Hearst Ranch Winery, The Pergola Petite SIrah, 2022

We made one call to one of California's most extraordinary estates — and somehow, they said yes. HEARST RANCH WINERY and THE PERGOLA PETITE SIRAH 2022 is here, and it is an absolute stonker of a Paso Robles red that we simply couldn't leave on the table. A wine this dramatic needed liberating so we did the decent thing. ​ Hearst Ranch sits on 82,000 acres of rolling Central Coast hills, the same land where William Randolph Hearst built his legendary castle and hosted Hollywood royalty for decades. The Pergola is named for the estate's iconic vine-covered walkway — which is, frankly, a far more romantic origin story than most wines can claim. ​ Petite Sirah from Paso Robles is a serious business: volcanic soils, warm days, cool Pacific nights, and a grape variety that absolutely thrives when given room to be gloriously, unapologetically itself. ​ Layers of blackberry preserve, crushed violet, dark cocoa, and cracked black pepper barrel into a finish that goes on long enough to reorganise your evening plans entirely. Silky tannins for the variety, real structure, and that unmistakable Paso Robles warmth underneath it all. ​ Not buying a wine this great will be more scandalous than anything that ever ran on the front page of the newspapers. And that is saying something!!!