4 out of my top 10 all time wines have been Petite Sirah!
1999 Ridge York Mountain PS
2000 Pride Mountain PS
2000 Teldeschi PS
2006 Carver Sutro Palisades Vineyard PS
All drunk this past year, giving them all 13-20 years of age! Pets need that age to soften out the tannins. It’s hard waiting for them to age, but then I remember how they drank with that age.
I recently opened a 2014 Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah…it wasn’t lacking in tannins or acid.
It’s the common grape, Duriff in France. Sure, they age a long time, but IMO, they do not evolve much. I also do not like the sometimes, chalky mouthfeel.
Try one from Theopolis Vyd. Theopolis, Highlawn and Halcon are all excellent. Think Syrah structure, savory aromatics, much more open, but still exhibiting PS fruit and personality. A couple people brought older Highlawns ('13 & '14) as brown bag wines last harvest and they’ve definitely evolved. (Disclaimer: I’ve bottled all three. Theopolis is made by Ed Kurtzman, Halcon was made by Scott Shapley, Highlawn is Philip Cuadra, who interned at Scholium Project, then at Roar with Ed and Scott.)
I’m a fan of the old Ridges with a lot of maturity, but their recent ones are not tannic beasts, and are quite enjoyable on release.
I’ve had plenty of great ones over the years. Comes down to site and winemaking. Site can provide less tannic grapes. On the winemaking side there are smart and dumb ways to deal with the tannins. I’ve had Tannat, Sagrantino, Aglianico, Nebbiolo, etc. with too much tannin, that will never resolve. I’ve had examples done rather stupidly, where something is lost dealing with the tannins, and I’ve had stunning ones with just the right amount of tannin to frame impressive varietal and site expression.
I am not a huge fan of most Petite Sirah, although I have had a couple of Ridge ones over the years with age on them that have been very good.
Where I think PS is very valuable, however, is in a blend with Zin and maybe one or two other grapes. A lot of old vine Zins where the vineyard was planted as a field blend have some PS in it. I believe that this includes Ridge Geyserville and Lytton Springs - by far my two favorite Zins. My sense is that the addition of some PS in these wines adds to the overall richness, complexity and agability of the wines. So, I think of PS as an important grape even if I don’t generally love wines made solely from it.
I’m glad to see so many people that don’t like PS. More for the rest of us without upward price pressure.
Vincent Arroyo introduced me to PS and I have been enjoying it ever since.
I’ve been getting Turley Petits since 1994. I think they are up and down, but generally good with 15-20 years of bottle age. 1999-2001 was a good run for Hayne. Parker always said they would last 50 years.
Carlisle Palisades is a good bottle at good price point. 12 was very good and 16 is supposed to be great.
Another under appreciated bottle is Jaffurs Thompson. I bought the 2013 from them direct for $25. Good QPR.
Bought two cases each of the Rockland, 1992 and 1993 PSs, reviewed below by Robert Parker. Began drinking these wines last year, and, for my wife’s and my taste, thoroughly enjoyable. I suspect these PSs’ have another 10+ years of drinkability. The only issue with this grape, is the time required to reach excellent drinking maturity. Admittedly, I prefer to drink very mature wine. Who’s willing, to purchase and wait 26 years, to drink a wine? Can be very expensive!
In any event, this was the beginning wine era for the great Mark Aubert!
ROCKLAND
Petite Sirah
150 cases produced
Napa, California
1993-Readers may remember my ecstatic reviews of Rockland’s 1992 Petite Sirah. The 1993 is another dazzling example of this under estimated varietal. An impressively saturated, dense purple color is followed by a thick, juicy, full bodied wine with great fruit and intensity, good spice, superb focus, and a sweet, tannic, heady finish. This is a classic Petite Sirah. While the wine is approachable, it ideally needs another 3 to 5 years of cellaring. This large scaled, inky colored monster will last for 20+ years. Drink: 2013 to 2016+. Last tasted, 2/96. Rating, 93.
1992-The 1992 Petite Sirah is from the family owned vineyard, of Peter Michael Winery’s highly talented wine maker, Mark Aubert. Made from 45 year old vines situated outside Calistoga, near Chateau Montelena, the wine was aged for 24 months in 25% new oak casks and bottled unfiltered. It is a tremendously impressive Petite Sirah, with more Syrah characteristics than Petite Sirah. The color is an opaque purple. Although initially closed, the nose opens to reveal aromas of smoke, black currants, and black raspberries. Full bodied, rich and beautifully balanced, with unobtrusive, but noticeable tannin, as well as adequate acidity and a sensational finish, the wine coats the mouth with a viscous feel. While accessible, this superb effort should hit its peak in 3 to 4 years and last for two decades. Drink: 2000 to 2020+. Last tasted, 4/95. Rating, 92.
Indeed, an admirer of the great Petit Sirahs!
Leonard, agree and also disagree. Pets, when grown in right conditions, can be great. And this, to me, means the Calistoga to St. Helena axis, with dry, even and long heat. That chalky mouthfeel usually comes from way too much oak dialed in on top of over extraction (pump overs for hours), and I have seen some use 200% new oak on a varietal that usually has plenty of its own tannic structure “built in” from the get go. Some of the best fruit comes out of Calistoga area and at this point some of it reaches into Napa Cab territory price wise, for a reason. $7K per ton and up, when and IF you can get it.
Even in Calistoga/St. Helena its the valley floor that usually delivers better Pets, some mountain grown fruit can be too tannic. Outside of Calistoga/St. Helena some Lodi vineyards can be great (though most kill it with too much new oak, IMO, common theme with Pets), and then Geyserville area being an “extension” of sorts to Calistoga climate. Mendo fruit, for the most part, ripens at a very different curve and even when ripened to same Brix (mid 15s?) does not provide for same lush and rich palate fruit in Calistoga does. And, unlike Calistoga area fruit, where it can stand on its own with no new oak, Mendo Pets usually demand some to fill out the mid palate.
You should try Switchback Ridge, Madrigal, some Turleys as a reference point. Big, but usually deliver with some age on them. Grill up some meat and Pets will be your friend, to me more so than Cab.
Look up a recent Pets discussion, plenty of notes there, we did some of them blind.
Two of the best wines I have ever had were served double blind, side by side in 2004.
1971 Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah
1974 Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah
These were not just great PS, they were great wines.
I would respond but what’s the use? What Tom Hill says.
1993 Turley Hayne PS was drinking great last December. Blew me away.
+1 to all of this, though a bottle of 1974 Ridge York Creek PS at about 25 years of age is on my list of all time memorable greats. I never had the pleasure of drinking a 1971.
With regards to recent vintages, this Illuminare from Eldorado County, CA is my favorite. A 2 vineyard blend for complexity.