Regretfully, we did not have the time to decant this wine pre-meal for the 30-60 minutes that previous TNs have suggested. We decanted (with lots of sediment) immediately upon opening; had 10 minutes to the first glass; 35 minutes to the second glass; and about 60 minutes to the last sips. During this time the tannins did soften, and the wine did integrate, but there remained an earthy, "dirty" edge throughout. The medium bodied palate also showed black and blue fruit, spice, relatively balancing acidity and noticeable tannins right through the last sips. This wine will probably hold for many years but will require serious decanter time to achieve maximum enjoyment.
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Fourth of four, and this has finally, completely arrived. If any wine I've bought in multiples makes the case for doing so, this is the one, as in a little over 2.5 years (2/19), it's gone from a acid and tannin-drenched, teeth-clattering, hot mess to a borderline excellent wine, the tannins and acidity as prominent as ever, but having pulled back enough to be balanced by the opulent, tangy fruit, let by mixed dark berries. Still benefitting from 30-60 minutes of air to come together while being totally drinkable now as a PnP, this is a wine of moderate complexity but tremendous intensity and persistence. Should be long-lived (which always surprises me a bit in a PS, all the more so a TRB wine), with increasing integration over time. Certainly more powerful than subtle (although "not not" subtle), this is a very good drink on its own, but the intense structure makes this a real star with food (a bit reminiscent of the Astralis, but at neither quality nor price levels), with dinners as diverse as burgers and a tomato-based saffron seafood stew. Right there with the PSs I've had from Turley and the Keplinger Sumo, but all of these wines have topped out in my ratings in the low-ish mid 90s, around where CA pinots do, a bit above zins and SBs, a bit below syrahs, well below cabs, Bordeaux blends and chards. At some point, perhaps I can sample the Allbaer everyone is raving about, and maybe I'll feel differently (as I may after tasting their sangio and grenache), because, as my favorite quotable economist once said, "When the facts change, my opinion changes; what do you do, sir?"
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Although this should be no one's idea of an easy quaff, it continues to improve and soften, both in terms of how much air time it needs and the end result thereafter. Still better on the second night. I'm not sure it's hit its peak drinking window, and even if it has, has years and years to go. Great with food, but improving on a standalone basis. Should have known not to doubt TRB. If scoring, 92.
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Second bottle of 4. When I opened the first bottle in February, the fruit never peeked out above the formidable tannins and acidity. It looked like that might be the case again: the initial 1 oz pour rattled my teeth with tannins and acidity, even though I sipped the pour over the course of almost an hour. By the time I got to the second glass, the wine had been in the decanter 3 and a half hours, and the tannins, although still bold, had integrated, and while the acidity remained high and still largely separate, enough fruit, mostly rich dark berries, came out to balance it. 90-91. On day 2, the acidity integrated, and the wine became delightful, well-balanced and structured, and it's going strong on night 3. 91-92. Worked well with spicy orzo, even better with pizza. This wasn't what I was expecting: there's more acidity in this wine than in all of the Outpost cabs I've had COMBINED, but it's quite good, especially as a food wine. More upside possible, and a long life, even if that's not what I normally associate with PS's, likely.
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Totally different than what I expected. I rarely drink PS's, so when I could get a TRB PS on an auction website recently, I jumped on this. I think of Petit Sirah as most often being "zinny": big, fruit-forward, toward the hot end of the scale. I decanted this wine for 2 hours but still found it dominated by acidity and pucker-y tannins. Notes of tart blackberries with strong secondary notes of olives, earth, salinity and white pepper. If you asked me what I was drinking, I'd have guessed a Northern Rhone or Qupe's "Sonnie's". More of a food wine than a sipper. Tannins and acidity give me a sense that this could improve with time, although again, I don't think of PS as a particularly age-worthy varietal (nor TRB as making wines that, for whatever their considerable qualities, are LT agers). Very interesting . . .
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For me, this is an over extracted one-dimensional fruit bomb. It never developed or blossomed even hours after opening. A lot like Welch's grape juice with a port added. Not my cup of tea.
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Big, thick and brooding. Typical of the handful of pure Petites I've tried. Mellowed out a little on day two, but still huge and tannic. Good fruit flavors are in there but they were overwhelmed by the sheer size of this wine. I would love to see how it is after a long cellar slumber, but an early drinker it is not.
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PNP with no decant. Needs some more time, but it is still a delight to drink. Big and brash, but softens with time. The flavors and aromas make it clear that this is Howell Mountain born and bred.
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This wine is still very young. Didn't have a chance to decant but did pour through aerator. Started off very "tight" and progressively opened up throughout dinner. This is an elegant, refined wine. Nice structure and nice long finish.
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5/8/2023 - VlgJeff wrote: 89 Points
Regretfully, we did not have the time to decant this wine pre-meal for the 30-60 minutes that previous TNs have suggested. We decanted (with lots of sediment) immediately upon opening; had 10 minutes to the first glass; 35 minutes to the second glass; and about 60 minutes to the last sips. During this time the tannins did soften, and the wine did integrate, but there remained an earthy, "dirty" edge throughout. The medium bodied palate also showed black and blue fruit, spice, relatively balancing acidity and noticeable tannins right through the last sips. This wine will probably hold for many years but will require serious decanter time to achieve maximum enjoyment.
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10/19/2021 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fourth of four, and this has finally, completely arrived. If any wine I've bought in multiples makes the case for doing so, this is the one, as in a little over 2.5 years (2/19), it's gone from a acid and tannin-drenched, teeth-clattering, hot mess to a borderline excellent wine, the tannins and acidity as prominent as ever, but having pulled back enough to be balanced by the opulent, tangy fruit, let by mixed dark berries. Still benefitting from 30-60 minutes of air to come together while being totally drinkable now as a PnP, this is a wine of moderate complexity but tremendous intensity and persistence. Should be long-lived (which always surprises me a bit in a PS, all the more so a TRB wine), with increasing integration over time. Certainly more powerful than subtle (although "not not" subtle), this is a very good drink on its own, but the intense structure makes this a real star with food (a bit reminiscent of the Astralis, but at neither quality nor price levels), with dinners as diverse as burgers and a tomato-based saffron seafood stew. Right there with the PSs I've had from Turley and the Keplinger Sumo, but all of these wines have topped out in my ratings in the low-ish mid 90s, around where CA pinots do, a bit above zins and SBs, a bit below syrahs, well below cabs, Bordeaux blends and chards. At some point, perhaps I can sample the Allbaer everyone is raving about, and maybe I'll feel differently (as I may after tasting their sangio and grenache), because, as my favorite quotable economist once said, "When the facts change, my opinion changes; what do you do, sir?"
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5/14/2020 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:
Although this should be no one's idea of an easy quaff, it continues to improve and soften, both in terms of how much air time it needs and the end result thereafter. Still better on the second night. I'm not sure it's hit its peak drinking window, and even if it has, has years and years to go. Great with food, but improving on a standalone basis. Should have known not to doubt TRB. If scoring, 92.
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12/15/2019 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Second bottle of 4. When I opened the first bottle in February, the fruit never peeked out above the formidable tannins and acidity. It looked like that might be the case again: the initial 1 oz pour rattled my teeth with tannins and acidity, even though I sipped the pour over the course of almost an hour. By the time I got to the second glass, the wine had been in the decanter 3 and a half hours, and the tannins, although still bold, had integrated, and while the acidity remained high and still largely separate, enough fruit, mostly rich dark berries, came out to balance it. 90-91. On day 2, the acidity integrated, and the wine became delightful, well-balanced and structured, and it's going strong on night 3. 91-92. Worked well with spicy orzo, even better with pizza. This wasn't what I was expecting: there's more acidity in this wine than in all of the Outpost cabs I've had COMBINED, but it's quite good, especially as a food wine. More upside possible, and a long life, even if that's not what I normally associate with PS's, likely.
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3/10/2019 - AlexHop Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pretty good but at the moment it’s really dark and a little harsh. I think it needs more age.
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2/21/2019 - sfwinelover1 wrote: 88 Points
Totally different than what I expected. I rarely drink PS's, so when I could get a TRB PS on an auction website recently, I jumped on this. I think of Petit Sirah as most often being "zinny": big, fruit-forward, toward the hot end of the scale. I decanted this wine for 2 hours but still found it dominated by acidity and pucker-y tannins. Notes of tart blackberries with strong secondary notes of olives, earth, salinity and white pepper. If you asked me what I was drinking, I'd have guessed a Northern Rhone or Qupe's "Sonnie's". More of a food wine than a sipper. Tannins and acidity give me a sense that this could improve with time, although again, I don't think of PS as a particularly age-worthy varietal (nor TRB as making wines that, for whatever their considerable qualities, are LT agers). Very interesting . . .
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11/28/2018 - Tannic Monster wrote: 88 Points
For me, this is an over extracted one-dimensional fruit bomb. It never developed or blossomed even hours after opening. A lot like Welch's grape juice with a port added. Not my cup of tea.
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11/19/2015 - Bakeman wrote: 89 Points
Drank with sushi - not a good pairing.
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3/1/2015 - jonysan wrote: 87 Points
Big, thick and brooding. Typical of the handful of pure Petites I've tried. Mellowed out a little on day two, but still huge and tannic. Good fruit flavors are in there but they were overwhelmed by the sheer size of this wine. I would love to see how it is after a long cellar slumber, but an early drinker it is not.
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3/13/2014 - JEdward2 Likes this wine: 93 Points
PNP with no decant. Needs some more time, but it is still a delight to drink. Big and brash, but softens with time. The flavors and aromas make it clear that this is Howell Mountain born and bred.
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2/7/2014 - DCSteve wrote: 93 Points
This wine is still very young. Didn't have a chance to decant but did pour through aerator. Started off very "tight" and progressively opened up throughout dinner. This is an elegant, refined wine. Nice structure and nice long finish.
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