A dark immense yet elegant wine that's deeply concentrated rich and polished with blackberry black cherry chocolate and anise. Finishes with a long complex aftertaste with firm acidity and tannins. Best to cellar short-term. Best from 2004 through 2012. 90 cases made. –JL

The blockbuster 1999 Petite Sirah Peterson Family Vineyard is nearly impenetrable at present but it does reveal extraordinary purity and depth of fruit. For those who have the patience to wait 7-10 years it should prove to be special. The blue/black/inky color is accompanied by vague notions of forest floor intermixed with sweet jammy cassis and blackberries. The wine is huge monstrous fabulously concentrated and dense but totally unformed and barely civilized. The tannin is sweet there is enough acidity for definition as well as freshness and the finish lasts 40+ seconds. This should be a prodigious Petite Sirah in about 10-15 years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025+.Switchback Ridge is a new name to take seriously.Tel. (707) 738-6187