Fans of Petite Sirah will exult. This darkly brooding wine is heavy, tannic and fully dry, although at the cost of very high alcohol. The flavors, of extraordinarily ripe red and black cherries, currants, espresso, sweet leather and mushu plum sauce, finish with an unsweetened dark chocolate bitterness. It’s a wine that will evolve over a decade.
— S.H.
(8/1/2007)
From a hot, inland part of Mendocino planted in 1930. It has a little Petite Sirah, and who knows what else. It’s a big, thick, wine that’s delicious and layered in berry, cherry and chocolate flavors. And it has that high-alcohol prickly heat you either love or hate. Distinctively and proudly Californian.
— S.H.
(12/1/2006)
Very black in color with massive black currant flavors and very high alcohol. It’s certainly a brawny Zin, and it hardly needs the added Petite Sirah, which makes it even more muscular and youthfully aggressive. But it’s a good, sound wine that should age for decades.
— S.H.
(12/1/2006)
From the Sierra Foothills, a simple, likeable wine with pleasant berry-cherry flavors and a solid dose of toasty oak. It’s very tannic, so be warned, but it’s okay to drink now with rustic fare, such as pizza. A few tasters objected to its tart astringency.
— W.E.
(4/1/2003)
The grapes came from 2,500 feet up on Mount Lassen, and there is indeed power and intensity to the blackberry and coffee flavors as well as a spicy, peppery finish. The wine is pretty tannic and should develop well over the next ten years.
— S.H.
(12/1/2006)
The winemaker sourced Syrah and Petite Sirah from various parts of the state, then threw in a splash of Viognier. The result is a brisk, bright, fairly acidic red wine that’s lush in cherry, blackberry and chocolate flavors. With strong, dry tannins, this is a good wine that shows the fine art of blending.
— S.H.
(12/1/2006)
Very much in the same vein as the ’02, this is a wine intense and concentrated with blackberry jam and coffee flavors. It finishes dry, with some fairly hefty tannins and shows a ruggedness that could soften with bottle age.
— S.H.
(12/1/2006)
Made in a jammy, extracted style, with baked apple pie, cinnamon, anise and black pepper aromas. The tannins are pretty strong now, and so the wine is tough and aggressive. Best to let it sit for a year or two.
— S.H.
(12/1/2002)