This is glorious stuff. Ignore the name–and label–and pull this stuff into the glass and everything coalesces. Giant buttery oak slathered thick on gobs of deep fruit, the depth and intensity easily outweighing the barrel-nuances and immediate thick berry. Concentrated to 11, sparing no restraint OR acidity, ripe tropical decadence positively quivers with pure Petite Sirah expression. It’s a dusty, dirty melange of blackberry, vanilla and banana, a Comstock cherry pie-filling sort of elixir, but with plenty of earthy brilliance captured along the way.
Gravitas is the operative word in the mouth, as bitter decadence eviscerates the palate in true varietal fashion. The cherry so perfect, so thick and macerated, the oak a dedicated groupie making her play. Acidic, muddy ire confound the middle–the fruit never skipping a beat. At 3 it is resplendent in complexity, yummy and drinkable while showing the things we love PS for. And Clarksburg…. THERE is the true qualifier: with mineralific blood-orange and raspy bits of briar etching trails on every surface while chubby fruit makes its play. A bit of heat sullies things, but this variety–like Zinfandel–can get a bit of a *pass* on such things. Sweet and mouth-filling and gorgeous, I could sell ENDCAPS of this stuff. A BTG warrior NOT to be missed. I’d buy it.
2018 FERGUSON FAMILY WINERY ‘Boomshakalaka’ Petite Sirah Clarksburg California 15.5
Stephen McConnell 