Yakima Valley winemaker Gordon Taylor hangs his hat on this loud and intense red grape from the Rhône Valley otherwise known as Petite Sirah – a cross of Peloursin and Syrah developed in France by 19th century botanist François Durif. Taylor pulled from Zephyr Ridge Vineyard on Sept. 27 for the P.S., which constitutes the legal minimum 75 percent of the blend as required by the federal government in order to call it Durif. He fine-tunes it with two Bordeaux grapes — Petit Verdot (12.5%) from Double Canyon and Malbec (12.5%) from Lonesome Spring Ranch. There’s a pinch of white pepper in the nose, joined by plum, Bing cherry, pomegranate and lots of dark chocolate. Those notes follow through as flavors, which brings persistent fine-grained tannins, blueberry juice and more chocolate. Production fell considerably from the prior vintage, so fans of his Durif will need to act appropriately. Suggested pairings include Beef Tenderloin with Mushrooms and Espangnole Sauce, Cheese Tortellini with Bolognese Sauce, strawberries with peppered feta, grilled root vegetables and ratatouille.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 95 cases
Alcohol: 14.5%
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