Petite Sirah

An almost shy wine, this flagship red from Donnafugata does not announce itself with overt fruit. The wine needs some time to coax out the subtle flavors and the tight tannins at the outset tell you to wait a while before it opens up. When it does plum, muted strawberry, pomegranate, baked cherry and rose water dominate the opening. Comprised of Nero d’Avola, Petit Verdot, and Syrah, the tannins and acidity support the judicious use of oak. Aged 14 months in small French oak barrels it then spent 20 months in bottle rest. The result is a lovely wine that will work with a variety of foods.

This is a blend of 40% Petite Sirah, 30% Grenache, 10% Shiraz, 10% Petite Verdot, and 10% Carignan.  Kosher for Passover.  Inky purple/blue in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with boysenberries, black cherries, blueberries, spice and slight smoke.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has some depth.  Plenty of fruit; black cherries, black raspberries and some blueberries.  Good finish.  This drinks well on its own and will pair well with meat dishes.  A nice wine for a Seder meal.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

What a nice showing for this wine.  We served it as the red wine for our Passover Seder 2023.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is correct with boysenberries, char, and a bit of swisher cherry cigars.  Full bodied.  Nice depth.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is smooth.  Boysenberries with underlying char.  Long finish.  Tasty.  This is drinking well now and should continue for the next five to ten years.  Nice on its own, this worked well with Charoset, Bitter herbs, etc. (and also Eggplant Parmesan).  

Palisades is one of the best Petite Sirah Vineyards anywhere.  Now, that is somewhat a backhanded compliment as there just aren't that many of those vineyards.  Still, this is one worth checking out.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, char and slight spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, juicy black raspberries with underlying gravel and char.  Long finish.  This is very young and although approachable, it will get better.  It could really use about ten years in the cellar.  Patience will be rewarded.  In any event, this makes good drinking

Pallisades is one of the great Petite Sirah vineyards and Carlisle really nailed it with the 2016 vintage.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with boysenberries, gravel, blueberries and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Boysenberries, black cherries, blueberries with underlying gravel.  Clean.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now but still young and may improve.  Drink over the next fifteen years.  Nice on its own, this would work well with grilled meats.

This is a blend of 76% Petite Sirah, 20% Syrah, and 4% Viognier from Amodor County in California.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with blackberries, black raspberries, black pepper and cumin and cardamon.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is very primary still but delicious.  Loads of blackberries and black raspberries with exotic spices and pepper.  Enough acidity to carry through.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and would be a nice match with Indian cuisine.  Drink over the next twenty years.  

Due to a heavy amount of Brettanomyces, this is a love it or hate it wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has a ton of barnyard along with boysenberries and char.  Full bodied.  Mature.  On the palate, a few people that tasted this called it "chunky".  Not sure what that means but it is very earthy with some black raspberry fruit.  Good balance.  Having had three bottles now, the cleaner the bottle the better the wine, but I enjoyed them all.  Complex.  Deep.  Drink over the next five to ten years maybe longer for well stored bottles.  It does work well with heavier dishes s

This is an excellent value in wine that comes from south of  San Francisco.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, char, and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, the black raspberry fruit comes thru.  Some complexity.  Long finish.  This is great on its own and works well with meat, pork or fowl dishes.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.  

Another winner from de Negoce.  While this wine will undoubtedly get better and mature over time, this drinks nicely now and for the money, it is hard not to open a bottle now.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, char, and slight spice.  Full bodied.  Deep.  Tight.  On the palate, this took an hour or three to really open.  A decant would be a good idea.  Very tasty with boysenberry fruit and underlying char.  Not crazy wild but not shy either.  Very nice on its own, but this will work well with a burger or other foods off the grill.  Drink over the next t

This is a blend of 88% Petite Sirah, 10% Syrah and 2% Viognier.  Inky purple in color with a thin ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, leather, roasted meats and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries, plums with some alcohol notes on the long finish.  This is an excellent wine that is just entering its peak phase.  Drink over the next ten years.  Great on its own, this works great with Indian food.