Thackrey Sirius (Petite Sirah) Eaglepoint Ranch 2004

Opaque purple.

Great nose - best of the lot - eucalyptus, pepper, grilled meat.

Deep, sweet textural impression immediately buffered by acid/tannin synergy, quite finely expressed.
Taut. Petite Sirah with tension? Indeed.

Interesting - Thackrey's methods are unusual - long macerations, I remember 30-60 days, in open redwood fermenters, outdoors. Eucalyptus trees surrounding. And this brings up a fascinating question - how much influence on ultimate wine quality is a result of vineyard site and how much of winemaking site? Recent studies have already shown that "wild" ferments are dominated by resident winery yeast strains.

Day 4 - Now nut and eucalyptus, lifted, aromatics. Still finely-rendered in the mouth. Not complex (yet?). Huge acid-driven structure. This would be a great tasting to repeat in 8-10 years.

$60