Palisades Vineyard

Napa Valley

There was a time when Petite Sirah reigned supreme in Napa Valley.  In fact, it was the most widely planted grape in Napa Valley, serving as the base for many of those Napa Valley "clarets", until Cabernet Sauvignon overtook it in acreage in 1969.  Very little Petite Sirah in Napa remains today but there are occasional pockets of old vines left, mainly in the Calistoga area.  Palisades Vineyard, just north and east of Calistoga under the majestic Palisades cliffs, is one such pocket.  Originally planted in 1908 by Domenico Barberis, today the oldest blocks, including the block of Petite Sirah from which we source, date back to 1968.  Like most old-vine vineyards, the Petite Sirah here is on St. George rootstock and is head-pruned and dry-farmed.