As many of you know by now, my father-in-law is an avid Napa Valley enthusiast, and has quite the extensive wine cellar. On a recent visit to Napa, he had the privilege of not only touring a couple of the vineyards that partner with Three Clicks winery, but also participating in one of the harvests. I was excited to enjoy a bottle of the 2011 Petite Sirah since it has a rather limited production release of only 125 cases.

Three Clicks is a collaboration between winemakers Bruce Devlin and Dirk Hampson who share a philosophy to craft the “best quality wine from premium vineyard sources in the Napa Valley”. Their vision is to make the kind of wines they want to drink, and then be able to share them with everyone else. The name Three Clicks honours journalist Harry Allen Smith, who reportedly “bribed a telegraph operator to send a “three-click” advance warning just before sending out the message that Prohibition had been repealed”. He was therefore able to become the first American to legally drink an alcoholic beverage after the Prohibition repeal in 1933.

The grapes for the 2011 vintage were sourced from 2 small family vineyards in Calistoga, the Citron vineyard and Gary Branham’s Obsidian vineyard. The winemaker states that it can cellar for 10-15 years, however, “our preference is to drink them younger and more fruit forward in the 6 month to 2 year window”.

Dark red-violet in colour with aromas of cherry and earthy minerals. Blueberry, cranberry and tangy cherry fruits ran atop an earthy undercurrent, whilst toasted oak and traces of baking spices comprised the moderate finish. A refined and easy drinking glass with a fantastic balance of fruit, spice and invigorating tartness, each sip will keep you reaching for more.

100% Petite Sirah
Napa Valley
California
Produced and Bottled by Three Clicks Wines, St. Helena
$38 [average price]
Enjoy now thru 2021

Petite Sirah is one of my favourite grapes. It’s essentially a comfort food grape for me. There’s something about its lush, sweet and spice velvetiness that’s like snuggling up in a cozy blanket. There is also a certain sense of effortlessness to it, I generally always enjoy every Petite Sirah varietal or blend bottle. Even though I’ve heard mixed reviews about the Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah 2008, I wanted to give it a try. I’m a strong supporter of sustainable farming and land preservation, so I admire their mantra of “We believe preservation of vineyard and agricultural lands protects our quality of life.” Additionally, they were the first vineyard in California to bottle Petite Sirah over 40 years ago. 
I was hoping this bottle would be a stellar example of my beloved grape. Aromas of plum and leather weaved thru the dark garnet in my glass.  Coaxed blueberry and blackberry flavours were underscored by traces of plum. A smidgen of oak rounded out the medium body. The finish was abbreviated and tannic.  I wanted this bottle to be fantastic as it seemed to contain all the right components. Unfortunately the flavours were rather sparse and every sip was markedly flat.

Livermore Valley
California
13.5% Alcohol
$10