Mountain Tides Rosé of Petite Sirah California 2020

Scott Kirkpatrick and Allison Watkins met in Napa in 2014, and married shortly thereafter. That same year, Napa was hit by a 6.0 earthquake, which proved life changing, literally “shaking up” their philosophy about how they thought about the earth. Realizing the earth was not a static thing, they founded Mountain Tides winery in 2016 ‘…to always be aware of the earth moving and to move with it. Our goal now and forever is to “be moved”.’ Scott was inspired by the petite sirah he encountered while working in a custom-crush facility, and Mountain Tides produces nothing but petite sirah, focusing on single vineyard expressions that are intensely terroir-driven. Allison is a photographer, and her work appears on each label, making the bottles truly gorgeous to look at before even opening them. Despite a tumultuous 2020, including fires around harvest time, the resulting wines are a delicious celebration of survival. This petite sirah rosé comes half from vineyards with sandy soils and half from those with heavy clay soils - a contrast that lends impressive texture to the finished wine. Fruit was hand harvested and gently pressed into temperature-controlled tank. After settling overnight, it was transferred to neutral oak barrels where it fermented spontaneously with ambient yeasts. Electric berry in color, it provides loads of strawberry, guava, and papaya fruit with a hint of persimmon and fresh herbs on the long, dry finish. The meaty texture, depth, and complexity bring to mind a West Coast Bandol - just perfect for pairing with foods like swordfish skewers or pork chops with grilled peaches and rosemary. Sustainably grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.