2007 Robert Foley Petite Sirah

Robert Foley is  well known for his critically acclaimed Claret, a Bordeaux style red wine. Robert Foley’s Claret has received 94+ points every year since 2001 from both The Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.  At $110 a bottle most people will find this too steep a price to pay for perfection.  Luckily Robert Foley does make other varietals, which are equally perfect and less than half the price.

The 2007 Petite Sirah from Napa Valley is one such wine.  At roughly $60 retail this wine can be enjoyed by a slightly bigger group of “wine enthusiasts”.

I say “wine enthusiasts” because this is a serious wine. By serious I mean powerful, full bodied, rich, opulent and dark.  This wine is a tannic monster with a minimum of 20 years aging potential.  Don’t let the word tannic fool you though, it’s not an overly acidic wine, in fact it is exceptionally smooth and supple.

The thing that blows me away the most about this wine is the 16.5% alcohol content!  I didn’t check the % before drinking the wine, I rarely do.  Near the end of the bottle on the 2nd night I check and was amazed.  There is no heat whatsoever and just a hint of ripeness.  An overly ripe almost raisin like flavor is the hallmark of overly alcoholic poorly made fruit bombs. The ripeness in this wine is so faint as to be barely noticeable and is perfectly balanced by the tannins.

Robert Foley vineyards produce relatively small quantities of wine (less than 100 cases of their Howell Mountain Cabernet are produced every year)  there is still some 2007 Petite Sirah available, my advice is:

If you are a wine nerd/enthusiast like me, you will want to have this wine in your collection.

Weekly Wine Journal rating: 98 points

2007 Robert Foley Petite Sirah