Petite Sirah tends to be ignored when discussing California’s finest wines, but I have had wonderful experiences with some of the Petite Sirahs produced in the early seventies (from Ridge, Freemark Abbey, and Burgess Cellars), and they can be amazingly long-lived, and often improve in the bottle. This blockbuster 2002 Petite Sirah Rodney’s Vineyard will be ready to drink in 5-6 years, and should easily last for two decades. Its huge blue/purple color resembles a young vintage port. A big, smoky, blueberry, blackberry, graphite, licorice, and crushed rock-scented perfume soars from the glass of this massive whopper. The surprisingly sweet tannin, richness of the fruit and extract, and the blockbuster finish are all indicative of a potentially superb Petite Sirah that should still be in good form circa 2025. Tel. (805) 686-2424

One of the blacker wines of the year, and also one of the more alcoholic, with 15.9%. Massively fruited, just explodes with blackberry and cherry marmalade, dusted with chocolate and cinnamon. It sure is tasty, but is it a dry table wine? ——S.H.(11/1/2005)—— 87