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Fratelli Perata was established in 1987 by the Perata brothers, Gino and Joe. We use only the grapes of our vineyards which were planted in 1980. these are hand - made wines, total production just 2,000 cases yearly. We believe low tonnage, small grape berries combined with new oak barrels produce big, complex wines suitable for aging, yet drinkable in their youth, due to soft Paso Robles tannins. Unfined and unfiltered.
Our Super-Tuscan (read Sangiovese based) blend named to honor our maternal grandfather, Bambino Diorio, who was the original party animal. Bambino, man or wine, is welcomed at any gathering. This wine is in keeping with the extra depth of the vintage year, 2003. It is great drinking right now, but will age well, easily 5 years. Right now, the wine shows one flavor at the front of the mouth, then keeps developing flavors as it moves over the palate. It will take another 3 to 6 months for the flavors to integrate, but right now it's a pretty fun wine. Pairs well with almost anything.
Picture the green rolling hills of central Italy, high above the hectic, civilized world. Everything right in life is here. Vines of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo are plentiful, circling the hillsides. Winemakers take its ripe juicy dark fruit, crush it gently, press it lovingly and wait. Shortly there is an amazing wine: soft and subtle, dark and youthful, perfumed by lavender and black cherry. Hold it and remember the goodness of life. Taste it and celebrate new discoveries. Drink it and hope your wife has made lamb for dinner. Montepulciano
d'Abruzzo is the name of a grape grown in central Italy. It is different
from the
The 2003 is heavier than usual, with a rich palate and fruity aromas. The new American oak it aged in is integrating with the wine, and it is approachable now, but will benefit from 3 to 7 more years of bottle age. As with most of our wines, the guideline is to pick your moment, it will be good. Just had the 1992 Merlot with PanOlivo's cassoulet. Excellent. Younger wines require fuller flavored foods. You may note we have 2 bottlings of this vintage. The 2003 vintage is strikingly similar to the 1988, which was one of California's best. Due to its depth, small berry size and our not filtering the wines, we tested a group of barrels for extended barrel aging. So far, so good! Look for the later bottling in the tasting room Fall, 2007. Pair with all things mushroom and especially Parmigiano Reggiano, as in Mushrooms au Gratin.
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Riserva What a terrific wine. This was a memorable vintage, dry like this 2007 vintage. Our vines yielded very (and I mean pencil eraser sized) small berries with not much juice. The result is this 4 years in the barrel Cabernet which is just newly bottled. Only big wines can stand that much new oak and still maintain their fruit. Sealed with top of the line 2 inch cork, you can lay this down for years or drink it during the coming holidays. Please note that it will need to breathe if you drink it soon. Be sure to drink a test glass! There are benefits to planning the menu. Pair this as always with meaty richness. Prime Rib and Portobellos come to mind. This wine responds well to Thyme and Rosemary. Try a Cabernet reduction sauce with either, or with Lamb Chops, too.
Moms live on, in our hearts and for us, with this wine. This is a Bordeaux styled blend named in our mother's honor. This, our 2nd vintage, is smooth and people friendly, with low (relatively speaking) tannins. The 2003 was drinking perfectly with one year of bottle age. We increased our production of this wine due to the gratifying response the 2003 received. This vintage is extremely good with many foods right now, with the prerequisite young wine breathing time of at least one hour. The Cabernet Franc trends it toward earthy, mushroom type foods, as with the Brie with Porcini. If you want it to be a straight-out sipper, it will need 6 months of bottle age.
Nothing stays the same, not even the vines in our 40-acre vineyard. Harking back to our 1968 winetasting days (well, some of us in this family) we finally planted Petite Sirah. Grown in prime areas, it can be lively and wonderful as a varietal. It's classic for a Zinfandel area, which Paso Robles certainly is. In 1998, many wineries who buy their grapes put Petite Sirah with their Zinfandel to deepen the color. This is Ok unless so much Petite Sirah is added that you can taste it over the Zin. In any event, rainy years are not what we've been worrying about recently. Our idea was to work with the grape that can be surprisingly complex, dark and bold. We all love this new wine. It is seriously young right now, so the first sip shakes your taste buds. But take a second sip, swallow, then wait. This wine has a phenomenal finish. Gino has a real rapport with this wine: he tended the new vines, made the wine from uniquely dark grape clusters; Carol topped the barrels and pronounced it “mud” and thought, “We'll have to filter this one.” Incredibly, the wine cleared without fining or filtering, we all bottled it, and now, wow. There are Petite Sirahs we have really liked, but this is a serious attention getter. Only with the Cabernet Riservas have we tasted this long long finish. The downside to this wine is that there just isn't much of it, as it is our first harvest from new vines. So, if you open it now, it is needing a day of breathing. If you want to see what's up with it, go ahead. Better to wait at least until the first of the year, our website man says better in 5 years, and he knows. This wine pairs with 9 out of 10 entrees from McPhees in Templeton. We know, we tried.
So what's this Rhone doing here in the lineup? It certainly seems to have found a home in Paso Robles. To quote a visiting Australian winemaker from the early 1990's: “This is the best place in the whole world to grow Shiraz!” And so away we go, with hundreds of acres planted in the County, hundreds of wineries producing Syrah/Shiraz in many different styles. What do we want from this grape? Something deep, red, smooth, luscious, accessible but ageable. In our style, not the Rhone standard, but a more Australian leaning. This is 100% Syrah, no Cabernet blended as is often done. This is cherry and leather, no bacon. This is our wine. Give it a little bottle age and it will find a home with you, too.
Our first Bordeaux blend, named for our three daughters, the 1997 Tre Sorelle is amazingly 10 years old. How time flies. Now that our daughters are “old” and not all here to help with our day to day wine production, we are reminded just how valuable they really have been to our winery's operation. From playing with Barbie dolls and toy trucks in the vineyard, to growing up alongside our vines, to learning by doing most vineyard and winery chores, these young ladies have all made an invaluable contribution to the development of our winery. And not by just the work done, but by helping maintain the heart of the winery, as a family tradition and legacy. Their great-grandfather in Italy would have been proud.
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