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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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]
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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Quintessential & Quixotic; 3/30/2013-3/31/2013 (Scott & Todd's): Some preferred the Rockpile for being richer and better integrated, but this managed to be glossy, almost refined, with a ton of fruit impact that leaves you hungry for more. I loved both, 2 of my top 5 wines of the day. Based on these wines, the PS area of the cellar will keep growing.
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Big but in a very subtle way. Big fruit but really only on the finish. Predominantly black fruits. Finish still in mouth minute or two after drinking. Hint of coffee. Recommend drink a bit chilled. Very nice bottle. Would be versatile with food, especially with sweet twist (pork chutney, BBQ, etc). Drink now or wait decade or more.
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Open and drank last week over the course of several days. No formal notes, but I was very impressed with how this combined dense, creamy fruit in a luscious, medium build with restrained sweetness, mineral nuance, and a bit of lift. Elegant for a Petite Sirah. 91-94.
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Deep, opaque purple. Medium plus viscosity leaves multiple sets of glass staining legs falling after the swirl. Day bright reflections and High concentration. Muscular aromas of blackberry, blueberry, plum sauce, black pepper, mission fig and baking spices with hints of tobacco and cocoa nibs. Ancillary aromas of gravel and gun metal. The palate is massive and dense. Blackberry reduction, coffee, tobacco, star anise, black pepper, dry aged red meat, wood and a pleasant mineral/iodine and iron finish. that is long This is still a baby and needs a few years... but who can resist?
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11/12/2022 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:
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
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9/9/2022 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 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.
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4/2/2022 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 94 Points
Powerful but well balanced, with blue and black fruit, licorice, and coffee notes. Striking minerality provides vibrancy.
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3/16/2022 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 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.
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10/21/2021 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 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.
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7/13/2021 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 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!
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7/5/2021 - JonnyG wrote: flawed
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]
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2/7/2021 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine: 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!
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12/6/2020 - Crunge Likes this wine: 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.
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4/3/2020 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 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!
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11/27/2019 - ClaytonDave Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needs an hour or two decant. Still young. Intense and still tannic. Black fruits, pepper and Asian, spices on the palate.
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12/10/2017 - 1961Vintage wrote: 91 Points
rich red fruit but lacks layers of depth expected at this price point.
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9/24/2016 - Tyler C Likes this wine: 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.
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8/15/2016 - Brownvino wrote: 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.
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8/10/2016 - csimm wrote: 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.
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8/31/2015 - Tyler C Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not the finest example of Sumo. Med-Full bodied, mild finish
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5/15/2015 - sasha Likes this wine: 94 Points
graceful approachable for PS. very nice. had w/ Ed K, Andrew V, and Tim T at Sous Beurre in SF. lovely.
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4/5/2015 - jadekeyser wrote:
Lovely, not as profound as the 2009 but give it time.
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7/10/2014 - uncle al Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark in color with a very nice nose. Dark berries on the palate with a little spice. A very fine wine. Decant.
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5/2/2014 - caeleric wrote:
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.
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4/21/2014 - prasm wrote: 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)
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1/20/2014 - mcsac67 wrote: 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.
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10/26/2013 - RedLoverJim Likes this wine: 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.
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9/7/2013 - STM82 wrote: 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.
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8/26/2013 - DavidDay Likes this wine: 93 Points
Black cherries, plums, and tar in the nose, spices and layers of flaovr on the palate. Superb wine.
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3/31/2013 - silton Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quintessential & Quixotic; 3/30/2013-3/31/2013 (Scott & Todd's): Some preferred the Rockpile for being richer and better integrated, but this managed to be glossy, almost refined, with a ton of fruit impact that leaves you hungry for more. I loved both, 2 of my top 5 wines of the day. Based on these wines, the PS area of the cellar will keep growing.
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3/12/2013 - 1964vintage wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful. Lovely fruit, structure, medium+ finish. Still has it's youthful skin to shed and will be outstanding in a couple of years.
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1/24/2013 - fournet wrote: 93 Points
Big but in a very subtle way. Big fruit but really only on the finish. Predominantly black fruits. Finish still in mouth minute or two after drinking. Hint of coffee. Recommend drink a bit chilled. Very nice bottle. Would be versatile with food, especially with sweet twist (pork chutney, BBQ, etc). Drink now or wait decade or more.
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12/16/2012 - silton Likes this wine:
Open and drank last week over the course of several days. No formal notes, but I was very impressed with how this combined dense, creamy fruit in a luscious, medium build with restrained sweetness, mineral nuance, and a bit of lift. Elegant for a Petite Sirah. 91-94.
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11/17/2012 - bjamesclark Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep, opaque purple. Medium plus viscosity leaves multiple sets of glass staining legs falling after the swirl. Day bright reflections and High concentration.
Muscular aromas of blackberry, blueberry, plum sauce, black pepper, mission fig and baking spices with hints of tobacco and cocoa nibs. Ancillary aromas of gravel and gun metal.
The palate is massive and dense. Blackberry reduction, coffee, tobacco, star anise, black pepper, dry aged red meat, wood and a pleasant mineral/iodine and iron finish. that is long
This is still a baby and needs a few years... but who can resist?
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