Personal opinions abound regarding Merlot, Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Yet, when people are asked their thoughts on Petite Sirah the response is usually a blank stare. Petite Sirah is that red-headed step-child varietal that deserves far more popularity that it enjoys. Those who do love these wines are ardent fanatics. Petite Sirah even has its own advocacy group (does your wine?), PS I Love You. All the special attention has merit; it's a wine of hedonistic pleasure, a love-at-first-sip style of wine where exotic complexity comes dressed to party with gobs of blue-black fruits and supple soft tannins. Given the amorous qualities of this wine it’s also a natural fit for your Valentine’s Day dinner.
To clarify, Petite Sirah is not Syrah, but they are related. Petite Sirah is another name for Durif (just to add even more confusion to the mix). According to Dr. Carole Meredith of the University of California at Davis, "Petite Sirah is the offspring of Syrah. Every grape variety has two parents. In the case of Petite Sirah, those two parents are Syrah and Peloursin. That means that half of the genetic makeup of Petite Sirah came directly from Syrah. Syrah is the father of Petite Sirah in the true genetic sense.” California raised, but with French genetic sensibilities, it’s really a perfect combination.
PS I Love You was started over a decade ago. Jo Diaz, owner of Diaz Communications, and Dan Berger of Dan Berger's Vintage Experiences, kicked off the idea over casual conversation. “When I started the group, I could only find 62 growers and producers combined. That was 10 years ago. Today, I am counting over 1,000 growers and producers.” The growth has been exciting, but the wines themselves do all the talking. Just to see what all the fuss was about, we asked several wineries to send over their Petite Sirah wine and we assembled a tasting of over 20 bottles. Guests were invited to taste and score independently and at the end of the evening we tallied the results. After the tasting there were no more blank stares, just this one question: ‘Where can I get some?”
Note: These are the wines that were most highly rated by our tasting crowd, which was comprised of everyday drinkers, not a panel of experts. Every wine was enjoyed, Petite Sirah is just that way, but these listed below were taster favorites.
Best Value/Best Overall: The Crusher, Clarksburg, 2011 $18, 13.5% alc.
Rich threads of blueberry fruits and spices (think blueberry pie, but not too sweet), a silky mouth feel, compulsively deliciously drinkable. You won’t be able to stop at one glass. Grown in Clarksburg (a region characterized by the winery as “an up-and-coming destination within the Sacramento Delta.”), where the climate is oft compared to that of the Napa Valley. This region also gets very cool nights (from ocean influence) which yields wines with higher mouth-watering acidity and full-ripeness. Winemaker Greg Kitchens tossed in 13% Merlot and a smidgen of varietals such as Tinta Cao, Touriga Nacional, Souza and Cabernet Sauvignon.
In alphabetical order:
Fieldstone Staten Family Reserve, Alexander Valley, 2009, $35, 15.7%
Harvested from their Staten family’s precious estate vineyard (planted in 1894) this bottling is the product of 115 year-old vines,which are some of, if not the oldest Petite Sirah vines in California.
Lava Cap, El Dorado, 2010, $30, 15.2%
Located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, blended with Grenache, Merlot and Barbera the wine enjoys unmistakable lavender notes and ripe blueberry/blackberry fruits.
Michael David Winery, Petite Petit, Lodi, 2010, $18, 14.5%. Crafted from 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petite Verdot. Rich and bold with some smoky notes, warm spices and loads of blackberry.
Mounts Petasera Reserve, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, 2008, $50
Petasera is the local slang term for Petite Sirah in Dry Creek Valley, aged for 42 months in new oak and only 100 cases produced; it’s a rare, tasty wine. It pours like ink from an inkwell with a nose of violets and plums.
Mounts Petite Sirah, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, 2009, $32, 15.2%.
Winemaker David Mounts refers to this wine as ‘hedonistic’ and he’d be spot on. We loved the plush layering of blueberry and blackberry fruits with notes of dark forest.
Occasio, Del Arroyo Vineyard, Livermore Valley, 2009, $28, 15.5%.
From yet another small, family-owned winery we loved the ginger and cardamom nose with milk chocolate richness and blackberry fruits.
Robert Biale Royal Punishers, Napa, 2010 ($39), 15.6%
Soft and supple with exotic spices (clove, nutmeg) and dark chocolate/mocha notes. Serious crowd-pleasing wine.
Robert Biale Thomann Station, Napa, ($51), 15.2%
An intense wine, concentrated, dense and supple, and planted in some prime Napa Valley acreage. Be sure to give this one some air before drinking, and enjoy the way it evolves in the glass.
Rock Wall, Jack’s Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, 2010, $35, 15.3%
Blue and black fruits, juicy with a spicy edge and well-structured tannins.
Vina Robles, Paso Robles, 2009, $26, 15%.
Spicy blue fruits, plum edges and supple mouthfeel. This wine is blended with 22% Syrah for even more full-bodied pleasure.
Pedroncelli, Dry Creek Valley, 2009, $16, 14.3%
Brighter fruits than some of the others, with notes of plum and cherry complimented by a dark spiciness.
