WBW 40: Rosenblum Cellars Petite Sirah 2005
Written By: Brian Freedman on Fri, Dec 14th 2007
This wine exhibits all the inky color and concentration you'd expect from a Rosenblum Petite Sirah, though at 14.4% alcohol, it's lower-octane than a number of their other bottlings of this varietal. (The 2004 Mendocino County Eagle Point Vineyard, for example, is an almost Port-like 15.5%; the 2005 Sonoma County Kick Ranch rings in at a brawny 15.3%.)
Despite the more reasonable alcohol, though, the nose seems a bit hot. Still, the aromas come in lush, round waves: First vanilla, then cream, then a wonderful combination of blueberry, cinnamon, candied orange peel, grilled meat, and fresh thyme.
But those aromas prove to be the highlight of the wine: The flavors are confined to the milk chocolate - coffee end of the spectrum, and the overripe wild strawberry character does little to liven the proceedings up. The finish reminded me of nothing so much as the jar of vodka-steeped cherries I kept in my fridge freshman year of college: Boozy and not a little bit bitter. For $19, and given the general quality of Rosenblum's wines lately, I would have expected more.
