NEWS & PRESS

Tasting Notes : A cheeky little wine

Steve Sweet — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:23:11 GMT

Dallas Morning News

July 15, 2005

Tasting Notes : A cheeky little wine

Just for fun, California’s Peirano Estate Vineyards has released “The Other”. As in “This” (70 percent Syrah), “That” (20 percent Petite Sirah) and “The Other” (10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon). The “sin-sually delicious” wine also happens to feature artwork of a nude woman on its label.

More Interesting than the name and label, though, is the response the wine has been getting since its April release in the Dallas market. At its introductory tasting at Fireside Pies, the wine generated so much buzz that the distributor had to hustle over two more cases.

The Other comes on with rich, Fruit-forward raspberry and cherry notes edged by pink peppercorn and earthy porcini mushrooms. You expect it to be big in your mouth. But instead, its smooth and voluptuous, a wine you might pair with pork roast or seared tuna. Or certain pizzas; it’s still on the wine list at Fireside.

--Kim Pierce, Dallas Morning News

Lodi is now one of California’s up-and-coming wine regions

Steve Sweet — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:36:28 GMT

Quarterly Review of Wines

Spring 2005

“…Lodi is now one of California’s up-and-coming wine regions.”

“Another Lodi advocate of old-vine Zinfandel is Lance Randolph, owner of Peirano Estate. He says that his 75-acre block, part of the 300-acre estate, is ‘perhaps the largest block of old head-trained, natural rooted Zinfandel left in California.’ Randolph’s great-grandfather Giacomo Peirano, a native of Genoa, Italy, first planted vines in Lodi in 1895. Today, Peirano is known for Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Syrah.

“Peirano bottles at two levels, the affordable Peirano Estate wines, $10, and the Heritage Collection, $15-$19. While the estate wines are solid and varietally correct, often with dense layered flavors, the Heritage Collection wines are complex and distinctive, fully worth the additional dollars. Peirano Estate 1998 Old Vine Zinfandel, $10, was a little jammy with big ripe berry flavors, while the Peirano Heritage Collection 1999 Old Vine Zinfandel, $19, was dense and rich with lovely blackberry flavors and hints of spice. For my money the quality difference between the estate and Heritage Collection Peirano Shirazes made the point even more. Peirano Estate 1998 Shiraz, a real bargain at $10, is bright and textured with layered fruit, but the Heritage Collection 1999 Shiraz, $17, is loaded with black cherry and blackberry flavors and has a great structure and texture.”

From the article on Lodi wines and wineries by wine writer Gerald Boyd

Peirano proves Lodi Makes good white wine, too

Steve Sweet — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:38:23 GMT

Peirano proves Lodi makes good white wine, too

Cheers from the Vineyard April 23, 2005

Jack Eddy

San Joaquin News Service

Toss out the stereotype that Lodi can only produce good Zinfandel wines. Peirano Estate Vineyards owner Lance Randolph and his assistant, Michael Carr, are making great white wines, too, especially Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.

Says Randolph on his winery web site: “Lodi has turned into the leading producer of Sauvignon Blanc in the State of California simply because this is one of the best areas in the world for this variety to thrive.”

Randolph could say the same for Viognier since his 2001 vintage was featured on CNBC as the best compliment for a Thanksgiving feast. Although Thanksgiving is long gone, the 2001 Peirano Estate Viognier Heritage Collection ($15 a bottle) remains a classic.

The are hints of peach, tangerine and flowers in the aroma and hints of honey and tangerine in the flavor of this well-crafted white Rhone wine. The best flavors come near the end when hints of oak (from eight months of resting in French oak barrels) combine with kiwi.

The 2001 Viognier is a mix of acid and sweetness – two intangibles that Randolph plays with every year.

“It’s and inconsistent grape,” he says of Viognier, “but this is the best place to grow it. In 1998, there were perhaps a half dozen viogniers on the market, now there are 40 to 60. It has great potential and a cult following.”

Viognier has crowded the white wine market, and in some ways has made Sauvignon Blanc a less appealing grape to grow.

But not at Peirano Estate, where Carr takes Randolph’s grapes and creates a masterpiece of “down under” flavors in the Aussie and New Zealand style. Randolph says his 2002 Peirano Estate Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Heritage Collection ($12) illustrates how the Lodi Appellation can duplicate the ripe gooseberry flavor found in wines from Australia and New Zealand.

You don’t expect layers of flavors in a $12 white wine. How about honeysuckle, apple, pear, lemon and a touch of apricot?

To gain this astonishing mix of fruits, Randolph cut back on irrigation, forcing the roots of his vines to go deep into the aquifer beneath the soil. His crews did periodic leaf-pulling to ensure consistent ripening within the bunches of grapes, and Randolph increased the grapes’ hang time on the vines. This raised the sugar content in the grapes that were hand-harvested. During the crush, the grapes were squeezed gently in a bladder press. The juice was cold-fermented for nearly two weeks and barreled for six months in neutral oak to balance the acids.

The judges seem to think highly of this atypical California Sauvignon Blanc, giving it high honors such as the 2003 American Wine Society Commercial Wine Competition medal and the featured spot on the table at the Cultures of California Winemakers Dinner.

Not too bad for a Lodi winery with the largest plot of old vine zinfandel grapes in California.

Peirano Estate, 21831 North Highway 99, in Acampo, is open for tastings from 11am to 4:30 pm, Wednesdays through Sundays, and by appointment. Call 369-9463 or visit www.peirano.com.

Peirano Estate Petite Sirah Places in ‘TOP TEN’

Steve Sweet — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:42:29 GMT

PEIRANO ESTATE PETITE SIRAH PLACES IN ‘TOP TEN’ IN NEW YORK TIMES TASTING

Lodi, Ca - - - for immediate release - - - Peirano Estate Vineyards, one of the Lodi Appellation’s top producers of grapes and wine, had their Heritage Collection Petite Sirah included in the ‘Top Ten’ of a Petite Sirah tasting recently published by the New York Times. The panel, coordinated by Eric Asimov for his ‘Wines of the Times’ column, also included Mark Golodetz, a contributing editor to Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
The panel tasted a wide price range of Petites, from $11 to $79 a bottle, with the Peirano Estate being on of the best bargains at only $14. As a whole, the panel found the top ten wines to be well balanced, not just with regard to fruit and tannin, but restrained alcohol levels as well. The Peirano Estate Petite Sirah was chosen for its balance, as well as “…a lot of fruit with some intriguing flavors.” to quote from the piece.
The high quality of the estate grown fruit, as well as careful winemaking practices, are the hallmark of the Peirano Estate Petite Sirah, and their entire line of award-winning wines. For more information on Peirano Estate, contact them through their website at www.peirano.com, or by phone at 209-369-9463.

Peirano Estate Awarded Gold Medals

Steve Sweet — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:50:26 GMT

PEIRANO ESTATE AWARDED GOLD MEDALS AT INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION
Proceeds from event benefit children with cancer and their families

Lodi, CA - - - for immediate release - - - Peirano Estate Vineyards, one of the Lodi Appellation’s premier grape growers and wine producers, was awarded several medals for their wines, including 2 Gold Medals, at the recently held Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. Peirano Estate received Gold Medals for their 2003 Barbera and 2003 Petite Sirah, both from The Heritage Collection. They also garnered medals for their 2004 Autumn’s Blush, as well as 2003 ‘The Other’ red blend. Competition was tough, with well over 1,000 entries from around the world, so any medal, especially a Gold, is highly prized.
In addition, the net proceeds from this event, along with companion wine action and dinner gala, benefit Camp Good Days and Happy Times, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and their families whose lives have been touched by cancer and other life threatening challenges through residential camping programs and year-round activities and events, based in the Finger Lakes region of New York. In a statement from Peirano Estate, “We are honored by the recognition our wines received, but we are even more touched to be able to help such a worth while organization.” For more information on Peirano Estate Vineyards, please contact them at 209-369-9463, or through their website at www.peirano.com.

Peirano Estate Vineyards Scores Big with Quality and Value

Steve Sweet — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:58:16 GMT

PEIRANO ESTATE VINEYARDS SCORES BIG WITH QUALITY AND VALUE AT CHICAGO VALUE WINE CHALLENGE

Lodi, CA. - - - for immediate release - - - Peirano Estate Vineyards, one of the Lodi Appellation’s leading growers and wine producers, landed several wines in the ‘Top 50’ at the recently held 2005 Chicago Value Wine Challenge. This judging rates wines with suggested retails of $15 and under from all over the world. Peirano Estate placed very well, with ‘Top 50’ honors going to their 2003 Petite Sirah (which tied for highest rated Petite Sirah), 2003 Barbera (which was also the highest scoring Barbera in the competition), 2004 ‘The Other’ white blend and 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon. In addition, Peirano Estate also placed their Autumn’s Blush (a White Cabernet) in the ‘Top 10’ of wines with suggested retails of $6 and under.
This fantastic showing of Peirano Estate’s Lodi Appellation wines once again has impressed judges with it combination of quality and value. Starting with great grapes and attention to detail, Peirano Estate wines are a great match with a wide variety of foods. For more information on Peirano Estate Vineyards, contact them at 209-369-9463, or through their website at http://www.peirano.com/.