San Diego Reader

Edwards harvested the rest of his Petite Sirah at something close to optimal ripeness, at least by the numbers. But during the week, he'd been fermenting the first harvest and was delighted by the bright cherry aromas he found in the new wine. "I pressed it off the skins just as the second batch started to ferment, and the first batch just seemed so much nicer. The second has more raspberry and chocolate aromas; it's more earthy. And it's more voluptuous, less acidic." But for Edwards, weaned on California Cabernet and more a fan of fruit than earth in his wine, that first batch was a marvel. "You start thinking, 'Okay, maybe 22.5 brix is ripe enough. '" Though he does add, "I think the final blend will be both wines blended together."

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