Petite Sirah & Cabernet Franc

Ok, I’m not talking about a blend here…

Over the holidays, I decided to look a little deeper into the part of my cellar that I generally ignore, and I pulled out a 2004 Swanson Petite Sirah & 2011 Conn Creek Cab Franc. Not sure why, but these wines never seemed to make the cut whenever I went looking for a “want something good right now” bottle.

I must say that (in separate sessions) both wines really impressed, especially the Swanson Petite Sirah. And that got me thinking: I don’t generally notice either varietal on offer much. What’s up with that? Is it just marketing? Fussy grapes?

In any case, I’m now on the hunt for more. Anyone out there drinking these on a regular basis? Suggestions for other producers?

Conn Creek 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon lot II was one of the best Cali cabs I have ever had, not sure where the producer has gone since the 80’s.

Robert, I cannot speak to the producers you list, as I don’t own them. But with your other question pertaining to other producers, I do drink a fair amount of Petite Sirah. From a vineyard perspective, my favorite plots are in Calistoga, namely Palisades and Petersen. The Carlisle Palisades PS is excellent stuff, and I also enjoy the Switchback Ridge PS from Petersen (they own the estate vineyard there, it’s been in the family for 50 years). There are of course many other PS producers that are making the varietal today, such as Mending Wall (also from Palisades).

If you want what I believe is one of the best examples of Petite Sirah from California, you need to try Jaffurs. They are good young, just had a '14 and good old. Usually deep boysenberry, cola, pepper and lavender. About $30, less if you join the club.
http://www.jaffurswine.com/our-wines/petite-sirah/

And that got me thinking: I don’t generally notice either varietal on offer much. What’s up with that? Is it just marketing? Fussy grapes?

There used to be a lot of PS planted because it provided good color. But when the US wine industry kicked off, it was modeled on Bordeaux. People looked around for what was considered the “best” and that was Bordeaux and the “best” grape was supposed to be Cabernet Sauvignon so that was what people went for.

It wasn’t a bad choice because CS has the virtue of being able to make good and complex wines in many places. Cab Franc buds and ripens a little earlier than CS, and once was planted all over Bordeaux, but a lot of it got replaced by Merlot. It’s often also lighter in color and body than CS when it’s grown in cooler regions. They plant it on the east coast where they get early frost, but I think it does quite well in sunny CA and when I find it, I always try it. Pam Starr makes a nice version. At this point, I think CF is always going to be a secondary grape.

If you like Cab Franc, you might want to try some reds from the Loire, but be warned - those wines will be very unlike the CF grown in California.

PS is a little different. It can be tannic and rather monolithic. Moreover, it was banned in its home region so didn’t have the reputation of CS. So growers planted what they could sell and it is usually easier to sell CS than it is to sell something else.

But with trial and error people have been learning how to make some pretty good examples of PS. It does well in CA’s dry and sunny climate.

As to why you hear more about CS - according to the Napa Valley Register, in 2014 there were 68,921 tons of CS harvested at a price of around $5930/ton, roughly twice the price of things like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In comparison, there were just 3,565 tons of Cabernet Franc harvested at $5,636 per, and 3,906 tons of Petite Sirah at $3,418 per. One can quibble with the specific numbers and of course they’re just for Napa, but since Napa dominates the high-end wine industry in CA, you can see that you’ll hear a lot more about Cab Sauvignon than anything else.

For me Petite Sirah is a varietal that benefits greatly from cellaring. Most of the bottles I have drunk have been 8+ years from vintage. Producers that I have enjoyed include Carlisle, Outpost, Sean Thackrey, Rosenblum and Zichichi. Young bottles are commonly tannic and disjointed.

Hi Robert, have been buying a about a case each of CF and PS for the last 15 years or so. Like both for a change of pace wine. The following are things I have bought in some quantity and over time.

For Petite Sirah:

Ridge - Should be able to find info on these. Good value imo. Well made and will age. Need to get more.
Behrens Family - tend to be big but accessible early, not too tannic (for PS).
Turley - Makes several PS. Tend to have firm tannins and acids. Not sure about the window 15+ years?
Jaffurs - Not a lot of experience yet but plan to get 6 bottles with the spring club release.

Wife and I got serious about wine about 1990 and I don’t recall having a Cali Cab Franc until 1998. I hope to see more offerings. Behrens was one of the first wineries I came across iirc that used significant CF in blends. The bottle of Labor of Love I looked at was 75% CF. But the most interesting CF I have is from Detert which is in the 95% range. I think it was $80/btl the last time I bought it which makes me hesitate.

Most all of the PS and CF I buy is direct from the winery. You are right they are hard to find at retail, at least here in a small Midwest city.

Love to hear about other CF out there.

Terry, I have enjoyed Cab Franc from Ontario and also Spain. I posted on one recently, Aljibes from Castillo y Leon.

Thanks all for the great feedback and suggestions. Since my original post, I picked up some Peterson/Once & Future PS from K&L in SF. Surprised to see it as I recall signing up for their mailing list but not receiving an allocation. In any case, looking forward having a few more of these to put down for cellaring.

As for cab franc, a neighbor suggested Darioush and JCB for California/NV producers.

2005 Carver-Sutro Petite Sirah Palisades Vineyard got me hooked on Petite Sirah. Big boy wines.

They are better known for their Zinfandel, but Dashe makes excellent Petite Sirah.

I Coravin’d a glass of this tonight. Nice wine especially at the Wine Library Cinderella price of $24. I need to find the Jaffurs mentioned above.

Vincent Arroyo’s Petite Sirahs are profoundly good. Completely changed my conception of what PS is capable of.

as (perhaps of course) have I. It is the grape (along with perhaps Riesling and Chard) that really shines in our Province and there are some very good examples.

Clos Rougeard is pricey, no question, but it is close to worth the money—amazing stuff from the Loire, and lots of other very good Chinon out there

Mike

For CF, I have enjoyed a small producing new comer Dracaena, whose wine I found through Social Media. Interesting enough the 2014, actually has 10% PS in with their CF. Wine comes form the West Side Ranch in Paso Robles.

Love hearing this!! Have a magnum of the 2001 that I’ll be holding for a bit.

Seems like you can’t go wrong with Palisades PS.