Dr. Brian Petersen ranges far beyond his Kitsap Peninsula winery in Belfair, Wash., and works with a growing collection of the state’s top vineyards for high-scoring juice. That helps explain the labeling confusion/miscue and mispelling surrounding this remarkable Petite Sirah, which is entirely from second-generation Lonesome Spring Ranch in the Yakima Valley — not the Rattlesnake Hills. (That’s the region where he sources his also-intense Zinfandel, which coincidentally, does include a dose of P.S. from LSR.) As is typical, Petersen’s investment in the finished product goes beyond grapes. Hence, the new Francois Frères puncheons and once-filled Taransaud barrels. So in the glass there’s a wafting of cherry, coffee and vanilla that’s joined by a lift of cigar box and rub of lavender. The fluid brings one of the more supple and juicy expressions of the boisterous Rhône grape you’ll find from the Pacific Northwest. And yet, there’s still some of the desired muscle tone within the dark purple fruit flavors, cola and vanilla bean.
Rating: 93 points — Outstanding!
Production: 180 cases
Alcohol: 14.4%
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