03 Trinitas, Petite Sirah Old Vine Lodi

Next to anything but--perhaps--sloppy joe, this archetype of petite sirah is a lethal injection. I can feel my veins tightening. Under the right lack of inhibition, though, the Trinitas is so decadent that I feel shamed to even drink a second glass (I had three). Despite a foggy-at-best relationship to the natively Rhone varietal, it actually smells like shiraz--bold, peppery, and musky. Like a jaded first love, its rich, grapey, blackberry-laden fruit bones the tongue and then swoons there silently beneath the sheets. It's an unapologetic, gritty, street wine that describes the great irony of "petite" in petite sirah. There's nothing small here. Nothing smaller than me. Thank you, David.