Cracked this wine from the archives last night:
1. Forlorn-Hope LesDeuxMathieux PetiteSirah Mt.T's Vnyd/SuisunVlly (14.7%; 97 cs) MatthewRorickWines/Calistoga 2006: Very dark/black color w/ some bricking; strong pungent/licorice/PS/peppery some dusty/earthy/OV bit alcoholic/volatile some toasty/pencilly/oak nose; soft/fat rather licorice/peppery/PS quite rugged/tannic some toasty/oak fairly earthy/dusty/OV little fruit very coarse flavor w/ ample drying/hard tannins; long fairly earthy/dusty/OV strong coarse/PS/pungent/bit peppery some toasty/oak no fruit finish w/ ample coarse/hard tannins; a very coarse/oafish/clunky expression of PS that has lost all its fruit & is going nowhere; a classic huge/extracted PS that age has not been kind to.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. The 2 Matieux's are MattRorick & Matt Dees/Jornata, who were classmates at UC/Davis. The grapes come from the TennbrinkVnyd in the SuisunVlly. Made at SpencerWnry when Matt was winemaker there. This was a massive/extracted monster PS in its youth. It has gone nowhere except to lose that small amount of PS fruit it once had. I sorta expected this of the wine when I first tried it. It's sorta like extracting a Silverback Gorilla out of the Kenya Highlands, dressing him in a cute tutu, and asking him to dance in the SwanLake ballet and then expecting some good results. Notta gonna happen.
Tom