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| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.6 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 35 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by MJP Hou TX on 11/12/2022: Wine & Wagyu 4
Pulled this bottle to show guest the payoff of patience. Even at 12 years of bottle age this wine has plenty of fruit to go another 8. Side note, I love secondary and tertiary flavors.
Drink or hold
93-95 (1531 views) | | | Tasted by sfwinelover1 on 9/9/2022 & rated 92 points: Part I of a Keplinger ‘10 vertical ($53@ with a Caldera) from a recent auction purchase. Incredibly potent nose and more subdued palate with blackberries, mulberries, huckleberries, a hint of blueberries, rocky minerality, mixed spice bouquet led by lavender and bay leaf, slightly bitter, almost amaro-inflected earthiness, dark florals, incense, cedar and dark roast coffee. Impenetrably purple, medium bodied, crazy thick legs. Completely integrated medium- tannins and acidity, no heat. Great complexity, medium+ intensity, good persistence. In my 4+ years on CT, I’ve written TNs on 1, count it, 1 PS (although I had 4 bottles, if that makes me more expert), ironically also a ‘10, Outpost Other, and it’s not like I’m holding out: this recently acquired bottle was the only PS in my cellar (I did have a glass of another vintage of this, now forgotten, before going on CT and have had other PSs on occasion), all of which is to say, you can especially take this TN with a grain of salt, to whatever extent you don’t do otherwise with my TNs. For whatever reason, perhaps where Ps tends to be planted, I tend to think of it as perhaps more akin to Zin than Syrah (I like the latter far more than the former), which perhaps accounts for my rare consumption. Anyway, with the Outpost, I was completely surprised at that cuvee’s overwhelming tannins and acidity such that, it took it almost until its 10th birthday to become drinkable, at which point it was quite nice. On the other hand, I’ve been a semi-regular drinker of Helen’s Rhones for quite a while, although as I mentioned in a recent TN for her ‘13 Hangman’s, have generally found them in their sweet spot between ages 5 and 8. And 2 of my CT friends, mjp and csimm, had almost diametrically opposite experiences with this bottling of this vintage, which left me with uncertain expectations going in. These dialectal forces continued during the 2 night tasting experience. The fascinating and intense bouquet wasn’t nearly matched in intensity (although I’d not describe the wine flat as Johnny G did with one bottle nor hollow as csimm did) on the palate, although the notes were diverse and well-delineated. In their youth, I find the Keplinger Rhones tend to be powerfully structure-first wines, but after hitting a sweet spot when the fruit and structure seem to balance out beautifully, the tannins and acidity get absorbed quickly, which I found to be the case here, leaving the wine in need, for my palate, of a bit more lift and energy, which could have elevated this wine to excellence. With all of my disclaimers on PS and only the one, relatively long ago experience with this cuvée, I’m reluctant to make any kind of secular pronouncement, since I can’t speak to how this was drinking at any time in the past (and, having bought it at auction how it was treated prior to its arrival here), but this tastes to me like it’s at least somewhat past its peak drinking window, even with its other fetching qualities. On the other hand, while I didn’t aerate it, and kept it corked during consumption, it held well, and without much change or development, during the 2 nights, so that, even if fluctuation, based on this tasting experience is more likely to be down than up, it shouldn’t be precipitous. This drank particularly well on its own, but was a solid, if unobtrusive companion, to roast chicken and chicken-feta-basil orzo on the 2 nights. The notes I observed were still interesting and desirable (and I loved the wine’s savoriness), and with others’ experiences being generally positive such that I’ll look for this at relatively comparable price points from more recent vintages in the future. (1405 views) | | | Tasted by danielbleier on 4/2/2022 & rated 94 points: Powerful but well balanced, with blue and black fruit, licorice, and coffee notes. Striking minerality provides vibrancy. (1091 views) | | | Tasted by MJP Hou TX on 3/16/2022 & rated 95 points: One of many bottles pulled for Spring Break in Sedona.
A personal request for more bottles after a Magnum release last year. This 750 came from Helen & DJ's personal stash and this wine did not disappoint out of the smaller format.
Power, structure and complexity. Super aromatic. One of my personal favorites from Keplinger that I think will cellar with the best of them. At twelve years of age this wine has yet to peak. Plenty of fruit left. It's just that good... at least to me.
Amador & Petit Sirah. (2359 views) | | | Tasted by JonnyG on 10/21/2021 & rated 92 points: Some Interesting Bottles Shared During Thursday Night Football (Los Olivos, CA): Serving this alongside a very much alive 1974 Ridge Petit Sirah perhaps unfairly painted this wine as a bit bombastic. Loaded with ripe, sweet cherry, blueberry and spice notes along with plum, licorice and lavender. Rich and delicious, almost a meal in itself.
Updating this note after returning to the bottle two nights later: I now find much less heat and much more typicity. I had slow-ox'ed for 6 hours. I recommend a 10-hour decant at a minimum, but perhaps more bottle age is merited. (1126 views) | | | Tasted by JonnyG on 7/13/2021 & rated 93 points: In contrast to a prior bottle I now can confirm was mildly corked, this bottle was singing, with loads of lush and sweet cheery and spice notes along with a bit of plum, licorice and lavender. Rich but not clumsy or over the top. I look forward to the rest of my stash! (957 views) | | | Tasted by JonnyG on 7/5/2021 flawed bottle: This bottle left me flat. Very inward, with the fruit barely evident, leaving a rustic, spice-driven wine that didn't inspire. I have more so will need to try after a significant decant next time. [update: in hindsight, this bottle must have suffered from mild cork taint, which (as was gently pointed out to me) makes much more sense, so I am revising this to "flawed rather than scoring unfairly; cf. my subsequent TN dated 7/13/2021] (903 views) | | | Tasted by MJP Hou TX on 2/7/2021 & rated 95 points: Holly freaking smokes this is fantastic Petit Sirah! 10 years in and this baby is still young. Beautifully expressive on the nose and silky full bodied in the glass. Paired perfectly with our Wagyu Tenderloin trimmings beef vegetable stew. Bravo Helen, bravo! (2293 views) | | | Tasted by Crunge on 12/6/2020 & rated 93 points: From a magnum. Funky aromas: dirt and cigarette smoke (a new one for me.) Delicious. Dark fruit, spice, stone. Lots of sediment so stand up in advance. Four of us drank this and all enjoyed. (1042 views) | | | Tasted by 1961Vintage on 4/3/2020 & rated 95 points: Continues to age extremely well. A real treat/gem for those patient enough to have waited. Short decant and ready to rock your glass! (1067 views) | | | Tasted by ClaytonDave on 11/27/2019 & rated 92 points: Needs an hour or two decant. Still young. Intense and still tannic. Black fruits, pepper and Asian, spices on the palate. (1123 views) | | | Tasted by 1961Vintage on 12/10/2017 & rated 91 points: rich red fruit but lacks layers of depth expected at this price point. (1915 views) | | | Tasted by Tyler C on 9/24/2016 & rated 92 points: Boy, it's coming alive. Much better then my last bottle ~ year ago. The syrah seems very pronounced and deep deep black berry. Wish I had waited on all of my 2010s. So much better now. Decanted for about an hour. (2255 views) | | | Tasted by Brownvino on 8/15/2016 & rated 92 points: Opened for one hour before consuming and then drank over the next 2-3 hours. Very dark and fruitful. My wife did not recognize it as a petite sirah (it has been awhile since we last consumed a petite). The love the varietal but because it is typically heavy, we do not enjoy it with food very often. Enjoyed this wine. it was a nice drink after dinner wine for us. (2304 views) | | | Tasted by csimm on 8/10/2016 & rated 88 points: PnP with high-toned notes of violets, grass, stone, bitter blackberries, and some blue fruit. Three total hours in the decanter didn't help to evolve this much.
Somewhat disjointed and lackluster. Not much seamlessness here. Quite frankly it tasted like someone poured Viognier in a glass filled with grocery store-rate PS. As has been my issue in the past with previous Sumos, the dollop of Viognier ends up dominating the overall flavor profile of the wine. This 2010 was seemingly the worst example of this phenomenon.
Thin mid-palate with a drying quality that threw off any feeling of depth at the core. I very much wanted to like this wine, but it fell off for me when all was said and done. 2010 seems like a vintage best left forgotten for the Sumo.
86-88 points at best for me. My other half gave it a hesitant 91; more forgiving than I when it came to the distracting Viognier component. (3382 views) | | | Tasted by Tyler C on 8/31/2015 & rated 90 points: Not the finest example of Sumo. Med-Full bodied, mild finish (2779 views) | | | Tasted by sasha on 5/15/2015 & rated 94 points: graceful approachable for PS. very nice. had w/ Ed K, Andrew V, and Tim T at Sous Beurre in SF. lovely. (2926 views) | | | Tasted by jadekeyser on 4/5/2015: Lovely, not as profound as the 2009 but give it time. (2290 views) | | | Tasted by uncle al on 7/10/2014 & rated 91 points: Dark in color with a very nice nose. Dark berries on the palate with a little spice. A very fine wine. Decant. (2666 views) | | | Tasted by caeleric on 5/2/2014: pnp, consumed while decanting over 4 hours. black raspberry, some spice, and violet. it's good enough, but so boring. both the wife and I nursing quite a headache after this one, and without the fun of the buzz! if scoring, 83-85. not recommended. (2585 views) | | | Tasted by prasm on 4/21/2014 & rated 90 points: Consumed over 2 days, note from day 2. Nose: A bit closed, needs a good swirl to detect violets, black berry, and smoke. Palate: Medium-full bodied, blue fruit attack, nice lift in the mid-palate where a spicy kick appears, nice mouth-feel, not ready to give much in the back-end yet - just too young. Finish: Medium length sense of tart blue fruit. This has potential, but it's not firing on all cylinders yet - needs 2+ years. (89-90) (2110 views) | | | Tasted by mcsac67 on 1/20/2014 & rated 94 points: Dark in color. Floral aromas mixed with notes of black cherry, blackberry and plum. Flavors of cherry, blackberry, coffee, spice box and tobacco. Elegant, yet powerful. Balanced and bold. Wonderful. (2282 views) | | | Tasted by RedLoverJim on 10/26/2013 & rated 93 points: Decanted for 90 minutes, rebottled for 60 minutes, then re-decanted for serving. Still young, so give it all the air you can now. Lush dark fruits, with floral notes on the nose. On the palate, plum and blueberry, with some cocoa flavors. Very good. (2525 views) | | | Tasted by STM82 on 9/7/2013 & rated 93 points: Deep dark purple. Decanted for 2+ hours. Nose of licorice, smoked meat, and purple flowers. On the palate it was more of the licorice, burnt ends sandwich, dried violets. Medium-full bodied. I was super impressed with the explosive nose on this wine. Definitely should be sought after. (2181 views) | | | Tasted by DavidDay on 8/26/2013 & rated 93 points: Black cherries, plums, and tar in the nose, spices and layers of flaovr on the palate. Superb wine. (2272 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: Terroir Matters - Updated (Nov 2013)
(Keplinger Wines Sumo Amador) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Sonoma...A Thrill a Minute (Jul 2013)
(Keplinger Wines Sumo Amador County) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, May/June 2013, IWC Issue #168
(Keplinger Wines Sumo Red Wine Amador) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, Issue #14 (12/18/2012)
(Keplinger Sumo) Login and sign up and see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JebDunnuck.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Keplinger Producer websitePetite 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 Sierra FoothillsAmador |
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