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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.5 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 45 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by galewskj on 12/24/2023 & rated 90 points: Double decanted a magnum back into the bottle and served at a party. There was some nice body to this wine as well as a touch of alcohol. I feel Switchback wines are typically lush, fruity and modern, and although this was pleasant with some earth, I don't think this is holding up all that well, even from magnum. It could also be the 2003 vintage, just a bad combination of age, style and vintage. I had a similar and even worse experience with a regular bottle of 2006 recently. and a 2007 a couple years ago. (220 views) | | | Tasted by kabert on 4/15/2021 & rated 92 points: My first bottle of the 2003 since I was infatuated with Switchback PS @12-15 years ago. Back then I drank all I got. Found this at auction and had to buy it. Full bodied, still noticeable tannin, and thankfully still delicious dark fruits. Not the outrageous concentrated fruit bomb of 15 years ago but it went beautifully with filet mignon. (599 views) | | | Tasted by brettay on 10/21/2019 & rated 83 points: Blackberry sauce, chocolate liqueur, vanilla, and soy sauce. The fruit is nice but the wine's extraction, alcohol, and oak is a bit too much for me. Nice, but not my style. (947 views) | | | Tasted by Hamersly on 11/27/2016 & rated 93 points: Wonderful nose of dark fruit and asphalt. Really big in the mouth but not over the top, with a great peppery kick at the end. A bit harsh on day 1, but smoother and just delicious on day 2. (1776 views) | | | Tasted by TallMikeWine on 4/14/2016 & rated 92 points: Again...jumps out of the glass with nose of PURPLE fruit, spice, bacon fat, oh, the things! Just an all around people pleaser, this wine. I must find more! More! (1995 views) | | | Tasted by TallMikeWine on 11/24/2015 & rated 91 points: They should just not bother to put vintage dates on Petite Sirah. The wines just don't age! This one, 12 years old, is still youthful, fruity, dense, dark as a moonless night, voluptuous, sexy, spicy, and almost perfect for the varietal. What can I say. Enjoy more Petite Sirah in your life and you'll enjoy your life more. Amen. (2058 views) | | | Tasted by brigcampbell on 3/29/2015: As I mentioned 2 years ago, I like this vintage. Still a big wine, though. I love the asphalt, black and blue fruit aromas and flavors. Some heat at the finish. (2215 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 3/28/2015: My last one. Opened about an hour ago, and man, this is of a leaner expression which matches my perception of the wine from a few years back, too. Has the dark SR fruit, but it's almost crunchy-like and chalked with iron and tension. Fortunately, this will be poured about 4 hours from now, and we'll see how it does. More syrah like at this point that what can often be decadence for SR PS.....another 24 hrs of slow ox air and having finished dinner, just enjoying now this wine as a nightcap, so to speak. I know these wines can get big, sometimes even boozy for me, but this 2003 is just fine. At room temp, and I let all the cellar chill fall off this wine and allowed it to get to room temp (70f), there is no booze signature here at all. Lots of dark blackberry, some dark plum and light chocolate, iron and a light brushing of tannin. This is listed at 14.8% on the bottle, and I would offer this is pretty close, maybe a few tenths into 15% but this is not the 'big' kind of SR: dark, lots of fruit but isn't as dense as the bigger years. This is now over 10 years old and is for me drinking great, with some light structure. Make of that what you want and I do like to drink my wines younger, so with that said, I say this is in a nice spot. (2313 views) | | | Tasted by dhammer53 on 3/27/2015 & rated 93 points: I agree with Ken V. Really dark color. Soft tannins. Young. Tasty. Blackberries and spice, along with dark fruit. This was a drink with 2 hands wine. Loved it!! No rush. Drink or hold. (1263 views) | | | Tasted by kenv on 3/25/2015 & rated 94 points: Pop and pour. A lot of sediment. Huge spicy blackberry nose. A joy to drink right out of the gate. Big ripe blackberry fruit with lots of spice and tannin. Great balance and harmony. Foie gras brings out even more complexity. Terrific wine. (1287 views) | | | Tasted by budman on 12/30/2014 & rated 93 points: Worth waiting for... tons of dark fruit!!! (957 views) | | | Tasted by brigcampbell on 9/2/2013 & rated 93 points: The Wine Crew (FMIII in the OC): This is my favorite vintage of the petite from switchback that I've tasted so far. Ripe blueberry and tar pour from the glass. It's wildly dark colored, borderline black. Dark ripe blackberry and black licorice with big gripping tannins. Finish is nice but the tannins are climbing out of the glass, still a youngster. Love it. (2580 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 9/1/2013: Opened y/day for a wine dinner. I pulled the cork on it about 2PM so it's been slow oxing for nearly a day, with much of the wine having been drank from the bottle last night so call this the last 2 ozs. Also, drinking at room temp too, an ugly 83 degrees so if anything is going to show booze at this kind of high temp, it would be petite. Yet, this wine doesn't lift much from the glass, perhaps speaking to the listed alc on the label of 14.8%, as well. This is one of the lightest vintages of the SR petite that I can recall. Black and red fruit, a hint of raisin and lots of dark chocolate. Call me crazy for writing this note in these kinds of conditions but I wanted to grab the wine and try it while I had a couple ounces left. This isn't in any danger of fading and will go several more years. (1961 views) | | | Tasted by mxpbuy on 8/1/2013 & rated 91 points: Decanted 6 hours and it needed it. Still loads of firm and slightly gritty tannins, but the wine does generally have some smooth elements and the ink purple monster that it is is loaded with fruit. Like many Petite Sirah's it is a bit one dimensional, but very enjoyable. Long and penetrating finish. (1740 views) | | | Tasted by beezer6 on 3/14/2013 & rated 90 points: Scott's 31st Birthday '07 Napa Cab Taste Off (The Crib on Willetts Ct.): Tasted after the '07 Napa Cab trio. Big boy. But not as rich and out of whack as you'd think for this bottling.
Black fruit, char coal, rock and smoke. Touches of bacon fat and smoked meat but this is a blockbuster fruit driven wine. (2444 views) | | | Tasted by BCharlieG on 9/23/2012 & rated 93 points: if i lived inside a blueberry, i think this is what it would feel like - this wine is like getting punched in the face with a blackberry. outstanding balance for a petite sirah but not for the faint of heart - this is hedonists wine lovers dream. huge stain your teeth fruit and texture and big oaky tannins. This is a hot wine. HUGE all around. I was concerned because the cork on this bottle was crumbling dry but the wine was perfect. This one I left open on the bottle in a cool room for 2 hours to open slowly which worked nicely. outstanding big chocolate chewy fruit. bacon flavors and rosemary herbal notes with the texture of mayonnaise. penetrating and powerful. sliced straight through a NY strip steak. If you are a fan of bob foley and know his style of wines this is sure to impress. powerful. best bottle of this I have had. There might be a touch of bottle variation on these as the last one i had in august was less punchy. (2462 views) | | | Tasted by BCharlieG on 8/13/2012 & rated 91 points: This is one big bottle of wine. My fiance notes it as "fudgy" and loamy. Big dark stone fruit, big round mouth feel and pretty standard Bob Foley big extraction (stain your teeth purple). Lots of rendered bacon, fig, plum, prune. Subtle herbal elements of thyme and rosemary on the remnants of the glass. Just a little touch less explosive and heavy and tannic than some of the hotter vintages I've had (04 etc). Fun wine, but hedonist. Wouldn't rush on this wine though, so much fruit and tannin structure to easily let it last quite a bit longer. (1716 views) | | | Tasted by Traxx on 7/10/2012: Huge mess of a wine at this point. Incredibly oaked, little interesting going on here. (1669 views) | | | Tasted by Screameagle on 1/15/2012 & rated 91 points: Very impressive after a two hour decant. Drinking well now but I would never guess this as an 8 year old wine. If you have a few of these drink one now and save a bottle or two for a few more years when it should even be better. (2286 views) | | | Tasted by Frank Murray III on 8/28/2011: I hadn't drank one of these in over 4 years, since the OC group way back when did the Foley dinner. I had acquired this bottle via Wnie Bid to fill a vertical, which now I have started to drink through and revisit. We didn't decant this wine all that much last night, but I did drop into into a narrow body Reidel decanter for about 15 mins before I started pouring glasses, the last of which we finished in about an hour from opening. I was surprised by the wine's structure and lessened throttle (listed alcohol 14.8%), the iron-like tannin structure that really buffeted the wine. I enjoyed that structure, of course the dark fruit but in this vintage for me it didn't come off pruny. If I find another one of these on secondary sale, I will buy another, as I enjoyed it for the way it was all held nicely together. (2180 views) | | | Tasted by hkfoebee on 12/25/2010: Christmas at Dad's house. Drank alongside 04 Pontet plus 01 Suduiraut which was paired with foie gras. This SB has plenty of stuffing left. However, drinking well now. Mouth puckering good!! (2027 views) | | | Tasted by davidandrose on 9/6/2010 & rated 93 points: Decanted and allowed to sit for 90 mins, then consumed over the following 3 hours. Pours as black as any PS, but the telltale spice is pleasantly mature/muted, with some glycerin and alcohol on the nose as well. This is in great form at present, medium-to-heavy in weight, tanins are mature, have faded fairly-well, and are beginning to sweeten. Not getting the dryness noted by others earlier this year, but the dark fruits are mature and tasting great. This is as good as any Cali PS gets, and is in the heart of its drinking window IMO. (2095 views) | | | Tasted by kaiwhitney@gmail.com on 5/4/2010 & rated 91 points: Ah Yeah boy!!! Everything you look for in a wine except it could use more tannins. Clean, Dark Rich flavor, velvety smooth through the center
and a nice long finish. I would have liked to seen more acids. (2269 views) | | | Tasted by River Rat on 4/18/2010 & rated 93 points: Oh my was this one huge. Pitch black in the glass with a dark purple rim. Bursting with deep dark plum and blueberry fruit. Richness is off the charts and the earthy tannins were gripping. Big long finish. I think my mouth was still dry this morning when I woke up. Boy was that something. Can still sit for a long long time, but heck, why wait. (2606 views) | | | Tasted by tyvoodoo on 4/28/2009 & rated 92 points: Tight as ever, even with 2+ hours in the decanter. Started to open up and reveal crushed rocks, glycerin like tannins, creamy raspberries, roasted pepper and toasty oak. Palate was rather drying and with lots of tannins, even towards the end of the bottle. Good balance for a young petite, but this needs another 10 years plus. (2693 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2006, IWC Issue #126
(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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