Petite Sirah

In a recent tasting of Carlisle wines, this was the overwhelming favorite.  Clearly, this is in a great place at age 10.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is big with a sweet, briar quality.  Also black raspberries and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is deep and delicious.  Flavors of boysenberries, black cherries with char and gravel.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and would work nicely with grilled foods.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

This is a Petite Sirah.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has boysenberries, gravel, slight cedar, slight plums and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is tight and took a couple of hours to open up.  Flavors of black raspberries with gravel and char.  Good finish.  This needs a few more years of good cellaring.  hold for five and drink for ten after that.  It will work well with grilled meats or fowl.  

This is obviously very young but surprisingly accessible.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, graphite, gravel, spice, and char.  Great, plush texture.  Good acidity.  Lots of vibrancy.  On the palate, firm tannins.  Loads of boysenberry fruit with underlying char.  Tighter on the palate, but opens nicely with a few hours of air.  This will improve with a few more years in the cellar.  Hold for another three to five and drink for ten to fifteen after that.  Nice on its own, this worked well with vegetarian Indian cuisine. 

Since the early 1990s, Paraduxx has created blended red wine to show off the Napa Valley. A bit larger and more macerated than previous vintages, it is still nonetheless an enjoyable, solid wine. The tannins are a little more aggressive here with the fruit being both expressive but still subdued. The more noticeable element is the oak; an 18-month program of both French and Hungarian, with 40% of the barrels being brand new. The composition is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, then diminishing proportions of Zinfandel, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah and Petit Sirah, in that order.

I am told this is a blend of 63% Petite Sirah, 22% Grenache, and 15% Syrah which makes me wonder how they can call it a Petite Sirah?  In California a wine needs at least 75% of the varietal if it is listed on the label.  In any event, the wine is quite nice.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, gravel, and roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Light to medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries with char and a bit of gravel.  Good finish.  This is drinking well now and should provide nice drinking for another five to eight years.  It would be a nice wine to

This is a blend of 78% Petite Sirah, 18% grenache, and the remainder Syrah and Roussanne.  It is a big, bold wine that is drinking well.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, gravel, black cherries, and spices.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, lots of black cherry fruit with some black raspberries and char.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own and would work well with meats or poultry off the grill.  Drink over the next six to ten years.  

What a great wine.  Now that this winery is no longer in business, I wonder who gets these grapes?  This was Halcon's last year I believe.  Inky purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has boysenberries, gravel, and spice.