-
1999 Foppiano Petite Sirah - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (7/20/2022)
Always been a fan of Foppiano PS back in the day…a goto, and huge qpr for the variety…found a leaker, so pop the cork time. Intriguing nose of dried leaves, menthol, crushed cherries, charcuterie, leather…some high toned tartness on the palate…sour cherries, raspberries, plum…dry old wine cellar dusty tannins…REALLY dry…fruit is taken a back seat to the earth tones and aged flavors of leather, dried herbs, tobacco…ox has set in and intensified the acidity…no plush smoothness like a good PS shows…bitter…seen better days. Don’t think the leak was the culprit…just a simple wine from the start, not meant to age out 23yrs imo. (82 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
2 Likes
Oof! Bummer Buzz - that does not sound good!
Looks like I have a 1978 PS and a 1970 ‘Burgundy’ in the cellar. Fingers crossed that the wines of that decade were made to last a little longer.
Oh no! These things are usually AGELESS.
Agreed. I’m not at all surprised by the reference to this ultimately just being a simple wine, nor by the description of the wine as being “really dry” and tannic, with “dried leaves. . . .leather, dried herbs and tobacco” and without any remaining “plush smoothness”. However, Petite Sirah in general, and Foppiano in particular, typically at least “last” a long time, even if they don’t usually develop any significant complexity. The reference to oxidation notes makes me wonder if it IS either due to the leakage or heat damage.
Thanks for the note Buzz. I had a real good experience with an older Foppiano a few years back. He made them in a much leaner style than we are used to.
My note:
”Mike and Dana Stoneking were staying at a home about 1/2 mile up the road so they stayed on after the other guests left. I said, who wants to try a Petite Sirah? I really wanted to open this 1983 Louis J. Foppiano RRV Petite Sirah chiming in at a mere 12.5abv so out came the cork. This was probably the most surprising wine of the night. It poured like a Pinot Noir with a cranberry color. The nose was red fruited as was the palate with generous acidity, a Grenache like freshness to it and not the overpowering tannins I have come to expect from PS. A different take on an old favorite from one of the pioneers of PS in California. Kudos!”[/quote]
1 Like
Sometimes Petite Syrah no matter how old can be on the dry, leathery, chalky and herby side. I’ve had some killer Ridge and Turley PS do that too. The leak surely did no help preserve the usual brambly jammy fruit component. Open a Turley Pesenti or Hayne to fill that PS void you were looking for!
About 5 years back, there was a thread on the 10 wines that had the greatest influence on you. Here’s a cut & paste on one of the wines I listed:
NV Foppiano Petite Sirah (from half gallon) – Bought one late 70’s, jug-handle with a screwcap. I was impressed, bought a case of six, decided to lay them on their side in my basement and age them for 10 years. Couldn’t quite wait. Opened one in the late ‘80s, I wasn’t doing numerical scores at the time but easily rated mid-90s. Called everybody I knew who liked wine and went through the case in just over a week.
Sorry to hear about the dried-out '99. Of course I had mine at ~11 - 12 years of age, out of a little bigger than magnum, not at 23 years out of bottle. And of course mine were closed with state-of-the-art, cutting-edge screw cap ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif")
.
Dan Kravitz
There just happened to be a hot air balloon floating over Foppiano this morning I thought it was fitting to take a picture.
3 Likes
