Not a bombshell like Switchback PS’s can be - perhaps a tad lighter in fruit concentration than I’m used to. That said, the bottle was an auction purchase, so I need to try one of my two other bottles soon in the interest of science and accurate and consistent tasting notes. The uninitiated would still call this bottle a bombshell, I expect. Still plenty of tannic bite.
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Opaque purple in color. 16.5% ABV. Heady nose of blue and black fruits, molten licorice and Whitman Sampler box. Full bodied with plenty of acidity. Immense and concentrated. The balance is impressive. Blueberry, blackberry liqueur, iron and chocolate on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long. You have to know you audience when you serve a wine like this but I am absolutely a fan. Best over the next 8-10 years.
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A couple squirts from a Coravin'd bottle. This continues to hold up well, resembling some of the same flavors as the bottle I had over a year ago. Plenty of energy, charcoal, red and black fruit, some bitter chocolate. I remember many years ago tasting the 2009 from barrel with Kelly Peterson during a visit. Even at that time I had some sense the vintage would be favorable for a wine that would go quite a distance. Whatever I noticed at that time, it's played out to be true. Plenty of life ahead, no loss of fruit...still on an ascending trajectory.
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A really nice bottle of wine. Opened and let sit for an hour or so then started pouring small amounts into our glasses. Very dark in color with a nose of plum and olive. The palate was dark berries, plums, mocha, black tea and Asian spices. A long smooth finish. Had not tried a bottle in almost two years and according to my notes it was the same. The last of my 2009s.
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This has been open about 3 hours, finishing the last pour. Note--there was a lot of sediment in this wine, as it was stored well on its side where it all had collected. This is a very good vintage for SR PS, as it manages to walk the line between big fruit and solid structure, using both well. Inky dark, stains the glass with a dark, fresh blackberry fruit, charcoal, iron and some minerally tannin. This is just starting to enter the drink window and based on the stuffing, I'd think this will drink well for the next 5-7 years.
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Color is almost black - probably the darkest I've ever seen in a wine. Black and blue fruits on the nose, with hints of Asian spices and licorice. On the palate, it was blackberries, blueberries and a fair amount of chocolate. Very rich and quite viscous, although the finish was merely OK. The high alcohol was somehow not noticeable. Still quite tannic, but not painfully so and barely noticeable with rich or fatty foods. Needless to say, it probably hasn't peaked has has a long life ahead of it.
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Just couldn't wait for the 10th birthday, for which we typically hold our petites at a minimum, but the right meal and friends on a special evening demanded it! Magnum, aerated, filtered, decanted & rested for an hr before serving with braised short ribs, spiced couscous & roasted rainbow carrots. Proved to be an excellent representation of the breed really drinking well now. The deepest depths of black-n-blue fruit balanced with softened tannins, acidity and brambly dark herbs. Oh yes, and a nice longggg teeth staining finish. This is what Petite Sirah is all about. NOT an overly extracted fruit bomb and I'd not have [blind] guessed the high ABV (some things I can't always say about a Robert Foley product ;-). Gotta luv Calistoga Petite Sirahs... Peterson Family, Biale, Vincent Arroyo.
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Notes of dark fruit and anise. This is big, thick and a slow drinker, all the while it drinks fresher than its 16.5% alc., with pretty floral tones and a savory profile. If anything, it's a little young at age 9.
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A really beautiful bottle of wine. Opened and let sit for an hour or so then started pouring small amounts through a soiree into our glasses. Very dark in color with a nose of plum and olive. The palate was dark berries, plums, mocha, black tea and Asian spices. A long smooth finish. My guess is that it is just in the beginning of a long perfect drinking window. This wine has years and years to go. Paired with grilled filet mignon and grilled vegetables. A really good match.
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Decanted and filtered, most of the 1/2 tsp if heavy sediment remained in the bottle with some residual sugar sneaking through. A completely opaque ox blood that you literally cannot see the fucking sun through with some fine sediment cycling on the miniscus. The nose is sharply focused on campfire and German blackberry liquor with hints of light floral notes. The palate has smoky bramble candy, lamb fat, sweet tobacco, blueberry and dark chocolate. There’s a nice lift on the finish revealing chalky and floral olive with bay leaf. The alcohol is well resolved but still hitting hard.
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Opened about 60 minutes before tasting. Needs more air time and/or decanting at this point. Black and blue fruits on the nose, along with a whiff of charcoal. Same on the palate. Big, nasal cavity-filling fruit. Good (not great) finish. Still quite tannic, although the alcohol was barely noticeable. OK now with decanting or aeration. Otherwise, hold until at least 2020.
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Well it has been a year since I last tired a bottle and it is still a beautiful wine. Dark berries on the nose. The palate is dark berries, chocolate and spice. A nice full lengthy finish.
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Two hours in the decanter with lot of swirling along the way...dark purple...lots of alcohol on the nose at first, but dark fruit came through in the glass...medium finish...decent PS from SBR, but have had much better from SBR.
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My final 2009, this drank well yesterday. Did not take formal notes but I did recall a good correlation with how it tasted from barrel back in 2010. At that time, and yesterday too, there is a leaner, more moderate feel to the wine, buffered by good acidity, iron and energy. And worth also calling out, this was listed at 16.5% and yet I didn't get any booze coming at my nose. Good showing overall.
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Such great consistency with this PS. Big nose and body filled with blue and black berries. Big tannins but well integrated. A meal in a bottle! Should last another 5+ years easily. 93+
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At Adam's birthday dinner, opened and poured through a vintorio over two hours, dark fruit on the nose, the palate is dark berries and chocolate with a hint of spice. A nice full finish. This wine is still young and has years of development ahead of it. I won't open another bottle for a year and will give it at least a 6 hour decant.
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3 years since my last taste. It was a long day working on the house in cold weather and I needed something to warm my soul. This wine is bigger than I remember. As dense and extracted as any PS I have ever had. Black as night, viscous, loaded with black fruit, cocoa, and chewy chalky tannins. Just a hedonistic, tooth staining, stick to the roof of your mouth pleasure that every once in a while is just the right fit. Warning, may become habit forming.
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Popped the bottle twice accesed via Coravin over the last 12 months. No evidence of oxidation or flaws. Notes are consistent with those from Sept 2014. Musty, blueberry ... Good but not tremendous complexity, and no development over past year.
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Rich, extracted, and explosive on both the nose and palate. Hints of mixed dark berries, bramble, and black currant. Coats the mouth with a plethora of fruit with medium tannin. A nice rendition of Petite Syrah with little restraint. Needs charred meat or traditional barbecue to do battle with. Not much complexity or finesse, but I don't think that was the intention here.
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Via Coravin. Coravin seems ideal for a wine like this that is very hard to consume a full bottle in one night between two people. A bit musty at first, but blueberry dominates the palate. Chocolate, stones, and vanilla. A big wine no doubt, but some acidity lightens it up a bit.
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This wine is too young. I am learning more about foley wines. They need at least 7-8 years to age. This has an alcohol edge that is not pleasant. If you want to drink now decant at least two hours as it mellowed a bit. This needs time to integrate. Maybe 2 more years. Should age for at least another 10
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Dinner with Friends (FMIII in the OC): Dark as motor oil. Great petite fruit flavor, very expressive, and notes of tar toward the end. There's a good shot of alcohol in here and it's noticeable. Tannins are still very firm, quite stiff actually. This wine is a baby.
Opened this to celebrate the arrival of the 2010 Switchback Ridge wines. Big. I mean really big. Blueberry jam. Chocolate. So thick you can chew it. Gripping tannins on the back side but not unpleasant. Just yummy in all respects. Need to hold remaining bottles as this should get better. But excellent now. If scoring 93-95.
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A smooth Petite Sirah. I think it needs more time. It did not seem as integrated as it should be for such a quality wine. Kelly puts a lot of effort into her wines and this one was not up to the rest. I rated 92 on potential because it was too young to drink in my opinion.
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Massive and fairly intense. Blackberry, dark chocolate, olives, roast pork. Tannins are huge, but pretty smooth. Certainly young, but quite enjoyable. Went well with some smuggled jamon.
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Falltacular 2012 (FMIII in the OC): This looked like trouble as it was poured into the glass. Very opaque and staining the glass as I swirled and pushed my nose into it. Big, rich, and dominating fruit as you'd expect with plenty of structure to hold on for a decade or more. The tannins on the finish will cleanse (strip) the palate. Let this ride in the cellar for 5 more years. Excellent.
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Stopped by to pick up my 09's this afternoon and Kelly graciously offered me a split that she had opened a couple days ago so I could get a feel for the wine without having to kill a 750. Big and rich as I expect from a SB Petite. Picking up all the chocolate, tannin, alc and acid FMIII noted but this one is surprisingly more fruit forward than previous bottlings and a little on the juicy side with blackberry and deep dark cherry tones. Nevertheless it should have come with a diaper because it's just way young and I'm struggling with trying to get the nose to give much up. I'll reset the cork and check back tomorrow.
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Been open since Thursday afternoon, so more than two full days. Sat simply out on the counter with the cork. Drinking at room temp now for this note, which is really a chalenge IMO for petite but this hangs in. Yes, some heat on the aromatic but hell, this is petite and I ain't even got a chill on this at all. Bright fruit, red edged with lots of black. Iron, chocolate, tannin framing the edges. Dark coffee, and acid. Acid? Yes, that's the brightness that lifts the wine here. Will need to try an 05 again and see how this lines up against it.
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1/29/2023 - kabert Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not a bombshell like Switchback PS’s can be - perhaps a tad lighter in fruit concentration than I’m used to. That said, the bottle was an auction purchase, so I need to try one of my two other bottles soon in the interest of science and accurate and consistent tasting notes. The uninitiated would still call this bottle a bombshell, I expect. Still plenty of tannic bite.
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4/24/2021 - tomlee wrote: 94 Points
Opaque purple in color. 16.5% ABV. Heady nose of blue and black fruits, molten licorice and Whitman Sampler box. Full bodied with plenty of acidity. Immense and concentrated. The balance is impressive. Blueberry, blackberry liqueur, iron and chocolate on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long. You have to know you audience when you serve a wine like this but I am absolutely a fan. Best over the next 8-10 years.
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11/8/2020 - Frank Murray III wrote:
A couple squirts from a Coravin'd bottle. This continues to hold up well, resembling some of the same flavors as the bottle I had over a year ago. Plenty of energy, charcoal, red and black fruit, some bitter chocolate. I remember many years ago tasting the 2009 from barrel with Kelly Peterson during a visit. Even at that time I had some sense the vintage would be favorable for a wine that would go quite a distance. Whatever I noticed at that time, it's played out to be true. Plenty of life ahead, no loss of fruit...still on an ascending trajectory.
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7/26/2020 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
A really nice bottle of wine. Opened and let sit for an hour or so then started pouring small amounts into our glasses. Very dark in color with a nose of plum and olive. The palate was dark berries, plums, mocha, black tea and Asian spices. A long smooth finish. Had not tried a bottle in almost two years and according to my notes it was the same. The last of my 2009s.
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9/1/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:
This has been open about 3 hours, finishing the last pour. Note--there was a lot of sediment in this wine, as it was stored well on its side where it all had collected. This is a very good vintage for SR PS, as it manages to walk the line between big fruit and solid structure, using both well. Inky dark, stains the glass with a dark, fresh blackberry fruit, charcoal, iron and some minerally tannin. This is just starting to enter the drink window and based on the stuffing, I'd think this will drink well for the next 5-7 years.
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6/24/2019 - Night Train Likes this wine: 90 Points
Color is almost black - probably the darkest I've ever seen in a wine. Black and blue fruits on the nose, with hints of Asian spices and licorice. On the palate, it was blackberries, blueberries and a fair amount of chocolate. Very rich and quite viscous, although the finish was merely OK. The high alcohol was somehow not noticeable. Still quite tannic, but not painfully so and barely noticeable with rich or fatty foods. Needless to say, it probably hasn't peaked has has a long life ahead of it.
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12/9/2018 - IAmVintage wrote: 93 Points
Just couldn't wait for the 10th birthday, for which we typically hold our petites at a minimum, but the right meal and friends on a special evening demanded it! Magnum, aerated, filtered, decanted & rested for an hr before serving with braised short ribs, spiced couscous & roasted rainbow carrots. Proved to be an excellent representation of the breed really drinking well now. The deepest depths of black-n-blue fruit balanced with softened tannins, acidity and brambly dark herbs. Oh yes, and a nice longggg teeth staining finish. This is what Petite Sirah is all about. NOT an overly extracted fruit bomb and I'd not have [blind] guessed the high ABV (some things I can't always say about a Robert Foley product ;-). Gotta luv Calistoga Petite Sirahs... Peterson Family, Biale, Vincent Arroyo.
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12/6/2018 - gmbdds wrote: 92 Points
Notes of dark fruit and anise. This is big, thick and a slow drinker, all the while it drinks fresher than its 16.5% alc., with pretty floral tones and a savory profile. If anything, it's a little young at age 9.
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8/18/2018 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
A really beautiful bottle of wine. Opened and let sit for an hour or so then started pouring small amounts through a soiree into our glasses. Very dark in color with a nose of plum and olive. The palate was dark berries, plums, mocha, black tea and Asian spices. A long smooth finish. My guess is that it is just in the beginning of a long perfect drinking window. This wine has years and years to go. Paired with grilled filet mignon and grilled vegetables. A really good match.
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3/18/2018 - Drankthewholebottle Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted and filtered, most of the 1/2 tsp if heavy sediment remained in the bottle with some residual sugar sneaking through. A completely opaque ox blood that you literally cannot see the fucking sun through with some fine sediment cycling on the miniscus. The nose is sharply focused on campfire and German blackberry liquor with hints of light floral notes. The palate has smoky bramble candy, lamb fat, sweet tobacco, blueberry and dark chocolate. There’s a nice lift on the finish revealing chalky and floral olive with bay leaf. The alcohol is well resolved but still hitting hard.
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3/15/2018 - Night Train Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened about 60 minutes before tasting. Needs more air time and/or decanting at this point. Black and blue fruits on the nose, along with a whiff of charcoal. Same on the palate. Big, nasal cavity-filling fruit. Good (not great) finish. Still quite tannic, although the alcohol was barely noticeable. OK now with decanting or aeration. Otherwise, hold until at least 2020.
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12/22/2017 - markcic wrote: 92 Points
Well it has been a year since I last tired a bottle and it is still a beautiful wine. Dark berries on the nose. The palate is dark berries, chocolate and spice. A nice full lengthy finish.
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11/23/2017 - hanasowner wrote: 88 Points
Two hours in the decanter with lot of swirling along the way...dark purple...lots of alcohol on the nose at first, but dark fruit came through in the glass...medium finish...decent PS from SBR, but have had much better from SBR.
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10/30/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote:
My final 2009, this drank well yesterday. Did not take formal notes but I did recall a good correlation with how it tasted from barrel back in 2010. At that time, and yesterday too, there is a leaner, more moderate feel to the wine, buffered by good acidity, iron and energy. And worth also calling out, this was listed at 16.5% and yet I didn't get any booze coming at my nose. Good showing overall.
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8/19/2017 - hanasowner wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured...agree with previous posters that tannins have softened considerably...medium finish.
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6/20/2017 - bplant13 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Such great consistency with this PS. Big nose and body filled with blue and black berries. Big tannins but well integrated. A meal in a bottle! Should last another 5+ years easily. 93+
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5/4/2017 - awineo wrote: 94 Points
Great Petite. Still has a lot of "grip". Probably will get a little softer in the next 5 to 10 years.
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1/15/2017 - George Lopez Likes this wine: 94 Points
We really enjoyed this wine. It had great fruit and wasn't overly tannic, and the finish was nice and long. Very satisfying!
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12/18/2016 - markcic Likes this wine: 92 Points
At Adam's birthday dinner, opened and poured through a vintorio over two hours, dark fruit on the nose, the palate is dark berries and chocolate with a hint of spice. A nice full finish. This wine is still young and has years of development ahead of it. I won't open another bottle for a year and will give it at least a 6 hour decant.
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11/29/2015 - River Rat Likes this wine:
3 years since my last taste. It was a long day working on the house in cold weather and I needed something to warm my soul. This wine is bigger than I remember. As dense and extracted as any PS I have ever had. Black as night, viscous, loaded with black fruit, cocoa, and chewy chalky tannins. Just a hedonistic, tooth staining, stick to the roof of your mouth pleasure that every once in a while is just the right fit. Warning, may become habit forming.
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9/1/2015 - brianngibson wrote: 91 Points
Popped the bottle twice accesed via Coravin over the last 12 months. No evidence of oxidation or flaws. Notes are consistent with those from Sept 2014. Musty, blueberry ... Good but not tremendous complexity, and no development over past year.
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7/3/2015 - drdan8 wrote: 91 Points
Rich, extracted, and explosive on both the nose and palate. Hints of mixed dark berries, bramble, and black currant. Coats the mouth with a plethora of fruit with medium tannin. A nice rendition of Petite Syrah with little restraint. Needs charred meat or traditional barbecue to do battle with. Not much complexity or finesse, but I don't think that was the intention here.
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9/30/2014 - brianngibson wrote: 92 Points
Via Coravin. Coravin seems ideal for a wine like this that is very hard to consume a full bottle in one night between two people. A bit musty at first, but blueberry dominates the palate. Chocolate, stones, and vanilla. A big wine no doubt, but some acidity lightens it up a bit.
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5/4/2014 - jfurey21 Likes this wine: 88 Points
This wine is too young. I am learning more about foley wines. They need at least 7-8 years to age. This has an alcohol edge that is not pleasant. If you want to drink now decant at least two hours as it mellowed a bit. This needs time to integrate. Maybe 2 more years. Should age for at least another 10
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1/26/2013 - brigcampbell wrote:
Dinner with Friends (FMIII in the OC): Dark as motor oil. Great petite fruit flavor, very expressive, and notes of tar toward the end. There's a good shot of alcohol in here and it's noticeable. Tannins are still very firm, quite stiff actually. This wine is a baby.
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11/8/2012 - dontime wrote:
Opened this to celebrate the arrival of the 2010 Switchback Ridge wines. Big. I mean really big. Blueberry jam. Chocolate. So thick you can chew it. Gripping tannins on the back side but not unpleasant. Just yummy in all respects. Need to hold remaining bottles as this should get better. But excellent now. If scoring 93-95.
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8/22/2012 - awineo Likes this wine: 92 Points
A smooth Petite Sirah. I think it needs more time. It did not seem as integrated as it should be for such a quality wine. Kelly puts a lot of effort into her wines and this one was not up to the rest. I rated 92 on potential because it was too young to drink in my opinion.
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7/4/2012 - Beerzebub wrote:
Massive and fairly intense. Blackberry, dark chocolate, olives, roast pork. Tannins are huge, but pretty smooth. Certainly young, but quite enjoyable. Went well with some smuggled jamon.
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1/15/2012 - brigcampbell wrote:
Falltacular 2012 (FMIII in the OC): This looked like trouble as it was poured into the glass. Very opaque and staining the glass as I swirled and pushed my nose into it. Big, rich, and dominating fruit as you'd expect with plenty of structure to hold on for a decade or more. The tannins on the finish will cleanse (strip) the palate. Let this ride in the cellar for 5 more years. Excellent.
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11/15/2011 - River Rat wrote:
Stopped by to pick up my 09's this afternoon and Kelly graciously offered me a split that she had opened a couple days ago so I could get a feel for the wine without having to kill a 750. Big and rich as I expect from a SB Petite. Picking up all the chocolate, tannin, alc and acid FMIII noted but this one is surprisingly more fruit forward than previous bottlings and a little on the juicy side with blackberry and deep dark cherry tones. Nevertheless it should have come with a diaper because it's just way young and I'm struggling with trying to get the nose to give much up. I'll reset the cork and check back tomorrow.
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10/29/2011 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Been open since Thursday afternoon, so more than two full days. Sat simply out on the counter with the cork. Drinking at room temp now for this note, which is really a chalenge IMO for petite but this hangs in. Yes, some heat on the aromatic but hell, this is petite and I ain't even got a chill on this at all. Bright fruit, red edged with lots of black. Iron, chocolate, tannin framing the edges. Dark coffee, and acid. Acid? Yes, that's the brightness that lifts the wine here. Will need to try an 05 again and see how this lines up against it.
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