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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.8 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 82 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by redz on 4/12/2024 & rated 92 points: A little tired on the nose initially, but ended up being enjoyable. Drink soon. (277 views) | | | Tasted by Stufonhead on 3/1/2024 & rated 93 points: First night it couldn't be called fresh but certainly not overripe as these SB PSs can get when they're past peak. With 30 minutes of air it was quite nice. Complex but maybe a tad on the sweet side (grape bubble gum). Agree with prior note, not hot at all, surprisingly.
Second night, nose was still pruney and sweet at first swirl, but with air, sitting in the glass for 20 minutes, did wonders. Dirt and tobacco with a nice complex palate with a mix of black fruit (prunes included but without it being overbearing). Tannins moderate and with medium acid, it all makes for a solid sip.
For next bottle: Drink after giving it at least an hour or more of air. Then make sure the bottle gets drunk within a few hours. If u don't intend on finishing it, then bottle it up quick to keep it good for the next day, when it needs to be finished relatively quickly. (393 views) | | | Tasted by galewskj on 2/6/2023 & rated 91 points: Pop and pour, drank about half the bottle over 2 hours. A little advanced and showing signs that it probably won't age that great from here. Thankfully, no alcohol, but dark raisin fruit and lacking acid or freshness. I was hoping for better but frankly this performed as I thought it would, being from a hot year. (1117 views) | | | Tasted by redz on 11/13/2022 & rated 91 points: Good, but not great. Smooth and ready to drink. (869 views) | | | Tasted by sastewart on 2/21/2022 & rated 91 points: 30 minute decant, could have used a little more time. Higher alcohol shows a bit. Ripe but not quite OTT nose with dark fuits and a touch of chocolate. Ful bodied but good acid to balance the tannins. Plus black fruit, plum and licorice. lead to a long finish. Good showing, solid 91 points (1381 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 2/19/2022 & rated 95 points: Decanted to remove sediment, returned to the bottle and consumed from bottle 2 hrs later. Smokin good wine! Heady, Rhône-like nose with barrel, forest floor and charcoal.
Great balance with the once insanely dark fruit tamed / aged against perfectly resolved tannins. Outstanding pairing w boeuf bourgignon.
This is in a great place, certainly within a year or three of peaking if not there today. Kelly always tells me I need to buy more of these, and I have to going forward. If you’re capable of aging wine, this is a great one to lay down. (1277 views) | | | Tasted by christianderivel on 10/19/2021 & rated 95 points: It is what they said about it: BBB Big,Bold & Beautiful and DDD Dark, Dense and Decadent. That's why and when that varietal can make us so ....cultist. (1419 views) | | | Tasted by ClaytonDave on 7/16/2021 & rated 94 points: Big, intense,blackberry and dark cherry on the palate. Decanted one hour; still fresh and fruit forward. Smooth tannins and not yet at peak. (1040 views) | | | Tasted by UMRich on 5/11/2021 & rated 93 points: Big but wears it well. Balanced and the high alcohol is well hidden. Great wine with BBQ (1047 views) | | | Tasted by SMagowan on 11/2/2020 & rated 95 points: Big, bold and beautiful. Decanted for about an hour and it was delicious. (957 views) | | | Tasted by tomlee on 10/30/2020 & rated 95 points: Pitch black in color. 16.8% ABV. Soaring nose of black fruits, licorice and Whitman Sampler box. Big, plush and chewy. Notable balance all things considered. Blackberry, raspberry liqueur, dark chocolate and baking spices on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. Awesome wine. Benchmark Petite Sirah. Best over the next 5-10 years. (1039 views) | | | Tasted by UMRich on 10/29/2020 & rated 95 points: Still some tannin, but very drinkable. Dark, dense and rich. (760 views) | | | Tasted by ogres3 on 9/21/2020 & rated 93 points: Drinking very well. Consumed with Big Dave. Remains quite dense and full-bodied. Lots of sediment, benefits from air. Quite pleasant and fresh nose. Rich purple and deep blue fruit. Teeth-staining finish. Not bashful and doesn't taste like it's 13 years old. (884 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 8/20/2020 & rated 93 points: WIML93
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over 2-3 hours.
Purple color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of dark chocolate, black pepper, potpourri and dried plum. Chewy flavors of black currants, dried plums and black cherries. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold. (834 views) | | | Tasted by Sanlucar on 1/19/2020 & rated 92 points: Dense purple (nearly black) color, and heavy stains in the bottle but almost no sediment and beautifully integrated tannins - Bravo!. This wine is a BEAST; it has the darkness of Tannat and the acidity of Touriga mixed with northern Rhone Syrah and Priorat-like Mourvedre. Deep flavors of bacon fat and loaded with spices, plus grandpa's beef stew and blood sausage. Not for wimps nor vegans, but it's a sublime match made in heaven for cigar smokers and palate masochists. Warning - 16.8% alcohol! (1110 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 11/17/2019 & rated 92 points: WIML92
Tasted non blind. Opened and served immediately. Followed over about two hours.
Purple to inky black color in the glass, clear as best as I can tell. Nose of roasted meat, currants, dark chocolate and light floral notes. Flavors of golden raisins, plums and black berries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold. (1134 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 8/16/2019 & rated 94 points: Pop and pour overlooking the pyramids in Giza. Hotel staff had never seen a cork so black with residual grit that they passed it around the restaurant.
Rhône-like notes on he nose and throughout and EXTREMELY well-balanced. After 2 cross-country moves this is in a near/perfect place, but its sweetness let’s the curtain down on its age and longevity. I’ve got 3 more bottles which I’ll drink in the coming 2-3 years. Went well with Indian food tonight and is approachable enough to even work with fish today. Would see with braised beef or chicken as well. (1131 views) | | | Tasted by budman on 5/10/2019 & rated 92 points: Dark fruit. Explosive. (1145 views) | | | Tasted by Tetherton on 3/16/2018 & rated 93 points: Spectacular wine! This is a "big boy, robust wine (16.8% ABV). It was filled with black berry flavors, a hint of chocolate and cassis, and some lovely spice on the back palate. It was great from the first pour and opened up nicely. (1771 views) | | | Tasted by hanasowner on 2/9/2018: From magnum...cork broke on me and had to strain...crowd-pleasing for sure...dark in color, but more red than purple...nose was somewhat muted, but good presence of dark fruit in the mouth with a long finish. (1464 views) | | | Tasted by SMagowan on 11/19/2017 & rated 92 points: This was rich and flavorful. It was not big as I was expecting and party goers drank it down quickly. (1514 views) | | | Tasted by Cow Town on 11/6/2017: First of three bottles, tasted blind (with ten other wines). Deep, dark purple, with a lovely nose of black fruit, a touch of mocha, and some spice/mint? The problem was the acid - uniformly noted by all tasters, with some saying it was flawed (overly acidified). No mention of this in other notes, so hopefully my other two bottles will be better. (1525 views) | | | Tasted by dkentaustin on 10/30/2017 & rated 90 points: Really big and inky. Not a big fan (1448 views) | | | Tasted by budman on 10/19/2017 & rated 91 points: That's more like it. Still not as bold as I remember, but good fruit! (1124 views) | | | Tasted by gondrik on 10/19/2017 & rated 92 points: I have very limited experience with Petite Sirah. I enjoyed this as a beverage to drink with a spicy pizza. The flavors were very dark fruit with perhaps too little acidity. I was apprehensive that the high alcohol level would be unpleasant but that was not the case. (1162 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2010, IWC Issue #150
(Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah Peterson Family Vineyard Napa Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Switchback Ridge Producer website
Switchback Ridge Wines are sourced exclusively from the Peterson Family Vineyard in Calistoga. The property has been in the Peterson family since 1914 and encompasses nearly 100 acres located at the mouth of Dutch Henry Canyon. For over 75 years the property was primarily maintained as a farm and plum orchard, with vines intermingled amongst the trees. In 1990, the orchards were replanted to vineyard, where there are currently 18 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Sirah vines, in addition to a three acre 50+ year old Petite Sirah block that John Peterson helped plant as a child.Petite Sirah Varietal character (Appellation America) | P.S. I Love You: A Petite Sirah Advocacy Organization
Petite Sirah is a variety of red wine grape grown in France, California, Israel and Australia. Recently, wineries located in Washington State's Yakima Valley, Maryland, Arizona, West Virginia, Mexico, Chile's Colchagua Valley and Maipo Valley, and Ontario's Niagara Peninsula have also produced wines from Petite Sirah grapes. Though developed in France, it is nearly extinct there as of 2002, hanging on in limited plantings in the Isère and Ardêche regions of the Rhône Valley and in Palette, a tiny appellation in Provence. It is the main grape known in the US and Israel as Petite Sirah with over 90% of the California plantings labeled "Petite Sirah" being Durif grapes; the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms recognizes "Durif" and "Petite Sirah" as interchangeable synonyms referring to the same grape. The grape originated as a cross of Syrah pollen germinating a Peloursin plant. On some occasions, Peloursin and Syrah vines may be called Petite Sirah, usually because the varieties are extremely difficult to distinguish in old age.
The 'petite' in the name of this grape refers to the size of its berries and not the vine, which is particularly vigorous. The leaves are large with a bright green upper surface and paler green lower surface. The grape forms tightly packed clusters that can be susceptible to rotting in rainy environments. The small berries creates a high skin to juice ratio which can produce very tannic wines if the juice goes through an extended maceration period. In the presence of new oak barrels the wine can develop an aroma of melted chocolate.
Petite Sirah produces dark, inky colored wines that are relatively acidic with firm texture and mouth feel. The bouquet has herbal and black pepper overtones, with plum and blackberry flavors on the palate. Compared to Syrah, the wine is noticeably more dark and purplish in color. The wines are very tannic with aging ability that can eclipse 20 years in the bottle.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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