Great post. I’ll look for that one, who doesn’t love durif!
Frustratingly, none of this petite sirah is available in Australia (same for much of the other Cali stuff posted on WB). The Howling Dog is one worth keeping an eye out for. Massena is making excellent - big, but balanced - wines at the moment.
Another durif to look out for is the Warrabilla Parola, tipping the scales at an impressive 17.5% (apparently the Howling Dog is 14.5%…a bit of an undershoot I reckon). It’s from Rutherglen, where our best fortifieds come from - it’s just as hot there in summer as the Barossa. That’s pretty damn hot. WS is not showing it as sold in the US, which is a shame. Here’s a tasting note from the Melbourne merchant that sells most of this winery’s stuff.
Not for the faint hearted…
‘A behemoth of a wine and a potential legend in the making.’
Only produced in perfect vintages this is the first Parola’s Durif made since the 2009. Matured in 100% new American puncheons the wine has a magnificent glass staining colour showing paint like cling to the walls of the glass. An impenetrable inky black core with a very deep black dark purple hue. Black cherry and liquorice aromas are followed by hints of dark chocolate, black plum, vanillin cedar and spice. Explosive, opulent and penetrating with vintage port like concentration and density, yet not a trace of heat apparent. The balance is impeccable for such a high octane beast. Almost achingly intense flavours of black and morello cherry, liquorice and black plum overwhelm the senses; nuances of dark chocolate, vanillin oak and spice follow. The sheer body and power of the wine threatens to fall over - if not for support by tannins the size of Conan the Barbarian. The aftertaste of black and morello cherries, liquorice, dark chocolate and spicy vanillin oak is utterly profound. A riveting Durif experience that will no doubt go 10 years plus.
Speaking of motor oil I tasted an early version of 2015 Envy Cellars Late Harvest Petite Sirah the other day. Mike is playing around with a sweet wine of a different color. Coming out of tank at 100g/l rs it’s thicker than thick and right now is a glass full of chocolate brownies with a blueberry edge. Definitely different.
Got a few Petites stashed away although many were sold off last year. Anyone up for a Switchback Ridge Virtual?
Regular or old vines??? 
I’ll leave that decision up to the individual corkpullers. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
We opened another one of this last night. No decant, no prep…just cork out and right into the wine glasses. As the last bottle, it was darker than pen ink. But unlike my first TN, the wine last night showed significant structure and grip. Big, powerful, all of what petite is, yet no booze that I could tell. BTW, I did talk to the winery last week, and there is some new oak on this stuff, although I can’t recall if they told me 30 or 50%, but either way its got some.
Why does all this matter? IMO, it matters b/c to really assess and appreciate a wine, it needs to be drank and enjoyed, pondered and sensed on more than one occasion, to really achieve and provide an accurate context for the senses, the holistic experience. The bottle last night proved the beauty of wine again, that the senses, the setting and everything else that is in that experience of tasting, it matters. Be your own critic!
I sent Carlos home with one of my bottles yesterday, he really enjoyed the wine. Tannins caught him a little off guard. LOL.
I almost never drink wines too soon but succumbed and uncorked the bottle almost 24H ago. Just poured off an ounce or two to improve aeration.
Sweet mother of God.
Well said - and this is why it is dangerous to ‘assess’ a wine upon first sniff or taste - or even second or third.
We’ve all seen this - and all done this ourselves. You’re at a large tasting - be it Falltacular or Pinot Days or (fill in the blank) or just at a dinner party with multiple wines - and you get a pour of something and either a) dig it, b)not sure yet or c) don’t like it for one reason or another. What if the bottle was just opened and needed decanted? What if that wine had been open for 48 hours? What if?!?!?
Yep, I see it every day. It’s tough sometimes pouring my wines in my tasting room because it is like a ‘first date’ or ‘first impression’ - and that kills me. Wine needs and deserves time - and that is ALL wines. Don’t dismiss things so quickly . . .
Cheers!
Well said indeed, and often a very illuminating exercise.
No PS yet, but had the opportunity to try the Cab last week.
2013 Mending Wall Cabernet
Thomas Brown’s newest project which he part-owns. Full of plum jam and ripe currant. Big—young, OK, but very expressive. However, it’s expressive in a super-plush manner. I say to Berto, it’s as close to a Grenache as I’ve ever had in a CS. And I do wonder about the ageability. Nevertheless, an impressive wine.
LOL. You were warned!
Did Doc survive the Mending Wall? Has anyone heard from him since his Sunday AM post?
#1) We did have a Herradura before dinner (heavy pour) as I’m not taking call this week with my exam looming but I have had an awful h/a since about 10 last night! Still ongoing too.
#2) I think the wine was best ~ 22-23H open when I poured off a bit to expand the aeration surface. At that juncture the wine was a mouth-coating, beastosaur that made me want recite Winston Wolf quotes. Seriously had seemingly changed little despite being uncorked almost a day. A smoky, spicy nose I really liked.
#3) We went to our nice steakhouse and I had prime rib, which is very good here but without epic crust. They have good stems and do sell a lot of CA & WA wine, there is no corkage fee: http://www.spinnersrestaurant.com/
I thought the wine had quieted a bit, nose reticent and the overwhelming tannins less so while still easily noticed. Wine became more food-friendly but had lost some energy too. Still spicy though and there was no discernible heat.
#4) I am not a believer that extended aeration = sideways time. I will look at bottle #2 no sooner than 2018 but I liked the experiment. 30+ hours uncorked might have been a bit too long.
I finally broke down and purchased a few of these based on the glowing reviews that I’ve read. Opened one first thing in the moring this past Sunday to let it slow-ox, and started drinking at kick-off.
As others have noted, the dark color of this wine is unreal! I was literally worried that this ink-monster was going to stain our glasses!
Nose was somewhat subdued even after being opened in the bottle for 7 hours, and seemed to shut down a bit towards the end of the night. Beautiful dark blue fruit on the palate and impressive complexity…but the tannins were biting down HARD on the finish.
Overall it was a fun wine to drink (i knew it was really young), but my others will rest for a few years before I check back in. Saved a small glass that I’ll try tonight, and will report back if there was a big change.
While solid, this wine was clearly bested by the 2012 Adaptation Petite Sirah that we drank along side of it. That was an incredible wine that I was literally blown away by. I posted the TN if anyone is interested, as it was a winery that I was not previously familiar with.
Rich, do let us know if the wine tonight is fleshed out more. I suspect it will, but I also believe it is the kind of wine that if you sat it on the counter for 6 or 7 days and came back to it, the wine would still be firing and fresh. PS–love your comment about the wine’s color. This is for me too the darkest wine I have ever put into a wine stem. Black!
Hi Frank - ask and you shall receive 
Have the glass in my hand as we speak, and it’s just as dark as it was before. Just hard to believe how it literally coats the glass after you take a sip.
Anyway, now on day 3, this has really opened up quite a bit. Very expressive white flowers and candied red fruit/sweet tarts (in a good way) on the nose. This has really blossomed aromatically, and has the type of alluring smells I was hoping for on day 1. On the palate, it’s also improved substantially, with tasty black fruits, some spice and tar, and a more refined and smoother mouth-feel. The tannins are definitely much less pronounced on the finish…but still very noticeable. So much in fact, that I’m saving a small glass (luckily had a little more than I thought left over today) that I’ll probably try again in a few days (entertaining clients through Thursday, so I might not get to it until Friday). Should be a fun little “experiment”, and I’ll be sure to report back.
Cheers!
Great experiment.
I’ve had numerous wines after weeks on the counter that were still great.
Day 5 now, and this has literally barely budged since day 3. Still black as night (as expected), and while the nose and palate is a bit more expressive compared to day 1, with a smoother mouth-feel and slightly less brooding…it’s still incredibly, mouth-puckering tannic on the finish.
Just a massive wine, and I’m literally going to try and leave my last bottles alone for 5+ years (10 would be more ideal IMHO).
Cheers!
Thanks for the update, Rich!
Rich, ditto. I appreciate your tasting tenacity and commitment to us petite heads.