August 22, 2023 - Opened and poured. Nice, dar, dense and chewy. In a fine place still. Lush concentrated fruit puree flavors with blackberry, black cherry up front. Some secondaries have developed, but this is in a quite ripe, prime drinking window.
August 6, 2023 - Brambly black currant, cedar, prune all in the ripe but complex nose. Refreshingly lighter and more elegant in the palate than was expecting. Good firm finish, with plenty of acids and tannins, both from the wood and grape. Still a bit primal. Excellent, but believe this actually needs to sit in the class for a bit to hopefully integrate the somewhat disjointed finish a bit better.
January 26, 2023 - Opened and poured on a snowy evening. Very dark with mild bricking on the rim. Very red and cherry forward. Acidic tart and bright cherry notes on the nose and palate. Also some dark blueberry/blackberry on the nose, with some mild secondaries kicking-in....leather, anise. Full bodied but not too heavy, plenty of acids to keep it lively. Comparing to my last note nearly 10 years ago, this has evolved quite well and mellowed out in a positive trajectory. Very cherry, and very nice for 22 years in bottle indeed. A steal at $20 this wine today could cost $100+
July 28, 2018 - From magnum. Not that anyone needs it, but this is just another example of how Palisades Vineyard produces the best Petite Sirah in CA (no offense Hayne Vineyard). This was amazing at PnP with an explosion of red fruit and smoke on the nose, and lush/layered flavors of raspberry puree, blackberries, and hints of smoke and tar on the palate. Continued to open up over the course of the evening, but the tannins were pretty well integrated from the start. Fantastic PS drinking right at peak for my tastes, but should continue to hold for some time (especially in large format).
November 7, 2017 - Last one. Dennis made some great wines. SOLID fruit and integrated tannins. Nice bottle.
September 14, 2016 - Maybe one of the best PS wines ever. But you have to wait this long to enjoy it fully!
May 12, 2016 - a little on the dim side at this point. balanced though.
April 14, 2016 - I opened the bottle and the cork was dark black and some dark purple sediment had accumulated around the cork. The nose was plums with some dank notes and dark fruit. This is an opulent, opaque, tooth staining inky Petite Sirah. Right out of the bottle it was wound up tight, not really drinkable. With 30 minutes in the decanter it began showing potential. After an hour, we couldn't stay away from it. On the palette its extremely dense, with rich dark berries, plum and some tar notes. Its not overly fruity, but the fruit thats there is delicious, addictive.The bottle says 14.4% alcohol, but its not that noticeable. I drank this with salmon, which isn't really a conventional pairing but its just good. Then after dinner I drank a bit with milk chocolate, and it was delicious there too. Then I finished it off by itself and savored every drop. It doesn't have much of a finish, but the dense flavor while on the palette makes this a delectable wine.
December 24, 2014 - Opened for Christmas Eve merriment. A polarizing wine I see. This is certainly a monster, dark and thick and inky and viscous. No real color loss. Deep black fruits, dusty antique shop, old charred campfire sticks, chocolate, raspberry, spices such as cumin/turmeric. Thick and full bodied, luscious tongue coating resolved compote of jammy berries. Not a ton of fruit left, but gives a sweetish finish with a bit of tannin on the resonant finish. Certainly a fruit bomb, evolving into something else - have 2 more bottles, will keep one for the very long haul to see what happens. Oh, Merry Christmas!
August 27, 2013 - Gave 3 hours in decanter. Stunning. Syrupy thick in the glass. Deep reds and purples. Massive nose of smoked cured meats, espresso, branches, wet green leaves, dense blackberry, baking spice and piney herbs. On the palate, super dark chocolate, old musty bookcases and dripping ripe fruits. Solid tannin. Broad, thick mouth feel, yet singing with high ends. Finishes with black fruit and pepper. Wow. More please. PJG: 92