2007 Carlisle Petite Sirah Palisade Vineyard

I will say that neither of us are really big fans of petite sirah, but this sounded like the thing to pop.  We don't pick up much petite sirah at all, but when we do, it is from Carlisle.  Sure, we popped this one a few years too early, but sometimes a littlevinfantcide can be fun...especially where there are more bottles sleeping in the cellar.

Pop and poured, this showed a dark inky purple lip and tongue staining color in the glass.  On the nose, the blackberry and other black fruits dominte with some hints of spice and chocolate.

On the palate, this wine has many years ahead of it, and is drinking super young.  But even so, the fruit is there, and this is a tasty fruit forward wine.  Tons of dark berries, but nothing really seems to stand out...some blackberry, blueberry, and boysenberry, along with some toasted oak.  Nice subtle acidity, and surprisingly, the tannins were integrated nice as well given the age.  Smooth finish made this a pleasure to dirnk.  90 points.

2006 Carlisle Petite Sirah Yorkville Highlands

If there is yet another varietal that we do not drink enough of, it is Petit Sirah. I have yet to have a petite sirah that has blown my mind, but this one was very tasty. Popped and poured tonight at Delorenzo’s Tomato Pies in Robbinsville, NJ, this showed a very nice dark color in the glass. When I say dark, this was dark. On the nose, some very nice dark berries dominate, with some nice hints of earth and vanilla. The nose was rounded out by a bit of cherry and mocha tones, and it was very pleasurable.


On the palate, the wine showed very young, with some strong tannins and oak dominating, showing that I think this wine will easily age for another 4-5 years plus. More mixed berries on the palate, with a ton of black fruits strutting their stuff. This wine really started to open up at hour one, but the tannins and oak were still there. We put the cork back in the bottle and brought the rest home to finish, and it was a bit more of the same, but some blue berry started to come out as we got to the end of the bottle. There was a quite a bit of sediment in the bottle, so I don’t know if this is unfiltered, or if it was just a fluke. This bottle has been stored at 55 degrees since purchase direct from the winery thanks to our good friends Tom and Denise sharing their allocation with us.

All in all, a nice petite sirah, and I look forward to the other bottle we have in the next 3-5 years. 90 points. Cheers!

2006 Tobin James Petite Sirah Black Magic

Yet again, another Toby that was over the top, and albeit tasty, it was a little too much for me. I really hate to admit that these wines don't appeal to my palate like they once did.

This one was very "grapey" so to say. Nice grapey nose if you know what I mean, reminiscint of Concord grapes. Lots of blueberry and dark fruits on the nose, with subtle hints of oak.

On the palate, the fruit was all over the place. You name it, it was there, and it was in your face! Tons of red fruits, and it really reminded me of a ag of Skittles. "Taste the rainbow." A nice finish, with good acidity, and a pleasant finish. 85 points. Cheers!

2004 Peachy Canyon Jester

First tried this wine at Jester's Cafe, and I really enjoyed it, so I picked up a few bottles at the first place I saw it around here. This wine is a very strange blend, almost like a Bordeaux, but a lot like a Rhone wine as well. Grapes used were cabernet sauvignon, syrah, petite sirah, and cab franc. On the nose, hints of raspberry jam, plum, cherry, and cedar shine through. On the palate, tons of blackberry and raspberry, with currants, and lots of wood. Cedar, oak, you take your pick, but they are both there. There is something about this wine that I absolutely love, but I cannot put my finger on it. Maybe it is because it has the same qualities of two regions that we love, Bordeaux and Rhone. Maybe because it's a bigger wine. I only wish I knew. What I do know is that we have 2 more bottles, and I look forward to opening them. In short, a fun wine, worthy of 89 points. Cheers!