2015 Halcon Vineyards, Petite Sirah, Tierra, Yorkville Highlands.
Wow, wow, wow, what a fantastic Petite Sirah, this is a wine that can totally re-define a grape, Halcon Vineyards 2015 Tierra Petite Sirah from the Theopolis Vineyard in the Yorkville Highlands is a spectacular and expressive red with intense flavors and spiciness. Paul Gordon’s Halcon Vineyards, along with winemaker Scott Shapley (Roar) are making some of California’s most exciting cool climate wines, with daily average temps that come in around the same as or slightly cooler than France’s Cote-Rotie, focusing mostly on Rhone style wines, but also a set of Pinot Noir(s) and this Petite Sirah. Petite Sirah (Durif) has long been a mystery varietal, it was a happy accident in the southwest of France, it somehow came to California and was once thought to be a clone Syrah and took on the name Petite Sirah, and even that might have been a mistake too, but as a California grape it has found a new lease of life as both a blending grape and as a single varietal wine, it was created by pollen germinating of Peloursin Noir (Petite Sirah’s parent plant) by some near by Syrah vines at Francois Durif’s nursery, hence the name. For the best and most complete research into Petite Sirah/Durif in California please read Patrick Comisky’s “American Rhone” book, a great read and reference. In recent years Petite Sirah has seen some unique forms emerge with an array of stylistic wines showing up, look for Jaffurs Thompson Vineyard, Ridge’s York Creek and Lytton versions, Relic, Biale, Turley, Ian Brand’s stoney P’Tit Paysan and especially this Halcon Tierra. Halcon’s 2015 Tierra comes from 100% Petite Sirah grown on steep terraces, it was done in natural and pure Rhone style with 50% whole cluster and aged in neural French puncheons, unfined and unfiltered with only about 150 cases made, making it a deep colored and complex wine with fine acidity and gripping tannins with a medium full body very much in the style of an old school Cornas! It starts with a vibrant black/purple and garnet edged hue in the glass and a bouquet of marionberry, red pepper, shaved cinnamon, crushed violets and lavender oil which leads to a vigorous spicy palate of black plum, blueberry, racy currant along with the mentioned marionberry, peppery notes, red chili flakes, bitter coco, cedar, sage/garrigue/fennel and liquid mineral. While similar to Northern Rhone offerings, this Petite Sirah has it’s own character, lingering with black and blue fruits, floral tones and chalky stoniness. This is special stuff, nervy and detailed, but with ripe/sweet tannins and wonderful mouth feel, it’s concentrated per the vintage, though balanced without heaviness, at 14.5% this Halcon Tierra is in totally harmony and extremely well focused. I want more, and if you love Petite Sirah and or Rhone wines you’ll freak for this one and I highly recommend getting on Halcon’s list asap! Be sure to get a few bottles of this wine, it is stunning now, but I am excited to see how it will age, I think it will be a thrill with another 3 to 5 years of cellar time and it might last 15 to 20 years!
($30 Est.) 94+ Points, grapelive

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