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.
Herman Story, Highlands District, Paso Robles (Central Coast, California) Petite Sirah 2020
By Roger Morris
