2014 Dirty and Rowdy Petite Sirah Fred & Dora's Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County (5/2/2016)
As usual for Dirty & Rowdy, this is an unusual wine. About the only thing that initially says Petite Sirah is the deep purple color. There is a rusticity to the wine that echoes Petite Sirah as well, but this reminds me more of a Wind Gap Syrah than any other Petite Sirah I have ever tasted. The fruit moves between raspberry and blueberry, and a licorice/herbal accent adds complexity. It's a bit monolithic on the finish, likely young Petite Sirah asserting itself again, but this is built more on acids than tannins, so it confounds yet again. I like this wine because it forces me to think. It does not want to be put into a box, and every time I try to do that it jumps out, changing the face it shows in the glass. Despite the very low alcohol (11.9%) there is plenty of body, so I will try to lay down my remaining bottles for a few years to let them develop and knit together a bit more.