Intense stuff, as ever. Super dark center, dark purple rim with no real signs of age. Needs time to open up (several hours), but then there are blackberries and black plums, pine resin, charcoal. Fairly dry up front, blueberries and blackberries, sweet black cherry jam, toasty oak, very good tannins and acidity still, alcohol is noticeable (14.7%) but not overwhelming, wood shavings, good fruit on the long finish. Excellent Petite Sirah, is maturing slowly. Has some of the intensity and flavor of vintage port (not the sweetness). Needs a lot of air still to open up. Now with air or keep for a few more years.
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Popped and poured. Dark, inky crimson color. Lots of oak on the nose for me with some vanilla and coconut coming through along with blackberry jam. Similar flavors on the palate with ripe, dark black and blue fruits along with charred wood and sweet spices. Medium acid, medium+ tannin and body, high alcohol. All together, the wine is drinking pretty well and is in balance but just not my style. Others really enjoyed it.
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Floral, slightly metallic on first taste. Still has great structure, good fruit and a long finish, firm, and well integrated tannins. Drinking extremely well 13 years in.
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Very deep dark center, dark red/purple rim, no real signs of age. Sweet, blackberries, stone, intense, roast corn, rosemary in the oven, a little spicy. Some bite to start with, then smooth creamy blackberries, a little creme de mure, good acidity still with tannins on the decline, great finish with notes of candy floss. Excellent Petite Sirah, good now with a 3 hour decant, will improve over the next 3-5 years.
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Not sure I'd wait much longer on this one. On opening, pleasant nose, full-bodied with ripe dark fruit. After about two hours the nose improves, the wine becomes much smoother, but the fruit becomes just a tad flabby. Finish remains pretty good.
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Served blind Deep purple black, without any age at the rim, I thought this was much younger Rich dark berry fruit with a hint of mint, dry, but rich finish. I almost thought this was a newly released Bordeaux at first. This is in beautiful shape and seems like it needs a bit more time (in great contrast to my last bottle 2 years ago) With 30 minutes in the glass it opened up quite well better fulfilling its origin. YFS and this particular bottle was quite lovely.
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Have been sitting on this expecting big things. On opening, initial taste is a very water thin wine with lots of acid on the back end. Bleah. After a couple hours becomes a smooth medium bodied wine that is much better paired with food. Nose and finish average. Decent, but a bit disappointing for a PS.
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Black and blue fruits on the nose along with black pepper. Notes of cocoa, iron and graphite with very dark fruit and cola flavors. Firm but well integrated tannins with a long, rich finish and balanced acidity. A dark, dense, full bodied and complex wine.
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The bottle had a little over half-inch fill. The nose was somewhat muted, but it gave up notes of baked dark fruit and flowers. Texturally, the tannin has finally started to soften to point where it comes across as rather round and smooth on the palate into the second glass. The fruit is still plenty ripe but is starting to take on the piquant flavors of an aged wine. Moderate sediment was left in the bottle after decanting (I allowed the bottle to stand upright for a few days prior to opening). This was my last bottle, but I could see this providing pleasurable drinking for anywhere from 5-8 years, depending on what flavors you are looking for in your wine.
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Served with grilled, dry seasoned bone-in pork chops, baked sweet potato, fresh tomato salad. Decanted 15 minutes before pouring. No sediment noticed in the pour. Look: opaque purple/crimson - full to the rim. Smell: Jane gets alcohol, dark cherry, perhaps some fig. Taste: nice soft fruit with the acid balancing things. A smooth and full wine. Stood up to the chops. Still has some time left.
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For my palate, this wine is right in the zone for current drinking. Moderately intense nose of warm blackberry jam and a bit of fennel. On the palate, it is very full and rich. Depending on what your leanings are, this is one to either drink fairly soon (as the fruit is starting to turn more savory and piquant) or sit on for a while longer (as there are some chalky tannins left to resolve and tertiary characteristics are starting to emerge). I tend to prefer a riper fruit profile in my wines, so I will probably pop our remaining bottle before the end of the year. That said, the wine should easily go another 7+ years.
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What a difference a couple of years makes...coming together nicely. Lots of vanilla and berry jam coming through now. Mellows after a bit of air. Drinking nicely but I'm sure this can go another 5 years at least.
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Aroma: alcoholic and a little hard to read. Suggestions of cherries and cedar. Maybe some roasted meat. Palate: Rich blackberry with baking spice, cedar, leather and roasted meat. Quite tannic and moderately acidic. Needs 3+ years to mature.
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1/12/2024 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fantastic blackberry nose and intense black fruits.
Still needs air, has the potential to age for several more years.
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12/23/2023 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Intense stuff, as ever. Super dark center, dark purple rim with no real signs of age.
Needs time to open up (several hours), but then there are blackberries and black plums, pine resin, charcoal.
Fairly dry up front, blueberries and blackberries, sweet black cherry jam, toasty oak, very good tannins and acidity still, alcohol is noticeable (14.7%) but not overwhelming, wood shavings, good fruit on the long finish.
Excellent Petite Sirah, is maturing slowly. Has some of the intensity and flavor of vintage port (not the sweetness). Needs a lot of air still to open up. Now with air or keep for a few more years.
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12/25/2022 - wchrisw Likes this wine:
Drank over 2 days but opened a day prior to consumption. Rustic fruit, some pepper that comes and goes. Drinking window is open but closing soon.
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8/20/2022 - Rich S wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Dark, inky crimson color. Lots of oak on the nose for me with some vanilla and coconut coming through along with blackberry jam. Similar flavors on the palate with ripe, dark black and blue fruits along with charred wood and sweet spices. Medium acid, medium+ tannin and body, high alcohol. All together, the wine is drinking pretty well and is in balance but just not my style. Others really enjoyed it.
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5/23/2022 - wchrisw wrote:
I did not enjoy this. Dry, rustic , no fruit. Very contrary to recent reviews. No reason to hold.
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3/27/2022 - VinCA wrote:
Floral, slightly metallic on first taste. Still has great structure, good fruit and a long finish, firm, and well integrated tannins. Drinking extremely well 13 years in.
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3/2/2022 - casjf Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark plum and black pepper flavors paired well with oxtail stew
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2/19/2022 - casjf Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark plum, blackberry, cinnamon, dark chocolate flavors. Excellent petite sirah.
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2/28/2021 - cmmatthews Likes this wine: 92 Points
Getting better and better. Plenty of life in this. If I had more I would wait another 2-3 years.
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1/3/2021 - asteff Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really drank nicely. Nice evolution with age, with some roundness to the tannins, and balanced across the palate.
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12/26/2020 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very deep dark center, dark red/purple rim, no real signs of age.
Sweet, blackberries, stone, intense, roast corn, rosemary in the oven, a little spicy.
Some bite to start with, then smooth creamy blackberries, a little creme de mure, good acidity still with tannins on the decline, great finish with notes of candy floss.
Excellent Petite Sirah, good now with a 3 hour decant, will improve over the next 3-5 years.
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8/4/2020 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not sure I'd wait much longer on this one. On opening, pleasant nose, full-bodied with ripe dark fruit. After about two hours the nose improves, the wine becomes much smoother, but the fruit becomes just a tad flabby. Finish remains pretty good.
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7/22/2020 - aaronmphoto Likes this wine: 90 Points
Needed air to open up. By the second day was drinking well. Complex and delicious. A little light on flavor on day 1 when we opened it
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6/24/2020 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Served blind
Deep purple black, without any age at the rim, I thought this was much younger
Rich dark berry fruit with a hint of mint, dry, but rich finish. I almost thought this was a newly released Bordeaux at first. This is in beautiful shape and seems like it needs a bit more time (in great contrast to my last bottle 2 years ago)
With 30 minutes in the glass it opened up quite well better fulfilling its origin.
YFS and this particular bottle was quite lovely.
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5/9/2020 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Have been sitting on this expecting big things. On opening, initial taste is a very water thin wine with lots of acid on the back end. Bleah. After a couple hours becomes a smooth medium bodied wine that is much better paired with food. Nose and finish average. Decent, but a bit disappointing for a PS.
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3/30/2020 - boredo Likes this wine:
Black and blue fruits on the nose along with black pepper. Notes of cocoa, iron and graphite with very dark fruit and cola flavors. Firm but well integrated tannins with a long, rich finish and balanced acidity. A dark, dense, full bodied and complex wine.
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3/12/2020 - J&Ka wrote:
Corked!
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12/5/2019 - bjschmitt Likes this wine:
Drinking quite nicely, power combined with class.
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7/8/2019 - H2CO3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Enjoyed by all.
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3/25/2019 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 91 Points
Solid Petite Sirah
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1/20/2019 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine: 91 Points
The bottle had a little over half-inch fill. The nose was somewhat muted, but it gave up notes of baked dark fruit and flowers. Texturally, the tannin has finally started to soften to point where it comes across as rather round and smooth on the palate into the second glass. The fruit is still plenty ripe but is starting to take on the piquant flavors of an aged wine. Moderate sediment was left in the bottle after decanting (I allowed the bottle to stand upright for a few days prior to opening). This was my last bottle, but I could see this providing pleasurable drinking for anywhere from 5-8 years, depending on what flavors you are looking for in your wine.
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8/25/2018 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 91 Points
Served with grilled, dry seasoned bone-in pork chops, baked sweet potato, fresh tomato salad.
Decanted 15 minutes before pouring. No sediment noticed in the pour.
Look: opaque purple/crimson - full to the rim.
Smell: Jane gets alcohol, dark cherry, perhaps some fig.
Taste: nice soft fruit with the acid balancing things. A smooth and full wine. Stood up to the chops. Still has some time left.
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8/22/2018 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Still dark ruby purple
Dry dark blue fruit.
Palate drying tannins,
But comes off as even somewhat elegant at this point?
Nice
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4/6/2018 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine: 92 Points
For my palate, this wine is right in the zone for current drinking. Moderately intense nose of warm blackberry jam and a bit of fennel. On the palate, it is very full and rich. Depending on what your leanings are, this is one to either drink fairly soon (as the fruit is starting to turn more savory and piquant) or sit on for a while longer (as there are some chalky tannins left to resolve and tertiary characteristics are starting to emerge). I tend to prefer a riper fruit profile in my wines, so I will probably pop our remaining bottle before the end of the year. That said, the wine should easily go another 7+ years.
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12/23/2017 - WineAttic wrote: 90 Points
Paired well at the end of dinner with a lush french custard pie.
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10/6/2017 - cmmatthews Likes this wine: 91 Points
What a difference a couple of years makes...coming together nicely. Lots of vanilla and berry jam coming through now. Mellows after a bit of air. Drinking nicely but I'm sure this can go another 5 years at least.
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7/10/2017 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep dark center, peppery and fruity nose, great fruit and depth. Good now, but probably better in 3 or 4 years.
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5/1/2016 - ptm wrote:
Concur with prior notes - lots of acid that blurs the flavors - needs at least 3 years
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12/17/2015 - klmarshall wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic wine.
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11/7/2015 - cmmatthews wrote: 88 Points
Not sure what to make of this one yet...will let my other 3 bottles ride a bit.
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11/6/2015 - kosinski wrote:
Aroma: alcoholic and a little hard to read. Suggestions of cherries and cedar. Maybe some roasted meat.
Palate: Rich blackberry with baking spice, cedar, leather and roasted meat. Quite tannic and moderately acidic. Needs 3+ years to mature.
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