synergy fine wines

The 2005 August Briggs Lake County Petite Sirah is our sixth vintage from this beautiful Lake County vineyard. This full bodied wine was produced from Black Rock vineyard located in the red hills between Lakeport and the city of Lower Lake off the southern shore of Clearlake. The vineyard is quite unique being planted on a bed of broken obsidian and dark red soil. The vines are head trained in the old style, thus yielding two to three tons per acre.

Petite sirah is known for its deep color and powerful flavors and this offering fits the bill. It has a deep, dark, ruby red color. A solid blueberry fruit core is framed by dark chocolate/espresso flavors, a rustic spiciness and plenty of tannin.

The grapes were harvested at 25.0 brix with a total acid of 0.47 g/100ml & a pH of 3.77. They were destemmed into a small open-topped fermenter and punched down twice daily by hand. After completion of fermentation the wine was drained, pressed and inoculated with a malo-lactic culture. Completion of malo-lactic fermentation was allowed while aging in 35% new Demptos American oak barrels and 65% two and three year old French barrels. Barrel aging lasted 16 months prior to bottling.