| Petite Sirah 2007 Tasting Report |
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For our latest staff wine tasting, we chose the
grape varietal Petite Sirah. A grape made
famous, more or less by California, especially
since the French have all but forgotten it. Petite
Sirah is kind of unusual. With berries that are
smaller than its cousin, Syrah, it produces wines
that are extremely dark and purple. In fact there
is a cult following for Petite Sirah that call
themselves the “Purple Tooth Club”. The wines
in our tasting certainly lived up to that name,
each one was dark and purple alright, one staff
member even went so far as to refer to them as
having the color of squid ink.
Before we got started, we were treated to some
homemade taco soup and cornbread prepared by
our hostess for this tasting, Sheree. It was hot, a
little spicy and delicious to boot! Even though we
didn’t start tasting the wines until after we ate, it
was a perfect compliment to our Petite Sirah
wines. By the end of the evening, I noticed that
there was no soup left.
Next we moved on to our tasting and we had
seven different Petite Sirah wines to sample. Two
of the wines came from wineries that laid claim to
firsts for this varietal and a third that makes this
varietal their flagship wine. Concannon is the
winery credited with being the first winery in
California to create and market a Petite Sirah
wine to the public. Stags’ Leap Winery was one
of the pioneer’s of Petite Sirah in the Napa Valley
and for Foppiano, it is the grape varietal that
they are the most well known for. All of our
Petite Sirah wines came from various regions
around the State of California. One interesting
side note in our tasting results was the fact that
there was less than three tenths of a point
difference between the scores of our top two
wines and the third was less than a full point
behind too!
As a whole, I think we all really enjoyed the wines
and would be happy drinking most of these on a
regular basis. I think that you too, would enjoy
sampling these unique wines. With that said, here
are the results:
grape varietal Petite Sirah. A grape made
famous, more or less by California, especially
since the French have all but forgotten it. Petite
Sirah is kind of unusual. With berries that are
smaller than its cousin, Syrah, it produces wines
that are extremely dark and purple. In fact there
is a cult following for Petite Sirah that call
themselves the “Purple Tooth Club”. The wines
in our tasting certainly lived up to that name,
each one was dark and purple alright, one staff
member even went so far as to refer to them as
having the color of squid ink.
Before we got started, we were treated to some
homemade taco soup and cornbread prepared by
our hostess for this tasting, Sheree. It was hot, a
little spicy and delicious to boot! Even though we
didn’t start tasting the wines until after we ate, it
was a perfect compliment to our Petite Sirah
wines. By the end of the evening, I noticed that
there was no soup left.
Next we moved on to our tasting and we had
seven different Petite Sirah wines to sample. Two
of the wines came from wineries that laid claim to
firsts for this varietal and a third that makes this
varietal their flagship wine. Concannon is the
winery credited with being the first winery in
California to create and market a Petite Sirah
wine to the public. Stags’ Leap Winery was one
of the pioneer’s of Petite Sirah in the Napa Valley
and for Foppiano, it is the grape varietal that
they are the most well known for. All of our
Petite Sirah wines came from various regions
around the State of California. One interesting
side note in our tasting results was the fact that
there was less than three tenths of a point
difference between the scores of our top two
wines and the third was less than a full point
behind too!
As a whole, I think we all really enjoyed the wines
and would be happy drinking most of these on a
regular basis. I think that you too, would enjoy
sampling these unique wines. With that said, here
are the results:
| Stags’ Leap Winery 2003 – Stag’s Leap, Napa Valley, California |
Notes – This wine separated itself from
the pack with it’s gorgeous but extremely
masculine nose of cedar and cigar box with
mint overtones. I thought the nose
overshadowed the taste as it was still too
oaky right now for me. Your palate is hit
with waves of vanilla that mask much of
the dark black fruits that will someday in
years to come present themselves once
again. However, make no mistake, this
wine is built for the long haul and is very
classy.
the pack with it’s gorgeous but extremely
masculine nose of cedar and cigar box with
mint overtones. I thought the nose
overshadowed the taste as it was still too
oaky right now for me. Your palate is hit
with waves of vanilla that mask much of
the dark black fruits that will someday in
years to come present themselves once
again. However, make no mistake, this
wine is built for the long haul and is very
classy.
| About $37.00 |
| Score A- |
| Elyse 2004 – Rutherford, Napa Valley, California |
Notes – With a nose of inviting blackberry
fruit and violets, this was one big, fat, full-
bodied mama with lot’s to love. Rich in
flavor on the palate with tons of dark
fruits, it was almost as if this wine was just
showing off! Although you could cellar this
wine long-term, it was very aproachable
now. I’d say it was worth the price tag.
fruit and violets, this was one big, fat, full-
bodied mama with lot’s to love. Rich in
flavor on the palate with tons of dark
fruits, it was almost as if this wine was just
showing off! Although you could cellar this
wine long-term, it was very aproachable
now. I’d say it was worth the price tag.
| Around $45.00 |
| Score A- |
| Foppiano 2003 – Russian River, Sonoma Valley, California |
Notes – It has a great complex nose with
hints of licorice, cassis and coffee. On the
palate it was a little minty and tannic as all
get out! A monster if you will! For me it
was missing a little something on the back
end, but all in all, still a very good wine
none-the-less. Taking in consideration that
it is roughly half the price of the first two
wines, it could be the winner of the tasting
in that regard.
hints of licorice, cassis and coffee. On the
palate it was a little minty and tannic as all
get out! A monster if you will! For me it
was missing a little something on the back
end, but all in all, still a very good wine
none-the-less. Taking in consideration that
it is roughly half the price of the first two
wines, it could be the winner of the tasting
in that regard.
| Score B+ |
| About $19.00 |
| Sausal 2005 Fat Cat – Alexander Valley, Sonoma Valley, California |
Notes – An even better deal for the money
than the Foppiano, this Fat Cat smelled
like a rich and jammy assortment of Jolly
Rancher candies. Big and rich with exotic
blackberries and a bitter dark chocolate
finish, it was definitely a crowd pleaser!
This is a wine to consume while young as
there were very little tannins to speak of.
than the Foppiano, this Fat Cat smelled
like a rich and jammy assortment of Jolly
Rancher candies. Big and rich with exotic
blackberries and a bitter dark chocolate
finish, it was definitely a crowd pleaser!
This is a wine to consume while young as
there were very little tannins to speak of.
| Score B+ |
| Around $13.00 |
| Spellbound 2003 – California |
Notes – If we were giving out an award for
the coolest looking label, this wine would
have had it in the bag! In that regard, it
was no small wonder that it was Brad’s
entry into the contest. Although the
comments I am about to make about this
wine may sound negative, it really was a
good wine. Right off the bat it was quite
unusual with a much lighter body than the
rest of the wines and a very pronounced
clove spice, fig and prunes aroma. I wasn’
t sure if I was drinking a wine or an elixir
Grandma made up to help with
constipation!
the coolest looking label, this wine would
have had it in the bag! In that regard, it
was no small wonder that it was Brad’s
entry into the contest. Although the
comments I am about to make about this
wine may sound negative, it really was a
good wine. Right off the bat it was quite
unusual with a much lighter body than the
rest of the wines and a very pronounced
clove spice, fig and prunes aroma. I wasn’
t sure if I was drinking a wine or an elixir
Grandma made up to help with
constipation!
| About $20.00 |
| Score B |
| David Bruce 2004 – Central Coast, California |
Notes – To me, this was the shocker of our
tasting. I’ve long been a fan of both Pinot
Noir and Petite Sirah wines from David
Bruce. In fact, he has been somewhat of a
crusader for both grape varietals in
California. I was really expecting this to
perform much better! It starts off with a
gamy nose and a little licorice, rubber and
black tar. On the palate, it has very
noticeable acidity and tannins, hinting that
it may be a touch out of balance. It finishes
with some nice blackberry accents.
tasting. I’ve long been a fan of both Pinot
Noir and Petite Sirah wines from David
Bruce. In fact, he has been somewhat of a
crusader for both grape varietals in
California. I was really expecting this to
perform much better! It starts off with a
gamy nose and a little licorice, rubber and
black tar. On the palate, it has very
noticeable acidity and tannins, hinting that
it may be a touch out of balance. It finishes
with some nice blackberry accents.
| From $21.00 to $24.00 |
| Score B |
| Concannon 2004 – Central Coast, California |
| Price $13.00 |
| Score B |
Notes – Well, when it comes to Petite Sirah
wines, they may have been the first, but in
our tasting, they were the worst. I thought
the grapes were overripe and found the
nose to be a bit port-like. On the palate it
was a bit whacky and awkward with
scorched red fruits.
wines, they may have been the first, but in
our tasting, they were the worst. I thought
the grapes were overripe and found the
nose to be a bit port-like. On the palate it
was a bit whacky and awkward with
scorched red fruits.
