Petite Sirah
We're in Sonoma County in California today to drink Petite Sirah. And, to do it, we've sat down with a group of wine enthusiasts telling us all about the grape they love. We find ourselves in a bit of a kerfuffle.
What exactly is Petite Sirah?
Strangely enough, depending on where it's being grown and which grapes are labeled with the name, there is no one species known as Petite Sirah. In fact, vines that have been labeled that way have been discovered to be any of Syrah (the winery must be foolish because Syrah would fetch a higher price), Pinot Noir (it's hard to know how that happened because Pinot Noir has the distinctive character of Pinot Noir), Durif, and Peloursin.
Wine drinkers tend to know about Syrah and Pinot Noir, although we may have pages about them one of these days and I know absolutely nothing about Peloursin and am currently too proud to Google it (I haven't used Google yet in this blog), so let's focus on the Petite Sirah that is likely Durif. Before starting to taste, we learn that Durif may actually be a hybrid, however of Syrah and Peloursin.
Confused yet?
The grapes themselves are black and not particularly small, so where the petite comes from is a mystery to me. While it's likely a French grape (Dr. Durif was a Frenchman), almost all of the plantings of the grape currently are in California with very small amounts in South America and Australia.
In the glass, the wine is an extremely deep purple, almost black, as it comes from the bottle. The nose on the wine is an excellent precursor to the flavors on the palate, usually exhibiting the likes of dark chocolate, bluberry, and black plum. When served properly, at about 16-17C (61-63F), the wine will often have nice minerality and exhibit more evident fruit.
It's highly tannic, but rarely ages well. For whatever reason, winemakers have rarely been able to keep the high acidity balanced with the high levels of tannin and, as such, the flavors often decompose after just a few years in bottle. Perhaps, if your wine gets to the point, it's worth giving it another 5 years or so to see if it opens back up.
Petite Sirah pairs wonderfully with smoky foods and horribly with sweet. Consider a gouda burger off the grill with black pepper, mushrooms, and caramelized onions.
It's highly acidic
What exactly is Petite Sirah?
Strangely enough, depending on where it's being grown and which grapes are labeled with the name, there is no one species known as Petite Sirah. In fact, vines that have been labeled that way have been discovered to be any of Syrah (the winery must be foolish because Syrah would fetch a higher price), Pinot Noir (it's hard to know how that happened because Pinot Noir has the distinctive character of Pinot Noir), Durif, and Peloursin.
Wine drinkers tend to know about Syrah and Pinot Noir, although we may have pages about them one of these days and I know absolutely nothing about Peloursin and am currently too proud to Google it (I haven't used Google yet in this blog), so let's focus on the Petite Sirah that is likely Durif. Before starting to taste, we learn that Durif may actually be a hybrid, however of Syrah and Peloursin.
Confused yet?
The grapes themselves are black and not particularly small, so where the petite comes from is a mystery to me. While it's likely a French grape (Dr. Durif was a Frenchman), almost all of the plantings of the grape currently are in California with very small amounts in South America and Australia.
In the glass, the wine is an extremely deep purple, almost black, as it comes from the bottle. The nose on the wine is an excellent precursor to the flavors on the palate, usually exhibiting the likes of dark chocolate, bluberry, and black plum. When served properly, at about 16-17C (61-63F), the wine will often have nice minerality and exhibit more evident fruit.
It's highly tannic, but rarely ages well. For whatever reason, winemakers have rarely been able to keep the high acidity balanced with the high levels of tannin and, as such, the flavors often decompose after just a few years in bottle. Perhaps, if your wine gets to the point, it's worth giving it another 5 years or so to see if it opens back up.
Petite Sirah pairs wonderfully with smoky foods and horribly with sweet. Consider a gouda burger off the grill with black pepper, mushrooms, and caramelized onions.
It's highly acidic
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