Time in a Bottle…
One would think that three sips of any wine would be enough time to render a personal assessment of either “Hey, I like this!” -Or- “Nope, this wine’s not my cup of tea!” However, as with most things in life, it’s not always good to rush to judgment.
I was given the opportunity to sample the newly released 2007 Concannon “Conservancy” Petite Sirah, and by the third sip of this Petite Sirah I thought that my mind was made up. I was leaning more in the direction of “Nope…” My reasoning was pretty simple – it didn’t Wow my taste buds. It seemed a bit soft, unconvincing, and way too short on the finish. I personally thought that this “stand alone” juice was better suited in a blended wine and not bold enough to stand on its own two feet. So I stuck the cork back in it and moved onto another wine that evening.
Two nights went by and as I was getting ready to make dinner, I spotted the bottle of Concannon Petite Sirah on my kitchen counter. As I glanced at the label, I noticed that it read:
“Pairs as well with barbequed chicken as your favorite lamb recipe.”
MMM…lamb! Ok, so I didn’t have any lamb in the house, but I did have chicken and decided to fire up the grill. While grilling up dinner, I thought…maybe this wine just needs some food to go with it.
Guess what? Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
On this night, the 2007 Concannon “Conservancy” Petite Sirah was expressing big black cherry flavors and nice spice that I didn’t pick up on night #1. Yup…the folks at Concannon know their Petite Sirah. I only wished that I’d taken notice of this nice little tip on the first night. The third night, along with a little extra breathing time, and some barbecue chicken proved to me that it was much better than “just ok.” I just needed to follow the directions provided on the back label!
3 Stars out of 4.
(SRP $15 US)
Posted in 3-Star, Reviews-Wine | 
Tags: 2007, 3-Star, California, Concannon, Petite Sirah, Red Wine, Wine Reviews, Wines under $20
10 Responses to “Time in a Bottle…”
I like Concannon wines, will have to try the Petite Syrah; I have tried recently the Bogle petite also, and that is a tasteful treat too…
i like bogle petite sirah.
yes, i was rather surprised at how smooth it was…very nice!
Thanks for the tip…I'll give the Bogle Petite a try!
I have been trying Bogle wines the last couple of days. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It is nice for the budget too
excellent, Angie! I will have to give them a try too..
I had the same thing happen to me (and Carey) with a L'Aventure Optimus that was entirely ho-hum the first night and a 93 pointer 24 hours later. Very cool that you caught it. I often think about all the wine people are turned off by, or dismiss, due to issue like this. I am sure it has happened to me many times.
Now there's a wine that I've never tasted before. I'll have to hunt that one down. Isn't it amazing Rob how a wine can completely change with a little patience and some breathing time… With so many reds these days pushing the 15% Alc. limits and the big oak component popping through, I've found that I'm using an aerator or a decanter more than ever. Do you and Carey ever use a decanter or some sort of aerator?
[...] in a similar situation with another Concannon Vineyard red wine. However, on that occasion the Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah had won my taste buds over by the third night. Could lightning strike [...]