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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2014 and 2020 (based on 7 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.4 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 14 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by InFrom/HF on 4/21/2023 & rated 89 points: A bit of a revelation, as we tend to shy away from the high AbV wines in our collection. This has held up so well. The tannins are well balanced, and the fruit (blackberries, mainly) is still vibrant. (254 views) | | | Tasted by Ajrod27 on 7/20/2021: This wine is hitting its stride. A big nose of ripe wild blackberry, fennel/anise, cedar, clove, with hints of white pepper and menthol. The palate carrys over the blackberry and white pepper, and adds mildly sweet oak and leather to the lingering finish. There’s still ample fine tannin, but also a touch of bitter green tannins that I didn’t notice in previous tastings. Personally I’d like a little more acidity, but this wine is balanced enough for me to enjoy. I think it’ll continue to evolve for a few more years before it tires out. (811 views) | | | Tasted by boatman72 on 9/10/2017 & rated 87 points: Not a very interesting Petite Sirah. Although it had bramble and dark blackberry fruit on the palate, to me it seemed muted. Alcohol may have been slightly elevated, but it wasn't a distraction with me. I just expected more!!! Sad bottle. (1656 views) | | | Tasted by boatman72 on 9/7/2015 & rated 86 points: Way, way too much heat on this bottle beginning, middle and end. The alcohol muted everything. It took three days in the bottle to lose the heat, then I got some blackberry and dark fruit. By that time, I was too gun shy to evaluate it. Putting the others down for a very long time! (2276 views) | | | Tasted by ICaWineGuy on 3/12/2015 & rated 90 points: Nose dark fruit including blackberries, and black cherry w a bit of minty menthol. Palate is fruit forward with blackberry jam, blueberry, tart cherry. After the fruit subsides a bit i get some spice box and a bit of pepper. Nice long finish. (2579 views) | | | Tasted by klezman on 2/11/2015: PnP it was all bramble, perfect balance, and very fine tannin. Hints of spice from the oak here and there, but really it's all about the fruit. After a while it somewhat closed down as the tannins got more brawny and the flavours started to take a back seat to the textures. I suspect on day 2 it will be delicious again. (3743 views) | | | Tasted by MadisonWIneGuy on 10/18/2014 & rated 90 points: Blueberry, blackberry, some menthol on the nose. Heavy on the dark fruit early on. Slight tartness adds a little acidity midway & through the finish. Nice length. 90 pts. (2281 views) | | | Tasted by klezman on 5/5/2013: PnP: dark inky purple, fairly closed nose of leaves and blackberry, bright bramble flavours, huge tannin. Into the decanter.
20 minutes or so in decanter (and much swirling) now it's showing black cherry and cocoa on the nose. Palate is getting a bit of green bitterness (seed tannin?).
Continued to evolve/open and went well with ribs. No major flavour profile differences. (3351 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 2/22/2013 & rated 91 points: Opaque black red violet color; lightly savory, tar, tart black fruit, tart berry nose; tasty, complex, savory, tart black fruit, roasted black fruit, tar palate; needs 2-plus years; medium-plus finish 91+ points (300 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 7/31/2012 & rated 89 points: 10th Annual Petite Sirah Symposium & Tasting (Martinelli Event Center & Concannon Vineyard, Livermore, California): Opaque purple red violet color; savory, tart black fruit, chocolate nose; ripe black fruit, tar, chocolate palate; long finish (14.8% alcohol, 3.32 pH; aged 18 mos in 2 yr old French oak) (3082 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 2/17/2012 & rated 89 points: 2012 PS I Love You Dark & Delicious Petite Sirah Event (Rock Wall Winery, Alameda, California): Opaque black red violet color; focused, tart berry, tart plum, violet nose; tasty, ripe berry, ripe black fruit, violet palate with soft tannins; medium-plus finish (2418 views) |
| By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/22/2013)
(Denier-Handal Petite Sirah) Opaque black red violet color; lightly savory, tar, tart black fruit, tart berry nose; tasty, complex, savory, tart black fruit, roasted black fruit, tar palate; needs 2-plus years; medium-plus finish 91+ points 91 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (7/31/2012)
(Denier-Handal Petite Sirah) Opaque purple red violet color; savory, tart black fruit, chocolate nose; ripe black fruit, tar, chocolate palate; long finish (14.8% alcohol, 3.32 pH; aged 18 mos in 2 yr old French oak) 89 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/17/2012)
(Denier-Handal Petite Sirah) Opaque black red violet color; focused, tart berry, tart plum, violet nose; tasty, ripe berry, ripe black fruit, violet palate with soft tannins; medium-plus finish 89 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Denier-Handal Producer website
Owner: Alyce Denier & Dick Handal
Founded: Vineyard was founded in 1996, the Winery operation in 2009
Winemaker: Peter Wellington
Location: Glen Ellen, CA
We have been farming winegrapes and producing wines in Ecuador, Chile, and California for over 27 years. Dick got started in Ecuador thanks to Don Angel Duran who took him under his wing
teaching him about farming grapes. He was simply a farmer, the Mayordomo of a large hacienda in the highlands of the Andes outside of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, but he knew about grapes.
While working for the Patron, he was sent to Argentina to learn viticulture. Unfortunately, he could never support his family making wine or Pisco. Then we met, and he found his chance to return
to viticulture. Although we grow mostly Cabernet Sauvignon we have small amounts of wonderful Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Merlot and Syrah. Thanks to the guidance of Peter Wellington we were
able to start produce excellent wines that he as winemaker, crafted. We are pleased to be able to share these wines with you.2009 Denier-Handal Petite SirahHarvest date: September 29, 2009
Single Vineyard Designate: 100 % Denier Handal Vineyard, Alexander Valley
In the Cellar: Fermentation in open top tanks with manual punchdown 2 - 4 times a day
Length of fermentations: 2 day cold soak followed by 8 day fermentation.
Oak Regimen: Aged in 2 year old French oak barrels for 18 months.
Cases: 94
Bottled Date: May 11, 2011
Alcohol: 14.8%
pH: 3.32
Residual Sugar: Less than 0.1%
Varietals: 100% Petite Sirah
Alexander Valley Terroir: Warm Region III
Soils of medium clay; grown on the valley floor along the Russian River in the Alexander Valley, Sonoma CountyPetite 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 Sonoma CountyMendocino CountyAlexander Valley Alexander Valley Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia
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