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WBW 40: Petite Sirah

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This month’s host, Sonadora from Wannabe Wino, picked one of my favorite varietals for this month’s virtual tasting: Petite Sirah. This grape is originally from France where it’s known as Durif, a name also commonly used in Australia for the variety today. According to Jancis Robinson’s “Oxford Companion to Wine” now resting in my lap, DNA research in California linked the name Petite Sirah with four varieties: Durif, Syrah, Peloursin and a Peloursin + Durif crossing. But today I think all that is sorted out and Petite Sirah in California is actually all Durif.

I think I’ve always loved Petite Sirah because of it’s connection with Zinfandel. In the century old vines of Sonoma, Petite Sirah is often found inter-planted with Zin to make the field blends I love, such as Ridge Lytton Springs. It’s tannins backbone and soft fruit help to bolster Zinfandel and transform the result into something more complex. Another reason I like this variety so much is the best examples are pure fruit bombs.

So I was really looking forward to tasting a few examples of this variety this month. As luck would have it, I received some samples from Foppiano Vineyards, a name like Concannon closely linked with Petite Sirah. My other selection was from a producer I’ve never heard of before but will seek out from my tasting this evening.

Tasting Notes:

Foppiano Petite Sirah 2004Foppiano Vineyards, Petite Sirah, Russian River Valley 2004 ($23/sample) – Dark black-purple in color with aromas of blueberry, plum and licorice. Soft black currant and blackberry flavors with pepper and spices finishing with firm tannins. Textbook Petite Sirah but could use some time in the bottle to soften those tannins.

14.6% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 88
[rating: 3.5/5]

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Peltier Station Petite Sirah 2005Peltier Station Winery, Petite Sirah, Lodi 2005 ($18) – Dark purple-black in color with aromas of boysenberry, black raspberry, bacon and fennel. Rich and massive blackberry and blueberry fruit with cracked black pepper, medium tannins and a bit of minerality & sweet caramel on the finish. A blockbuster Pet that I’ll be cellaring to see what happens.

14.8% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 90
[rating: 4/5]

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Thanks again to Sonadora for an excellent theme this month. Join us next time when we’ll be exploring an underrated region of Italy.

Pascal Chatelus, Beaujolais Nouveau 2007

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To me Beaujolais Nouveau is a celebration wine as it is released the week of my birthday each year. It also celebrates the just completed harvest and the promise for the wines made in Burgundy that year. Seems a lot of wine geeks and other bloggers don’t care for the stuff and that’s fine with me as you should drink what you like.

Before I present my favorite wine tasted this year, a bit of a story about my relationship with Beaujolais Nouveau. Back when I lived in Orange County, California there was a restaurant called Bouzy Rouge in Newport Beach. This was before the area was branded “The OC” in television and lifestyles of housewives so a bit of eccentricity was still allowed. The owner’s dilapidated Citroen was parked in front of the restaurant and they had some fun events, like the Beaujolais Nouveau release each year. My wife and I went every year we lived there and the young wine was served directly from the barrel into carafe or glass. It was almost like you were in Beaujolais. So this is what I remember each year when the time comes to try the new vintage.

This year I went to a couple of the better local stores and sampled 7 or 8 wines from different producers. Most were fine; fruity and exuberant but seemed a bit one dimensional which is par for the course here. Only one wine was very disappointing, served from promotional barrel (a very small one) that took me back to Bouzy Rouge. Ironically it was from the same producer I enjoyed so many years ago, Georges Duboeuf (could have been an off-barrel, I suppose). But of all the wines I sampled, only one stood out as something I’d like to take home. And I did just that and offer this review from the bottle opened this evening.

Pascal Chatelus, Beaujolais NouveauPascal Chatelus, Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 ($12) – Bright ruby in color with aromas of wild cherry candy and banana. Juicy and tart in the mouth with candied cherry and strawberry fruit with some banana from the mid-palate to the finish. Just what I’m looking for in a Beaujolais Nouveau. Drink before 2008, preferably with food and good friends.

12.5% ABV
Composite cork closure
Score: 84
[rating: 3/5]

Pillar Box Red 2005

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Henry's Drive, Pillar Box RedI first heard about this wine on the 3 Wine Guys podcast (thx, T-bone) so I picked up a bottle when I saw it at a wine store this summer. And I’m glad I did as it really shows off what blending young vines can do for a wine.

This is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot from noted winemaker Chris Ringland. I’ll have to check out his other efforts given what magic he casts on this modest wine.

Henry’s Drive, “Pillar Box Red” 2005 ($10) – Deepest purple-black in color. This one needs to unwind a bit before it shows it’s best but once fully open it features nice black and red fruit aromas with fennel and a bit of chaparral. Full and rich black cherry and strawberry fruit gives way to a bit of licorice, vanilla and spice on the finish. A delicious fruit bomb for everyday drinking.

15% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 90
[rating: 4/5]

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Beckmen, “Le Bec Blanc” 2005

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Beckmen I picked up this wine as a benchmark for my Roussanne project but it became my Thanksgiving wine. Beckmen Vineyards is a family owned winery in the Santa Ynez Valley, the same place the grapes for the wine my Crushpad group is making. They are a winery devoted exclusively to Rhone grapes and, if this wine serves as an example of what they can produce, I’ll be coming back for more.

Beckmen Vineyards, “Le Bec Blanc” 2005 ($20) – A blend of 57% Roussanne, 30% Marsanne and 13% Grenache Blanc. Golden straw in color with aromas of white peach, almonds and orange blossom. Rich and oily in the mouth with citrus and pineapple flavors finishing with some minerality, nuts and spice.

13.9% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 88

[rating: 3.5/5]

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Silver Palm, Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

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Silver Palm Cabernet 2005There are two trends that I hope will develop steam in 2008: the rise of the blend in American wine and restaurant wine at reasonable prices both in bottle and by the glass. This wine touches both of these trends with Cabernet Sauvignon making up 82% of the blend joined by 10% Merlot, 5% Syrah and 3% Petite Sirah. It’s also targeted exclusively at restaurants in the U.S. with a suggested retail price of $30 a bottle and $10 per glass.

Winemaker Melissa Bates has created a rich and balanced wine ready for enjoyment now and, unlike many California red wines these days, not overpowering to food. Another interesting differentiator is the great design of the bottle graphics making this an impressive choice on the table. I hope to see more wines targeted at restaurants that are a cut above most choices in this price range.

Silver Palm, Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast 2005 ($30/sample) – Very dark purple in color with aromas of black currant, fennel and cedar. Spicy black cherry and currant flavors with fresh bell pepper, cracked black pepper and some vanilla on the finish. Seems more like a Chilean Merlot or Carmenère than a Cali Cab but still very nicely done.

13.9% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 87
[rating: 3.5/5]