Wine Last Sold on: September 7, 2012
VC Cellars
Featured Wine:
2006 Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah
| Varietal: | Petite Sirah |
| Region: | California: Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma) |
| Availability: | Limited |
| Avg. Price: | $28.00 |
| Wine Spies: | $22.00 |
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SUPERIOR WINE ALERT:
We only showcase wines that we love. While our emphasis is on quality first, every now and again we come across a real standout wine that rises above. When we do, we issue alerts like this one.
SUPER QPR ALERT:
At today’s special Wine Spies price, this wine delivers tremendous value - and a drinking experience that exceeds expectations, easily earning it this special QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) Alert.
Mission Codename: The Rise of Agent KGB
- Operative
- Agent Red
- Objective
- In response to reports that winemaker, Miro Tcholakov, was covertly making wine for wineries other than Miro Cellars and Trentadue Winery, we sent Agent Red keep Miro under close surveillance. Agent Red who confirmed that Miro is indeed making exceptional wines for VC Cellars, procured the final allotment of VC’s fantastic, award-winning Petite Sirah.
- Mission Status
- Accomplished!
- Winemaker
- Miro Tcholakov
Final Assessment
Thank you, Miro Tcholakov, and VC Cellars! Our Operatives have been practically begging us to procure a stellar Petite Sirah - and we’ve found it in your delicious 2006 VC Cellars Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah. Miro, who we affectionately dubbed “Agent KGB”, back in 2007, shows off his consistently excellent skills with this sometimes demanding varietal. All of Miro’s Petites have been just superb, and today’s example is no exception. This wine is big, layered and complex, but it has just enough acidity to give it a clean feel. The acidity also makes this wine an outstanding companion for a complex meal with each sip providing a flavorful cleanse of the palate. Pair with nearly anything, including a paella with spicy chorizo. Enjoy now, or cellar for the next several years.
Tasting Profile
Darkest magenta hures, with a deeper, slightly opaque heart. At the edges, a ring of pure ruby runs a thin circle around the wine. After swirling, tall legs take a very long time to appear. When they do, they take a very long time to descend.
Lush and richly layered, with abundant wild blackberry, black cherry, dark raspberry, spice and dried meats. Allow the wine to breathe and be rewarded with additional aromas of anise, bramble, leather and tobacco leaf.
Cool and light, at first sip. After a moment on the palate, and the wine settles in, gripping at the edges, with a mineral-laden dryness that spreads inward. Eventually, the tongue, lips and cheeks become dry, as medium-firm tannins add a complex and chewy feel.
Jammy blackberry, fresh blueberry, dark plum, tobacco leaf and slate take an early lead. As the wine opens, earthy cocoa, espresso bean, cedar, leather, pepper and sweet spice follow on.
Plump and ripe with layers of black and red fruit that very gradually tail off to reveal earthy spice, black pepper, leather and crush black flower petals. At the very end of the long finish, black pepper, anise and a hint of eucalyptus persist.
What the Winery Says
Awards and Accolades
- Double Gold — 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
- Gold Medal — 2010 Sonoma County Harvest Fair
- Varietal
- Petite Sirah
- Appellation
- Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California, US
- Producer
- VC Cellars
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Production
- 297 cases
- Bottle Size
- 750 ml
About the Winery
Just 12 acres, harvested by hand, spectacularly located on southwest facing hillside and benchland in Dry Creek Valley. Our wines feature three hearty, concentrated-fruit, food-loving varietals — Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon — all share the signature of our family’s long history with this land.
A focus on crafting delicious food-friendly wines
When Victor and Cindy Trentadue launched VC Cellars, they let their 30+ years of vineyard management experitse guide their decision to focus on three varietal standouts: Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Victor and Cindy limited their planting to just 12 acres on a gently sloping, southwest facing hillside in upper Dry Creek Valley.
The results have been more than mouthwatering — the first releases from 2005 and 2006 vintages brought home nearly a dozen awards from top wine competitions.
Our roots in Dry Creek Valley span generations: Located in the northwestern region of Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley has a rich history of ranching and fruit farming going back to the 1850s and has been the place called “home” for our family for several generations. In 1959, Victor’s parent, Evelyn and Leo Trentadue, decided to flee the developers encroaching on their apricot and cherry orchards in Sunnyvale, the area known today around the world as Silicon Valley. Finding a vibrant Italian farming community in Sonoma County, the Trentadues settled their family here and were among the very first to plant new grapevines in Sonoma County after the days of Prohibition. Dry Creek Valley was also great sheep farming territory and Victor took part in many sheerings down in the old barn — the chalk marks keeping count are still in evidence on the barn walls!
Victor and Cindy operate Four Seasons Vineyard Managment, which oversees 422 acres of grapevines throughout Sonoma County.
VC Cellars is joined on the shelf by their sister wine POUND HOUND, whose most dedicated ambassador is Abbey, the family’s Jack Russell Terrier. Pound Hound literally puts together the “pick of the litter” of each harvest, offering some of the most delicious industry “strays” at workday prices.
