{2020 Petite Sirah – Naylor Vineyard}

Another delightful Petite Sirah from Bill and Trish Naylor's heritage Petite Sirah vineyard, and the Cedarville Posse's defending champion. Restrained, elegant, yet surprisingly ripe and layered with blackberry, toasty oak, freshly cracked black pepper, and a long finish. This vintage shows the energy of the 2018 and hints of the 2017's ripeness.

Blend: 100% Petite Sirah
Price: $29 on May 3rd)
Cases Produced: 52, bottled without filtration

Bill and Trish Naylor's heritage Petite Sirah vineyard continues to amaze us, and is a Cedarville Posse favorite. After 20 vintages working with the grapes from this vineyard, we thought we knew it through and through. Then along comes this vivacious 2018. Bright and energetic, along with our usual fresh blackberry, cracked black pepper and refined tannins. This vintage has a terrific presence, along with a core of matching ripeness. A lively expression. Bottled without filtration.

Blend: 100% Petite Sirah
Price: $26 ($29 on May 3rd)
Cases Produced: 80

Entering its fifth decade, Bill and Trish Naylor's heritage Petite Sirah vineyard gave us a huge and delicious wine in 2017! Blackberry, chocolate truffle, and toasty oak aromas jump from the glass, and big, creamy, chocolate flavors balanced by loads of soft tannins lead to a long finish. It’s a blockbuster, like our 2014 Petite Sirah. Bottled without filtration
92 pts. Wine Enthusiast

Blend: 100% Petite Sirah
Price: $29
Cases Produced: 75

Bill and Trish Naylor's heritage Petite Sirah vines were in their 40th growing season in 2016.  Back in 2000, Bill surprised us when he delivered a half ton of his Petite Sirah grapes to our crushpad, as we thought grapes from their vineyard were unavailable.  So we struck a deal with the Naylors in 2001 to begin our own version of Naylor Vineyard Petite Sirah.  The 2016 rendition has classic blackberry and freshly cracked black pepper aromas, which flow from nose to mouth with beautiful dark chocolate and blackberry flavors, framed by mellow tannins and a rich finish.  Like all our 2016 reds, this is a very elegant Petite Sirah.  Bottled without filtration.   

Blend:  100% Petite Sirah
Cases Produced:  74

Bill and Trish Naylor's beautiful head-trained vines are now entering their fifth decade, living on a perfect southwest exposure at 2,700 ft. elevation here in Fair Play.  They give us a delightful expression of Petite Sirah.  This wine has dark color (of course, it’s Petite!), with bold aromas of blackberries, dark chocolate and fresh cracked black peppercorns. Blackberries and chocolate flavors coat the mouth, along with plush tannins that linger on the long finish. The 2015 vintage is all about elegance and scale - it's a  classic Petite Sirah.  Bottled without filtration.

Blend:  100% Petite Sirah
Cases Produced:  94

Even at 2700 ft. elevation, this venerable vineyard (circa 1977) is located in what owners Bill and Trish Naylor call a "banana belt".  Indeed, this site does have a little extra warmth which gives us the ripeness we enjoy in our Petite Sirah.   We must warn you, this is a big wine, weighing in at 15.8% alcohol, yet totally dry and with lots of elegance.  The wine has deep color (of course), creamy oak, intense dark berry and cedar aromas, with rich texture, plentiful elegant tannins, and loads of dark chocolate and boysenberry flavors.   Bottled without filtration.   

Planted in 1977 at 2700 ft. elevation one mile east of us here in Fair Play in similar decomposed granite soils, Bill and Trish Naylor's Petite Sirah vineyard is a local treasure.  The gnarled old vines on the southwest slope of this 4 acre vineyard are farmed exclusively for Cedarville, and give us the level of ripeness and flavors we love in our Petite Sirah.  Fresh blackberry, dark chocolate, espresso bean, and pretty oak flavors in the mouth are framed by large but nicely integrated tannins.  This elegant and traditionally-styled Petite Sirah will age beautifully. Bottled without filtration. 

Bill and Trish Naylor's Petite Sirah vineyard, planted in 1977 at 2700 ft. elevation here in Fair Play, is located about a mile and a half due east of Cedarville Vineyard. The 2012 Petite Sirah has a gorgeous nose, full of anise, cracked black peppercorns, espresso, and hints of toasty oak. The aforementioned ripeness is present in the blackberry and dark chocolate flavors balanced with nicely integrated tannins and a touch of crispness on the finish which pulls it all together. It's remarkably enjoyable for a young Petite Sirah, but like all our previous vintages, it will age gracefully.  Bottled without filtrationacilisi.

Our section of the beautiful old Petite Sirah vines on Bill and Trish Naylor's vineyard face southwest, ensuring full ripeness, even in cooler years like 2010. Situated at 2,700 feet elevation here in Fair Play, this exposure makes it a little "banana belt", capturing and retaining warmer air. This exposure plus a smaller crop led to big flavor development. This inky red wine is bursting with blackberries, orange peel and dark chocolate, with granitic notes and loads of fine, soft tannins.

Planted in 1977, Bill and Trish Naylor offered grapes to us in 2000. We've learned a lot about making this Petite Sirah over the past 10 vintages. We've experimented with sun exposures, crop levels, fermentation techniques, French and American oak barrels, and varying levels of ripeness – all in an attempt to improve the wine without losing its intrinsic beauty. In 2009, we think we hit the nail on the head. This wine has pretty blackberry and dark cherry fruit, toasty oak notes, mouth coating and remarkably fine tannins, and ends with a lovely, long finish. This is what we want in our Petite Sirah -- ripeness, structure, and elegance.
Blend: 95% Petite Sirah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

Bill and Trish Naylor's Petite Sirah vines were planted in Fair Play in 1977, before a single winery had been established up here.  It was a bold and optimistic thing to do.  Petite Sirah has turned out to be well-suited to our soil and climate, just as Fair Play has become a vibrant winery community. 

The high elevation dry farmed Petite Sirah grapes from this mountain top vineyard express a unique sense of place.  The 2008 Petite Sirah displays aromas of fresh cracked black pepper, black cherry, and espresso, with this vintage's big, yet elegant tannins.  As with all our prior vintages of Petite Sirah, it will continue to develop in the bottle and offer delicious drinking for years to come.  If you love Petite Sirah, you'll be a fan of this vintage. 

Blend:  95% Petite Sirah, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

Bill and Trish Naylor's Petite Sirah vineyard sits at 2700' elevation on a ridge top above the middle fork of the Cosumnes River, here in Fair Play, about a mile from our estate vineyard.  Planted in 1977, these head trained, dry farmed (non-irrigated), and low yielding vines grow in the same decomposed granite soil we have here at Cedarville.  We have an acre and a half block of the Naylor Vineyard that is exclusively ours – all of our Petites since 2002 have come from this block.

The 2007 Petite Sirah shows a terrific sense of place.   The wine is filled with aromas and flavors of freshly cracked black pepper, dark cherry and minerals, along with hints of cedar and cocoa.  Juicy acidity and refined tannins complete a concentrated and textured wine, one which is definitely influenced by our granitic soils and the superb ripeness of the 2007 vintage. 

Making a delicious Petite Sirah is no easy task, especially if you like it with Petite's signature tannin, as we do. Ripeness and balance are key, in the vineyard and in the winery. Bill and Trish Naylor's Petite Sirah vineyard is the oldest, and at 2700 feet, possibly the highest elevation in Fair Play. Yields are low, flavors are intense. With a view of Mt. Diablo to the west, and situated above the Middle Fork of the Cosumnes River below, the fruit from this vineyard gives us a unique and pure expression of Petite Sirah. The 2006 Petite is full of smoky blackberry and mineral aromatics, with big, ripe flavors and well-mannered tannins in the mouth and a long fresh-cracked black pepper finish. It is classic Fair Play Petite Sirah with a tremendous sense of place.

Vineyard: Naylor Vineyard, in Fair Play, El Dorado, at 2700 ft. elevation

Blend: 95% Petite Sirah, 5% Syrah

Price: $27

Cases Produced: 269

Bill and Trish Naylor's 30 year old, 4 acre Petite Sirah vineyard is one mile away from us at the 2700 feet elevation here in Fair Play.  When we decided to begin working with the Naylor's Petite Sirah in 2001, we harvested a selection of grapes from the entire four acres in hopes of finding a preferred acre among the four. Two of the four acres rest on a relatively flat plateau, the other two on a on a southwest facing slope. In 2002, we decided to claim one of the two southwest facing acres as ours alone. Our 2002, 2003, and 2004 Petite Sirah are exclusively from this acre, and we are exceptionally happy with these wines. We kept a watchful eye on the other southwest acre, and in 2005 decided to harvest grapes from it, too. We'll continue to harvest these entire two acres for the foreseeable future. This is all good news, giving us more barrels of Petite Sirah to choose from for our final blend, and more Petite Sirah for you to enjoy, beginning with this vintage!

Vineyard: Naylor Vineyard, in Fair Play, El Dorado, at 2700 ft. elevation

Blend: 95% Petite Sirah, 5% Zinfandel

Price: $25

Cases Produced: 271

Tasting Note: Our 2005  Petite Sirah leads off in the nose with classic freshly cracked black pepper and dark cherry aromas, root spices and dark chocolate flavors, with big, yet soft tannins – and again, the classicity that seems to be the hallmark of our 2005 vintage wines.  This wine should develop beautifully in the bottle for years to come. 

Those of us who enjoy Petite Sirah don't expect it to be some kind of elegant, fancy-pants wine.  Contrary to its cute moniker, Petite Sirah is anything but petite. Like all three of our previous vintages of Petite Sirah, our 2004 hails from the southwest facing slope of Bill and Trish Naylor's Petite Sirah vineyard, at 2,700 ft. elevation here in Fair Play. We can see this vineyard from our front porch, and these 30 year old vines are some of the oldest in Fair Play.

Vineyard: Naylor Vineyard, in Fair Play, El Dorado, at 2700 ft. elevation

Blend: 96% Zinfandel, 4% Petite Sirah

15.5 % alcohol

Price: $25

Cases Produced: 196

Tasting Note: The 2004 is a classic ripe vintage Petite Sirah.  Incredibly inky color, with aromas of fresh cracked black pepper, blackberries, and cocoa, followed by sweet blackberry, dark chocolate and creamy flavors with nice texture and lots of sweet, integrated tannins.  It's a powerhouse of a wine - big and generous in every direction.

Like the 2001 & 2002, our 2003 Petite Sirah hails from an exceptional one acre block of Bill and Trish Naylor's Petite Sirah vineyard, at 2,700 ft. elevation right here in Fair Play. At 25-30 years old, these vines are some of the oldest in Fair Play. The steep, one acre vineyard block that is ours exclusively has a sunny southwest exposure, is naturally low yielding (2 tons/acre in 2003), and delivers wonderfully ripened grapes. Vineyard: Naylor Vineyard, in Fair Play, El Dorado, at 2700 ft. elevation 14.7 % alcohol Price: $25 Cases Produced: 164 Tasting Note: The 2003 shouts Petite Sirah! Aromas of blackberry, anise, black pepper and wood smoke leap from the glass, followed by sweet blackberry and milk chocolate flavors, with nice texture backed by balancing acidity and, of course, loads of inky color and plenty of soft tannin.

 

As we have discovered, folks who like Petite Sirah REALLY like Petite Sirah. If you fall in this camp, you'll find a whole lot to like in our 2002 version. In 2002, which was our second vintage of Petite Sirah, we were looking for something a little "extra" from the grapes. So, we began working exclusively with what we think is an exceptional one acre block of Bill and Trish Naylor's vineyard, and we'll continue to work with this same block in the future. It's the steepest part of this old vineyard and has a sunny southwest exposure. The vines in our block are naturally lower yielding than the rest of the vineyard and the grapes tend to get a little riper - we find the flavors that develop are very much to our liking.

Vineyard: Naylor Vineyard, in Fair Play, El Dorado, at 2700 ft. elevation

14.7 % alcohol

Price: $22

Cases Produced: 162

Tasting Note: Ripe aromas of blackberry, dark chocolate and wood smoke leap from the glass, followed by mocha, blackberry, and sweet cream flavors. This dark colored, inky wine has delicious texture with plenty of fine, soft tannins and nice acidity. We are very pleased with this wine, and feel it expresses the magic of this esteemed vineyard.

Our vineyard consultant, Bill Naylor and his spouse Trish, own a small and very highly regarded Petite Sirah vineyard here in Fair Play. Situated on a southwest slope at 2700 ft. elevation, the Naylor Vineyard Petite Sirah grapes have been a part of many legendary Petites from our area. Planted in the late 70s, the vineyard is low yielding, dry farmed (non-irrigated), head trained and spur pruned. We promised ourselves if some of these grapes ever became available to us, we'd break our "estate- fruit-only" rule and make wine from them. So, here it is Petite Sirah fans, our first ever!

Vineyard: Naylor Vineyard

13.7% alcohol

Price: $22

Cases Produced: 168

Tasting Note: Aromas of blackberry and blueberry emerge first, followed by cinnamon, dried herbs, and a light toasty quality. The flavors are chocolate and black pepper, with hints of dried cranberry. The tannins are mouth- watering, as you'd expect from this wonderfully unique grape variety, and a long, dark chocolate finish will reward a match with robust food.