Petite Sirah

Another winner from Jaffurs although this is still quite young.  Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black raspberries, grilled meats, slight char and a whiff of violets.  Full bodied.  Very tight on the palate, it took some time to open.  Once it did, plenty of black raspberries, some blueberries, with underlying roasted herbs.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This needs another five years and should drink well for ten to twelve after that.  It drinks well on its own and will work well with pork or beef roast.  

Another tremendous wine from Halcon, which, sadly for us, has just been sold.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with boysenberries, plums, black pepper and char.  Full bodied but with vibrancy and energy.  On the palate, black raspberries, plums and char underneath.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  This wine won't hit its peak for another ten years or so and should drink well for another twenty after that.  Given its price though, its worth drinking a few on the young side.  Delicious.  At the moment, it will require big food flavors to go with it; roasted meats or

Obviously young, but this is one of the best Petite Sirah's made in Napa.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, char, and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, the boysenberry over char comes thru.  This will need time.  Ideally at least another decade but at least five to seven.  It should drink well for twenty after that.  Delicious.  This will drink well on its own but a nice choice for Indian food or grilled meats off the grill.  

This bottle was singing with a little air.  Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, a touch of char with an earthy note and a slight menthol note on the back end.  Full bodied with a great texture.  The palate has boysenberry fruit and black pepper with underlying char.  deep yet already accessible.  This is a big hearty wine but compared to prior vintages this seems to be maturing, or at least opening, a bit faster.  Nothing wrong with that especially for Petite.  Delicious.  This should continue to open and mature and drink well for the next ten to fif

Great showing for this wine.  One of the best Petite Sirah vineyards!  This is inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with boysenberries, gravel, violets and spice.  Full bodied.  Lots of energy.  This is big but not over the top (especially for Petite).  Lots of black raspberry fruit over a gravelly bed.  Some peppery notes too.  Medium tannins.  Long finish.  This should continue to evolve for another five to seven years and drink well for ten after that.  It is also delicious today.  Drinks great on its own, this will work with roasted veggies or meats.  

This is one wine that I almost never open this young.  But, you know what?  It was great!  Sure, it might improve.  Probably will, but this is delicious right now.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with boysenberries, slight black raspberries, slight floral notes, and a bit of asphalt.  Full bodied with firm tannins.  That said, they are a great example of polished tannins despite being mouth coating, they are inviting.  Layers of boysenberry fruit over gravel with slight crushed fall leaves.  Long finish.  This probably will continue to develop over the next ten

This is one of my favorite Petite Sirahs out there.  At age 7, this is still a youngster, but it is delicious.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, char and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is intense.  Lots of precision.  Very deep.  Boysenberries over a char base.  Great balance.  Delicious.  Long finish.  Great value, too!  This should drink well for another ten to fifteen years, but it is so good now.  Works great on its own or with spicy foods or fatty foods.  

This is 84% Petite Sirah, 13% Syrah and 3% Viognier.  It is probably my favorite wine in the Keplinger stable.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, gravel, anise and black pepper.  Full bodied.  Juicy acidity.  On the palate, black raspberries, blueberries over char and gravel.  Long finish.  This is open and drinking well now but will undoubtedly continue to develop and improve over the next seven to ten years.  It should drink well for ten to twelve more after that.  A nice match for burgers or ribs off the grill.  

I am a big fan of the Helen Keplinger wines.  This one is 84% Petite Sirah, 13% Syrah, and 3% Viognier.  It does need some cellaring or lots of air if serving now, but it is delicious.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, blueberries, smoke, slight charred earth and black pepper.  On the palate, this is a big wine, but has great delineation.  Layers, tightly packed of blueberries, black raspberries and charred wood.  Great energy.  This probably needs about five to eight more years until peak and should drink beautifully for ten to twelve after that.  I

The D vs G stands for David versus Goliath.  This is a blend of Shiraz, Marselan, Carignan, and Petite Sirah.  Purple in color with a thin ruby rim.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, spice and slight tobacco.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the black raspberries come thru over a gravel base.  Moderate acidity.  Right now, the Carignan and Shiraz dominate the blend but the Petite gives it a nice backbone.  It will be interesting to see how it ages.  This drinks nicely on its own and will work well with grilled meats or fowl.