Esoterica claims that they believe in using rare, underused and sometimes even unknown varieties of grapes. They say their motive is to bring more interest and acceptance to grapes considered “different.” Like we’re going to believe that!
Clearly what’s going on here is Kent is breeding new grapes – super-grapes, if you will – in an underground laboratory, and then rolling them out as if “Oh wow, look, I just stumbled upon these things! Weird, right?” What other explanation is there for how well this 2008 Esoterica Petite Sirah pairs with lamb shank or oxtail stew? How else could its tannins be so abundant but not mouth-stripping or its flavor be so dense with raspberry, plum, apricot, and absolutely lucid reminders of chocolate? How else could something “petite” be such a “big wine”? And above all else, How could a wine have a finish that is smooth, long, rewarding and tinged with ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? Okay, so, we might’ve just added the part about AI, but still, there is clearly more at play here than we’re being told.
But not for long! We’re going to crack this thing wide open! That’s right, Kent! You might want to start torching the lab now because we are on to you! And we won’t stop until we discover the truth, THE WHOLE TRUTH!
2008 Esoterica Petite Sirah
The color is dense, even for Petite Sirah. Dark plum moving into the range of eggplant. Looking down into the center of the glass is like looking at obsidian. Clean translucent edge at the meniscus. Legs are dark, big and viscous looking—like the velvet draping in a theater. As is appropriate for Petite Sirah, the first and foremost aroma is fruit – big, bursting with raspberries and plum. Next is chocolate, with a vengeance, and then the wood —lots of nice oak in this wine. On the second tier are a whole range of earth characters—ocean, stone, morning and even a bit of a poinsettia note. Once again—probably the theme for this wine—dense. Raspberry, plum, apricot, and absolutely lucid reminders of chocolate. Tannins are abundant, but not mouth-stripping, and have that typical softness that is so characteristic of Petite Sirah. The finish is fabulous….smooth, long and rewarding—like drinking black cherries.
Being that this is a big wine, food pairings we suggest are big foods….oxtail stew, lamb shank, game (especially elk), charcuterie. On the veggie/dairy side: blue cheese-spinach casserole, a nice Caprese salad with rich tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, too.
Since its modest beginnings, the Kent Rasmussen Winery has evolved into one of the most important producers in the Napa region. The winery outgrew its tractor shed barrel room on Cuttings Wharf Road in the Napa Carneros long ago. In 1995, Kent and Celia established a new winemaking facility in a turn of the century slaughterhouse, on the Silverado Trail in St. Helena. Refined over the years, it now houses business offices, an enology lab and lab tasting room, a wine library and upgraded production equipment. The modern crusher, press, tanks, catwalks, refrigeration systems, pumps, forklift and fruit sorter have greatly enhanced winemaking options. Grapes are either estate grown or under long term contract with reliable growers.
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