Petite Sirah Tierra Theopolis Vineyard, Halcon Vineyards 2017

The 2017 Petite Sirah “Tierra” from Halcón Vineyards hails all from the cool Theopolis Vineyard, which bounced back nicely from the heat spike at the end of August in 2017 and the petite sirah here was picked on October 11th at an octane level of 13.9 percent. As was the case with the fine 2016 version, the 2017 included fifty percent whole clusters and was raised in a large, old oak puncheon. The wine delivers a fine and complex aromatic constellation of cassis, pepper, smoked meats, garrigue, black tea, a fine base of dark soil tones, a bit of youthful stems and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and rock solid at the core, with fine soil signature, ripe, well-integrated tannins and a long, chewy and complex finish. With a steak on the grill, this would already be a tasty dinner companion, but I would opt to give it some bottle age, to let the tannins soften up a bit more and for those stem tones to turn to exotic spices. First class petite sirah! 2026-2050.

Medium to ruby-purple, the 2017 Petite Sirah, made with 50% whole cluster and aged in neutral oak, gives gregarious scents of violet, lilac, bergamot and pink peppercorn with a core of lush, ripe black and blue fruit preserves and minerally notions. Full-bodied, it’s packed with luscious ripe fruits and oodles of floral nuance, with firm, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long on a chocolate note. This was made without new oak. 180 cases produced.