2013
Special Designation: n/a
Farming Certification:
n/a
Price: 30-35
Review:
Blackberries, plums, and a nod of strawberries mingle
with dark chocolate and spice on the nose. A nice fruit
core of blackberry, cherry, and plum comes forth with
a sip, moving into chocolate, clove, and pepper accents.
Nice depth, good balance, this wine hits a lot of right
notes. 1,200 cases produced.
Rating: 90 |
|
Peterson
2012 Cabernet Sauvignon
Winery:
Peterson
Grape(s): 80% Cabernet, 10% Merlot, 7%
Cab Franc, & 3% Petit Verdot
Region: Dry Creek Valley, Ca
Year:
2012
Special Designation: n/a
Farming Certification:
n/a
Price: 35-40
Review:
The nose offers an array of aromas as cassis and blackberries
coalesce with bell pepper, cinnamon, and dark chocolate.
On the palate, flavors of currant and blackberry are rounded
out by herbaceous, barrel, and earthy notes. Nicely structured
and not nearly as fruit-forward as so many Cali Cabs,
it will do well with food or with a few years in the cellar.
750 cases were made.
Rating: 89+ |
|
Peterson
2013 Sangiovese
Winery:
Peterson
Grape(s): 100%
Sangiovese
Region: Dry Creek Valley, Ca
Year:
2013
Special Designation: n/a
Farming Certification:
n/a
Price: 25-30
Review:
A mix of spicy, earthy, and cherry aromas rise up from
a glass. Strawberry and bing cherry flavors interweave
with some earthy and peppery highlights on the palate.
If you're looking for light and fruit-driven, this wine
could be a little hearty for you, but if you prefer bolder
flavors, it is a winner. 275 cases produced.
Rating: 89 |
By
Jason Barlow
Other
Related Links:
96
— 100 |
Spectacular |
92
— 95 |
Outstanding |
89
— 91 |
Great |
85
— 88 |
Good |
81
— 84 |
Solid |
|
*Wines
rated with a "+" need
a bit more time to reach peak quality
but will
do so over the coming years
|