It was Summer 2009 when Pennywise Petite Sirah first came into my life.
It was one of those days when you're operating on a 3-5 second delay. Nothing touches you with immediacy or intimacy, you move through routine like a wagon on an old dirt road. Sensation takes a back seat to blurry and vague. Maybe you're tired, or maybe you're really content and you just haven't realized it yet.
Pennywise Petite Sirah 2005 had been only a label on a wish list for me (so many wines, so little time). I smelled it before I knew I was smelling it. I had it in a glass in my hand without realizing what I was about to try. My first impression (barely glass to face contact) was 'who's cooking bacon?'. I was offended by the dominating aromas and confused by the fact that they weren't coming from the kitchen, they were coming from my glass. I put my face a little closer, a little closer, and then focused my nose into the mouth of the glass. There it was. Meaty, meaty, meaty, meaty Pennywise Petite Sirah. I had no idea. Deep purple in colour, obviously begging for cellar time, completely completely opaque. You could rob a bank behind the veil of this pigment. This wine was 75% structure and 25% texture. Bacon, dark berries, hickory smoked bacon on the nose. As the wine (and I) relaxed, the oily, salty, peppery qualities smoothed out a little and the bacon turned to beautiful tobacco and smoked wood aromas. The berries showed some bitterness and some sweetness. Cassis-like, I called it. It was juicy and dry on the palate. Medium in body, heavy on the flavour. Dry tannins and an aggressive finish.
I only had the one glass that day, but I was sure to grab a bottle from the very limited supply. That was 18 months ago. I've been giving that bottle the flirtatious eye for 18 months, and last night, with two of my favorite wine gals, we let Pennywise Petite Sirah take us for a ride.
Impressions now came with much anticipation and expectation. Weight enough to ruin a wine. I was very nervous. My girls were excited*. 18 months later, Pennywise still had it. Seduction in a bottle. Now equal parts structure and texture, yet somehow 100% that feeling you get when you see a new crush reach for something on a high up shelf and you get a peak of the waistband of their underwear for the first time.
Alright, enough poetry.
Here we go: showing more purple tones than any other colour on the spectrum, smoked meat (both sweet elements and rustic notes), cassis, something herbaceous (we debated eucalyptus and chocolate mint) and thick tobacco on the nose, surprisingly light and silky on the palate with refined tannins on the finish, fleshy dark berries (blackberry, blueberry), extremely bitter dark chocolate, and yes... bacon.
When I say 'bacon' I'm referring to a few sensations. First, that scent of pork crackling away in oil and fat. Then, sweet (nearly maple), rich (what I can only call) meaty aromas. And lastly, the impression of oil. Oily, briny/salty, smoky.
It was incredibly satisfying to have invested the time in this bottle and have it pay off. It was also incredibly satisfying to be sensually moved by the construction of flavour, texture and aroma.
Oh, the riches of experience.
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* It's amazing to have friends that taste as opposed to friends that drink. Hold onto these special people, they make for wonderful friendships (and they're more likely to go in on a bottle of Romanee Conti with you).
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