2002 Kent Rasmussen Petite Sirah
Napa Valley, Chavez & Leeds Vineyard – Rutherford
We chose to drink this wine because I had a pot of chili on the stove. The chili was a little on the spicy side, so the wine had to be able to stand above and beyond the flavors in the chili. The choice of petite sirah was perfect. It is critical for this wine to be decanted, unless you want to drink a wine that has extremely strong tannins. After an hour and a half in the decanter, the wine mellowed out. The tannins seemed more silky in structure and the wine had a nice balance from start to finish. I felt like the finish actually got a little thicker and had a hint of a creamy component.
I didn’t get much from the nose, only the smell of alcohol. Sometimes I feel like that is all I smell in some wines, and then sometimes, a wine will come along where I can distinctly pick out smells, with no alcohol lingering at all.
I didn’t like drinking the wine while eating my chili, because it seemed to have a bitter taste. After I finished eating my chili and allowed my mouth to cool off a bit, it tasted much better, as described above. Tommy enjoyed the wine with the chili.
I give it 88 points. As I am drinking it now, I feel like it has changed even more. It seems like it is getting even smoother. I prefer it not quite as smooth. Overall a nice wine for a nice dinner. I love wine.