Petite Sirah, its the purple in Purple Lips

(*Still unable to attach pictures, sorry)
The theme for my tasting group this last week was Petite Sirah, one of my favorite Varietals. It's what I was drinking when I came up with the name of this blog. Don't be fooled by its name(a.k.a. Duriff), there is nothing petite about this varietal. It got its name because it has smaller berries than its father in the Rhone Valley, Syrah(Petite Sirah is a cross between Peloursin and Syrah). These smaller berries, however, provide a larger skin to juice ratio giving the resulting wine more color and unless made properly a whole lot of chalky tannin. These qualities made Petite Sirah a perfect blender for Syrah in the Rhone and Zinfandel in California. For a quick history of the varietal from the Petite Sirah Advocate group, "P.S. I Love You", click here.
I love Petite Sirah because it is a varietal that is very friendly to today's average consumer who might like it for it's fruit forward, to-die-for aromas but it is also interesting and complex enough for those real winos who need some depth in their glass. In our group, we tasted eight Petite Sirahs, all of them from California where most varietal Petite Sirah is grown, although I hear that Argentina has quite a lot of acreage planted to Petite Sirah too. The top four finishers are listed below with tasting notes.

1. Guenoc, North Coast, 2002
This Petite got first place overall with 5 people out of 8 giving putting it in the number one spot. What set this Petite apart from the rest was the palate. Not too harsh and full bodied. Soft tannin covers not just the back of the palate as the varietal is meant to do, but also the front and mid palate too. Aromas of mocha, sweet vanilla and Christmas pudding showcase the oak aging accompanied by the ripe plum and raisin varietal character with some hints of fresh mint and peppercorn. Good acidity follows the smooth palate with a nice long finish. It’s a crowd pleaser and at about $17.00 it’s a great value if you are a Petite Sirah fan.

2. Bogle, Clarksburg, 2004
We were surprised to see this wine end up so high in the ranks because of its fantastic price. $9.00 should be enough to by this wine and at that price why not get two? The nose offered up plenty of ripe Petite characters with a hint of saw dust and cedar. The body on this was comparable to the Guenoc with nice soft tannins giving way to a long finish. This is a well made wine at a fantastic price point, it’s Bogle’s forte.

3. David Bruce, Central Coast, 2004
One of the bigger names in Petite Sirah, this wine was also very ripe giving a sweet cotton candy aroma on the nose supported by the usual jammy berry fruit. The palate also showed its ripeness with a bit of a weak mid palate but with good tannin on the finish. Honestly, I expected a bit more from this wine since the price tag is $25.00. The group liked it more than I did.

4. Vinum “Pets”, Clarksburg, Wilson Vineyard, 2004
This is a popular sell and I liked it more than the group as a whole did. They source all the fruit from Wilson Vineyards in Clarksburg and give a portion of the proceeds to their local animal shelter. There is a cool dog the label that belongs to the Viticulturalist, Ken Wilson. Back to the wine. I liked this one because it was a bit different on the nose. I got a lot of ripe tangerine, geranium, and a candied fruit character not unlike Wine Gums, one of my favorite English candies. The mid palate wasn’t all there but of course the tannin caught up to the wine on the back of the palate. The long finish left me thinking of creamy strawberry and those Wine Gums. It’s a $14.00 wine here in GA but I know it sells for around $10 in CA.

5. Wilson Vineyards, Clarksburg, 2003- $10.00 *Previous Post*
6. Parducci, Mendocino County, 2003- $10.00
7. Jewel, California, 2003- $10.00
8. McManis, California, 2003- $13.00 (Unfortunately this wine was corked.)

Wilson Vineyards 2001 Petite Sirah
$9.99
(Label at right is from '99 vintage, 2001 is a bit different)

I really like this Petite Sirah. It's a good valued big red that fits the big meaty meals from the BBQ or the frying pan. Wilson Vineyards is a family operation form Clarksburg and they are producing fantastic wines of great value. Other highlights from them are the 2003 Merlot(tasting notes will soon follow), 2003 Petite Sirah, and their Late Harvest Chenin Blanc,Isabella.

Color: The color is typical of a Petite Sirah, inky purple, although the edges are turning brick red from a little oxidation. It's okay, it's okay, it just means that maybe it should be drunk sooner rather than later.

Nose: The nose on this Petite reminds me of an Aussie red. It has a strong fruit forward strawberry jam aroma with sweet rhubarb. Subtle notes of licorice and Crayola crayon also come into play to bring some more complexity. It does have some aromas of aging, a little acetaldehyde but not enough to disappoint.

Palate: The wine has good acidity making it cut through the oils of the sausage and fried potatoes I ate with it. Petite Sirah typically has a lot of tannin and this one does. The tannins are chewy and concentrate on the midpalate. The wine is balanced well on the palate with the acidity matching the tannin well so that it lingers on the back of your tastebuds for a long time.

Overall: Well, overall I really like this wine.... right now. At this moment in the wines life, everything seems to be melded together and working in the wines favor. But... I think the wine is aging too fast. The tannin is going to be strong for years and the acidity is not going to dissipate any time soon. So, that leaves the rest; the nose and the color. I think that after a couple more years the fruit forward aromas in this wine will fall away and the color will get lighter and lighter. But again, it is very drinkable now.

I give it a B

Wilson Vineyards 2003 Petite Sirah
~$10.00

I wanted to do another post about the Wilson Vineyards Petite Sirah since they have their new 2003 vintage out and it is different enough from the 2001 that I think it deserves its own write up. The new vintage, being younger, shows its youth in the complexity of aromas it is showing. The tannins are still there, as they should be in any Petite Sirah, but they are softer than the previous vintage and cover the whole palate as well.

Color: The color is great. Dark purple although not the same inky purple as the 2001

Nose: Strong plum and tree fruit with a floral note as well. There is also a creamy chocolate orange aroma that makes its presence known after about 20 minutes in the glass.

Palate: Wow, sweet up front with a good coating of soft tannin and viscous alcohol. The finish leaves spicy licorice and roasted coffee beans on the back of the palate.

Overall: I like this wine a lot and think that it is a good representation of the complexity that Petite Sirah can offer.

I give it a A-

Wilson Vineyards Chenin Blanc-Viognier, Clarksburg 2006

I have enjoyed this wine for a number of years but this is the first time I will be reviewing it. Wilson Vineyards has been reviewed a couple of time on my blog, mainly their Petite Sirah (I am a sucker for a good Petite). This blend of Chenin blanc and Viognier is quite nice and reminds me of the Pine Ridge Chenin-Viognier which also comes from the Wilson vineyards. This wine has a nice bright and vibrant color to it and shows tropical fruit and honeysuckle on the nose with tart green apple aroma peaking through. The palate switches things up a bit giving some sweeter peach and pear flavors with a cream component and finishes slightly off-dry but with a good balance of acidity. I see this wine as a great fall season food wine. I am thinking of Thanksgiving turkey and ham already.

Overall, I like this new vintage and at $10 it's a great value.

I give it a B+.