Turley, Foley, Switchback, Ridge, Stags Leap, Quixote, …. it’s one of my wife’s three favorites:
PS, Penfold’s Grange, and really good champagne! No wonder she says… it’s all good!
Great thread, lots of suggestions for me to check out. I have never been a PS fan until recently and now I want more.
Rick, not sure where you are, but Trader Joe’s had Quixote juice labaled as “Lance and Windmill” for $16. Highly unlikely, but worth asking the wine section manager if he has any stashed away (assuming you have a TJ’s by you).
Back in the day it was Freemark Abbey and Ridge… Now i go with Thackrey, Carlisle, and if willing to pay the tariff or some one else is pouring Turley.
Cheers, Bob
I just googled that as I wasn’t sure what Quixote juice was. I’m in the Olympia WA area and will be checking the local TJ as soon as I get back to WA. I’ll have to check here in Atlanta as well, will be making phone calls in the morning. Many thanks Kyle!
Well maybe not the worlds best, but earlier this year we were at Vina Robles and came away with a bottle of their Fore PS.
Also have been buying Vina Robles Estate PS at the local Costco for $16 which is really good deal.
Aaron Jackson out of Paso also makes a nice PS, have a bottle in the cellar.
absolutely
Quixote, Stags Leap Wine Cellars, Vincent Arroyo, Pride Mountain, and Turley.
An interesting twist is Oliverhill from Oz.
This. Sucks.
Valdez, Landy Vineyard
I’m surprised there are so few mentions, if any, of Robert Foley (i.e. his own label, not Switchback Ridge).
I haven’t tasted many of the wines named thus far, so my opinion may not be well informed. But the best I have tasted is Sean Thackrey Sirius.
Beckstoffer purchased a portion of the Hayne vineyard some months back and did rip out some historic, living Petite vines, which were replanted to Cab.
Tegan can correct me on this, but I believe that a section of historic Petite going to Turley was not impacted by the sale.
Great advice from those a heck of a lot more learned than I am . … .
A couple of things, here:
- It is Stags Leap Winery, not Stags Leap Wine Cellars, that produces the Petite Sirah that is often mentioned here. They’ve been growing PS for quite some time there, and Quixote was ‘derived’ from this, when Carl Doumani sold SL and bought property very close by to start Quixote. At SL, they also have some very old Peloursin vines in a field in front of the winery - wonderful head trained vines that I believe are nearly 90 years old and that Robert Brittain fought hard to save - that they make into a wine they call Ne Cede Mallis, one of the darkest wines I’ve ever seen. Here’s a DNA breakdown of the block:
http://www.stagsleap.com/assets/client/File/SLW-NCM-Block-Map2.pdf
- One PS that doesn’t get mentioned often enough is Jaffurs Thompson Vineyard PS. For the money, one of the best PS’s in the state year in and year out . . .
And for those fortunate enough to have had some of the older Ridge York Creek PSs . . . what was it about them that made them memorable? Curious to hear . . .
PS is not a variety that is easy to work with. Late ripening, prone to bunch rot due to its tight clusters, fickle as hell . . . and if it doesn’t get ripe enough, a grape that is all about structure without much fruit to ‘balance’ it. But when done right . . . a simply magical variety!
Cheers!
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I was waiting for someone to mention Jaffurs. Craig’s PS is always excellent. As with any PS, time helps.
Some older ones I’ve enjoyed……
-
1969 Freemark Abbey Petite Sirah York Creek - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (1/16/2012)
Alban Vineyards Tasting 1993-2009 (Buzzini House): The birthday wine…from the Barney Rhodes cellar…very young looking and tasting! Wonderful smooth plum/blackberry fruit, leather, mushroom, olives, anise. Still sweet, plum liqueur, good dose of dusty old cellar tannin dryness, great tobacco leaf, balance. Best '69er I’ve had! (93 pts.) -
1971 Freemark Abbey Petite Sirah York Creek - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (1/23/2011)
Old California Wine Dinner…1941-1986 (Merced, Ca): My wine, from the Barney Rhodes cellar…13.8% alc. Had with the '73. Deep dark berry, plum liqueur. Had wonderful dusty perfume, with some nuttiness to it. Still has HUGE tannins! Young tasting…dark fruit, plum skin sourness, coffee…dries out in the finish. A glacier wine…one dimensional, as with most PS…but tasty. (93 pts.) -
1973 Ridge Petite Sirah York Creek - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (1/23/2011)
Old California Wine Dinner…1941-1986 (Merced, Ca): Had along with the '71/‘73 Freemark Abbey York Creek…this is classic Ridge! Wonderful ripe Zin-like fruit, bright and fresh red berry, almost late harvest-like. 12.7 alc, which was the lowest of the 3…I would have thought higher? Killer floral fresh bouquet of flowers, dusty dried cherry spice/herbs, coffee, silky smooth. Really drinking well…my fav of all the PS’. (93 pts.) -
1972 Souverain Petite Sirah Rutherford - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (1/23/2011)
Old California Wine Dinner…1941-1986 (Merced, Ca): Not as dark berried as the '71/‘73 Freemark Abbey PS’ had with it…more sweet strawberry, dried cherry, leather, dusty clove spice. Some dried green leaf, tobacco, smooth. Holding up really well. (91 pts.) -
1973 Freemark Abbey Petite Sirah York Creek - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (1/23/2011)
Old California Wine Dinner…1941-1986 (Merced, Ca): Had with the '71. A shyer wine than the '71, not as perfumed…dusty cinnamon spice, dried dark berry fruit/roses, plum liqueur, cigar wrapper(which I dug). Might be a little closed, or just not as giving as the '71. Love how youthful these wines were…this one just not giving up all the goods. (90 pts.) -
1974 Stags’ Leap Winery Petite Sirah - USA, California, Napa Valley (6/6/2010)
Jen’s Fund Raiser Dinner (Max’s Bistro, Fresno Ca.): This was AMAZING! This was at the end of the night, so we were all pretty shot. Can’t believe the age…it was so dark and young looking. Sourced from a very cold cellar. The flavors were of dark berry fruit, mushroom, wet leaves, dusty dry leather…still tannic. Had some interesting electrical fire thing going on…burnt leather. Very much alive…plenty of fruit and aged complexity. Again, wish I could have payed more attention to it. You could have painted a house with all the sediment! (93 pts.) -
1974 Ridge Petite Sirah York Creek - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District (9/26/2009)
Musty,some corkiness nose…but all thought not. Started out earthy mushroomy…but opened later, and was drinking quite nicely at about the 4hr mark. Leather,aged plum,dark berry,black pepper,meat,old cellar dust. Did start to fad towards the end…but pretty nice for the old fella! (92 pts.) -
1993 Foppiano Petite Sirah La Grande Anniversaire Centennial Selection - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (1/5/2008)
Still dark, young looking. First thing you notice is some beautiful dusty(dirt) old cedar spice. Like making sawdust out of old oak barrels. Smooth and juicy sweet black cherry, plum, blackberry fruit…mellow kirsch liqueur, cherry cordials, anise. Very subtle in flavors, but they are complexed with age. Not as grand as the '96 is…but a super aged PS that will probably taste like this for many many more years. Foppiano is the Master when it comes to Petite Sirah…this wine is a worthy effort. (93 pts.) -
1997 Turley Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (9/18/2007)
Started off our 10yr Anniversary week with this monster! Still dark as night, oozing raspberry syrup in color. Still powerful, rich and dense dark red fruits, aged plum/currant…smooth yet still intense. Dusty dry cocoa powder tannins, cedar spice, anise, kirsch liqueur. Has a nice dry, dark chocolate covered cherry spice finish…but, with some harshness. I’d say this could go 10 more years easily…but pretty tasty right now for someone who likes-um BIG! Great wine to start the celebration! (94 pts.)
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Rick, if you find in ATL (and don’t buy it all yourself!) please let me know where the leftovers are. Cheers!
Wilson and Mazzocco make at least one outstanding PS every year.
The 2009 Forlorn Hope just arrived to my storage this week. really excited to try it but looks like I’ll need to be patient (as with all PS’s).
Surprised no one has mentioned Biale