2022 - Peterson Winery

Posted on 20 January 2022
By Mark Meissner

Greetings!

This week we bring you a producer probe featuring tiny production reds from Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley. Join us for a review of the PETERSON FAMILY Winery.

PETERSON is a small producer run by Fred Peterson and his son Jamie - these are soulful wines from Dry Creek Valley and they've been doing it for 30 years under the radar. Their delightful red blends harken the Old World, with layer upon layer of exotic flavors and aromas. And the Dry Creek climate delivers big and bold, but in Peterson's balanced and finessed way. The four wines will be on flight AND available in an attractively discounted 4-pack, perfect for ushering another round of snow cover Friday evening.

Valentines Day is just around the corner. We have a very limited and always, very special special set of offerings. See our offerings below and place your orders early this year! Or visit our 20 Degrees Chocolate boutique in South End.

The PETIT PHILIPPE retail store & tasting room remains OPEN and we simply ask that you wear your favorite mask when you shop with us. We also will continue to offer CONTACTLESS curbside/rear parking lot and home delivery.

Be well. And drink more PETERSON red!

Cheers -

Mark

this week's flight/tasting

PRODUCER PROBE:

PETERSON FAMILY Winery, Dry Creek Valley - Sonoma!

Primer

If you're a fan of Sonoma, we may have that perfect small-production winery you've probably never heard of... and they're located in the Dry Creek Valley sub-AVA.

Most Dry Creek fans would profess that this unique sub-appellation of Sonoma County is best suited for Zinfandel, but think again, Cabernet Sauvignon and the other Bordeaux varieties are grown here prolifically.

And what's interesting is that Dry Creek Cabernet is unlike the genre of Bordeaux varietals grown in the neighboring Napa Valley. Dry Creek offers not just the still-small family domaine-style viticultural model, but also, the fruit simply is unlike the sort found in Napa.

Dry Creek is hot, arid and benefits from even stronger cooling influences from the Pacific Ocean in the evenings. The grapes produced in Dry Creek Valley are very distinctive due also to the hillside red volcanic soil which is pervasive in the area. Lastly, the good drainage on the hillsides make for “stressed” vines that produce wines with powerful and distinctive flavors. So while Napa builds itself on opulent, approachable fruit, you can find world class wines with a strong identity in Sonoma, and in particular, Dry Creek. Moreover, the real estate doesn't require the Napa price point.

Enter the Peterson Family winery. They're is a small producer run by Fred Peterson (and now son Jamie), and they've been making soulful wines in the Dry Creek Valley for 30 years using their low-tech yet high-touch approach they call "Zero Manipulation."

Their Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard fruit showcases the BDX varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot - but the probably also has been successful with limited production GSMs.

The estate brings the intensity of Cabernet and complemented with exotic spice from Cabernet Franc, wonderful aromatics from Petit Verdot and plush fruit qualities from Merlot. Their delightful blends harken the Old World, with layer upon layer of exotic flavors and aromas. And the Dry Creek climate still delivers big and bold, but balanced and finessed. Their wines are never over-oaked or over-extracted - look for minerality and a spiciness that's layered into aromas of dark fruit, forest floor and modest oak across all their wines.

So if you love textbook black currant, blackberry and dark cherry coupled with bright, long finishing reds, this is a flight (or 4-pack special) you won't want to miss this snowy weekend. Join us for Peterson Family wine this week!

This week's PETERSON FAMILY wine FOUR-PACK

Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA:

Peterson Winery "Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard"

Dry Creek Valley Merlot 2017 - $42

80% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec

75 cases produced

Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Peterson Winery "Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard"

Dry Creek Valley Petit Verdot 2016 - $44

75% Petit Verdot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec

50 cases produced

Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Peterson Winery "Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard"

Dry Creek Valley G.S.M. 2016 - $40

57% Grenache, 29% Syrah, 14% Mourvedre

175 cases produced

Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Peterson Winery "Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard"

Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 - $47

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, 3% Malbec

225 cases produced

Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Pickup the 4-pack for $164.35 (Reg Retail $173) this week only!

Flight of 4 - $22/person (2.5 oz. pours)

TASTE ALL FOUR WINES IN THE TASTING ROOM:

Flight of 4 - $22/person (2.5 oz. pours)

WED-THURS-FRI 5-7:30pm

SATURDAY 1-7:30pm

OR ENJOY AT HOME WHEN YOU ORDER THE 4-PACK:

$173.00 regular retail

5% off - $164.35 this week only!

REPLY with your order via email

Peterson Winery

"Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard"

Dry Creek Valley Merlot 2017 - $42

80% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec

75 cases produced

Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Jamie Peterson’s Vintage View & Notes:

When we first planted Merlot in our Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard in the 1980s, it was mostly used as a blending component for our Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Estate Cabernet Franc. In the mid and late 90s, my father bottled small amounts of Merlot to showcase the delicious depth of flavors capable from this varietal. These wines have held up well for over 20 years. After a 10-year hiatus of not bottling a varietal Merlot, the quality of the grapes in 2012 convinced us to give this noble variety another round in the spotlight. In years when the grapes from our mountain vineyard are of exceptional depth, we will continue to produce a Merlot to satisfy its fervent fans. Combining all the soft, plush quality that Merlot is known for with the structure from grapes grown at our mountain vineyard site makes for a wine I am truly proud of and never shy to share at any gathering

Peterson Winery

"Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard"

Dry Creek Valley Petit Verdot 2016 - $44

75% Petit Verdot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec

50 cases produced

Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Fred Peterson’s Vintage View & Notes:

In 1983, when we began planting the Bradford Mountain Vineyard, I sourced Merlot and Cabernet Franc budwood from Newton Vineyard in the Napa Valley. John Kongsgaard, the winemaker/manager of Newton Vineyard, is a friend and former classmate of mine from UC Davis. When I arrived at the vineyard to make the cuttings, John mentioned that I might be interested in taking some Petit Verdot cuttings. He felt that it was an important component of their Bordeaux blends and might do well on Bradford Mountain. I cut enough Petit Verdot budwood to graft half of an acre of the rootstock we had planted in the spring. I subsequently learned that this Petit Verdot selection could be traced back to the Jackson Field Station in the Sierra Nevada foothills. This demonstration vineyard was planted in the 1880’s by Henry Hilgaard, the founder and first professor of the Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California. While always an important part of our Cabernet Sauvignon and Agraria blends, we never thought it would be bottled as a varietal wine. In 2010, Jamie put together a blend that showcased the savage qualities of both the variety and the Bradford Mountain terroir. The 2016 vintage was another vintage with the perfect growing season to fully ripen Petit Verdot, providing all of the classic characteristics.

Peterson Winery

"Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard"

Dry Creek Valley G.S.M. 2016 - $40

57% Grenache, 29% Syrah, 14% Mourvedre

175 cases produced

Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Jamie Peterson's Vintage View & Notes:

When we replanted the Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard in 2007, we were inspired to try different grape varieties. After multiple trips to the Rhone Valley of Southern France, the inspiration to plant Grenache was solidified. Without experience growing the varietal in our mountain vineyard, or making much in the winery, we weren’t sure what expression the resulting wines would put forward. Now we know. The Grenache from the mountain produces a high quality wine with all the classic characteristics of great Grenache—soft, luscious fruit, pepper and licorice spice, and some of the garriguey flavors, with the essence of minerality from the site coming through. Building on this base, we strived to create a blend with depth and complexity, while not overwhelming the nuances of the core. Each year we experiment and trial the different Rhone flavors from our mountain vineyard. Along with the Grenache, the wine has classic components of Syrah and Mourvèdre, balancing the wine beautifully and giving it potential to age for at least 7-10 years.

Peterson Winery

"Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard"

Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 - $47

80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, 3% Malbec

225 cases produced

Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Jamie Peterson's Vintage View & Notes:

This is our most terroir-driven wine: a Peterson wine that shouts out its origin with every sip. Our Bradford Mountain vineyards produce wine grapes with a unique and very recognizable minerality. That expression or sense of place reaches its apex in the Bradford Mountain Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The cuttings for this vineyard were brought when we moved from Mount Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the 1980’s. This selection, taken by Dr. Rixford in the 1880’s from Chateau Margaux, was planted at his La Questa Vineyard near Woodside in the Santa Cruz Mountains, from where it was propagated in new plantings elsewhere. It’s history and pedigree have shown to be second to none. The intensity of the Cabernet Sauvignon is complemented with exotic spice from Cabernet Franc, wonderful aromatics from Petit Verdot, and plush fruit qualities from Malbec and Merlot to create a wine that offers layer upon layer of flavors and aromas. Though big and bold, this is still a wine with balance and finesse. It is not one of those over-oaked and overextracted creations that are currently the rage with some wine critics yet have no place on the table, nor the potential for successful bottle aging. This is a wine that will definitely benefit from both bottle age and/or decanting to allow the wine to open and reveal all of its depth and complexity