Lava Cap Reserve Petite Sirah 2018

Lava Cap is a family-owned winery in Placerville, California. The Jones family planted their first vines in 1981 and opened the winery in 1986 on a special site in the heart of the Sierra Foothills. The family of geologists specifically selected this location for its prime volcanic soil that is particularly well suited to growing fine wine grapes. They named their new business after this unique "lava cap," where their grapes flourish in the volcanic soil, warmed by the foothill sunshine and cooled by gentle Sierra night breezes.

Beginning with the first vintage in 1986, Lava Cap wines continue to win a steady stream of gold medals and awards from across the country each year. Their winemaking philosophy is to express the elegant and complex varietal character from each block of the family's vineyards. The winemaker, Joe Norman, handcrafts each wine using artisan production techniques to create wines with full flavor and depth. The vineyard manager, Charlie Jones, uses sustainable vineyard practices and integrated vineyard management strategies, he strives to cultivate optimum quality fruit while protecting our environment and ensuring a healthy ecosystem.

The 2018 Petite Sirah has notes of elegant wild licorice, blueberries, and complex oak. With a sip, the massive wine slams the palate with a stampede of plum and white pepper flavors which perfectly transition to blackberry and a long vanilla-cola finish. Lava Cap sourced grapes from 2 vineyards for the 2018 Petite Sirah. The Granite Hill vineyard and the Leahy Vineyard. Both vineyards consistently produce highly decorated Petite Sirah wine. The soil in the Granite hill is a granitic loam giving the grapes plenty of water and nutrients that allow the vines to develop complexity and depth with a lengthy growing season. The Leahy vineyard grows in decomposed, iron-rich slate, the perfect medium for a low yield and high stress vineyard, resulting in grapes of intense dark-fruit flavors.