Herman Story, Highlands District, Paso Robles (Central Coast, California) Petite Sirah 2020

 There must be something in the 125 miles stretch of California coast between Paso Robles and Santa Barbara that draws winemakers with a slightly skewed sense of how juice should be transformed into wine, that it should be made by following the senses and intuition and not textbooks.  I have run across a few of them, and I find their rage against the machine mode of operating can be a bit boring.  Yet I do love it when I find one who makes semi-polished wines that taste good and taste different from what I normally buy in the stores.  Story’s winemaker/founder, Russell P. From appears to be such an individual.  This Petite Sirah, for example, starts out as a full-fruity but not sweet wine whose blackness would put traditional Cahors to shame.  But then it quickly contracts on the palate into a long, lingering finish of licorice, road tar, bitters and intense tannins – but no, not like a Port in any way.  At 15.9% claimed alcohol, it is potent, but it rides the edge between being burly and polished.  A damn interesting and enjoyable glass of wine.