Big and Bold – Sobon Estate ReZerve Petite Sirah
2014 Sobon Estate ReZerve Petite Sirah Amador County – $13.89 Costco
We love the price/quality ratio of all the Sobon wines. A Vintage Wine Tasters’ favorite is the Sobon Rocky Top Zinfandel. When I spotted the Sobon ReZerve (Reserve) Petite Sirah at the Foster City Costco, I was very surprised and immediately put two bottles in my basket. I do not recall seeing a Sobon wine at Costco before this. I am not sure what the ReZerve label exactly indicates, most likely a very cool PR ploy for some of the better wines produced by Sobon Estate and its sister winery Shenandoah Vineyards. Both wineries are located near the town of Plymouth in Amador County.
Everything is heavy about this Petite Sirah. The color is dark inky, the flavors bounce on your palate, and the finish is long. Alcohol is 15%. The bottle is even heavy! Let this wine breathe. Open at least a couple of hours before sampling or decant the wine. What you will discover is a good, decent aroma of blueberries and white pepper. The taste is layered with a carpet of flavors. This big and bold wine requires a hefty meal. Grilled steak or pork ribs will suit this wine very nicely. As long as you have some matching food with the Sobon Estate Reserve Petite Sirah, a glass or two of will be quite satisfying. Once my meal was done, the wine was just too overpowering for me to enjoy.
I was able to find this wine at my local CostCo this week. Petite Sirah is not widely produced so, for me, I do not have a large number of other Petite Sirah’s to compare to. The Bogle Petite Sirah is the first that comes to mind. The Sobon is wine is, for my palate, is a delicious wine (at this price point) that is not quite as big as Joe finds it. To me it a smooth, very drinkable wine that pairs well with charcuterie. It is interesting that this wine isn’t listed on the Sobon online store. I plan to visit Sobon in the next few weeks and will ask about it.
Sobon is a great winery to visit in the Shenandoah Valley in Amador County. This is beautiful wine country with very friendly wineries.
Joe