Quivira Vineyards is a small winery in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County. First founded in 1981 the winery started a second life in 2006 when Pete Knight purchased it and Steven Canter was brought onboard as winemaker.

Dry Creek Valley is an area prized for the Zinfandels and Petite Sirah’s it produces. No surprise then that Zinfandel is the trademark varietal of Quivira. Zinfandel is so important to the Quivira portfolio that most of their Petite Sirah is blended in with those wines. In some years however Quivira finds that the Petite Sirah they harvest is of such outstanding quality that it demands to be bottled separately.

2005 was a year in which Quivira bottled a stand alone Petite Sirah. The Quivira 2005 Wine Creek Ranch Petite Sirah spent 12 months in French Oak. 852 cases were produced. The suggested retail price is $26.

The Quivira Vineyards Petite Sirah opens with a nose of black currants, pepper and spice underscored by subtle but persistent vanilla notes. A slight tartness out of the bottle blows off pretty quickly, especially if you decant. Dark fruit in the form of blackberry, fleshy plum and cherry dominate the palate of this wine. Sweet black cherry notes and additional pepper emerge on the finish, which is above average for sure. The finish also featured a bit of residual lip puckering tartness. This is no small wine, but within the world of Petite Sirah this is a medium bodied, fairly complex offering. This wine is going to pair with a wider array of foods than most Petite Sirah’s. A traditional Italian Sunday Dinner with pasta and red sauce is certainly not out of the question.

The Quivira Vineyards 2005 Petite Sirah is drinking well now and should improve over time. It seems to be at the beginning of it’s drinking window and a solid decade of positive evolution seems plausible. Anyone who enjoy Dry Creek wines with that unmistakable dusty quality that can be tasted so much easier than it can be explained are encouraged to check out the Quivira Petite Sirah.

Check out PS I love You, the Advocacy Group dedicated to this great varietal.

12 Days of Petite Sirah Continues. Stay Tuned, 20 More Petite Sirah Reviews Coming!

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12 Days of Petite Sirah continues, with the first of several coming up from the Lodi California appellation. I find this region to be particularly noteworthy for Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. Therefore I’m happy to report that several of the two-dozen Petite Sirah’s I’m covering will be from this area.

Peltier Station is the first selection from Lodi I’ll be looking at. I recently had their Viognier at a tasting and was impressed by it’s freshness and varietal character. So when I was planning the 12 Days of Petite Sirah I knew I’d want to include Peltier Station in my coverage.

This Petite Sirah is 100% varietal and all Lodi fruit. Oak alternatives were used over 7 months to replicate 24 month of barrel aging. 5,000 cases were produced and the suggested retail price is $18. This is a wine made with a specific flavor profile in mind, that of big and brawny Petite Sirah.

A huge nose of plum and vanilla are the first things from the Peltier Station Petite Sirah to present themselves. The first sips reveal a bit of tartness, deep jammy plum and dark berry fruit. Atypically for a Petite Sirah this wine opens up quickly when decanted. The mid-palate through the finish feature a ton of white pepper notes as well as continued dark berry fruit and undertones of mocha and earthiness. This wine will match up with the biggest food you can throw at it. Steak, Lamb, and Wild Boar are but a few choices that come to mind.

The 2005 Peltier Station Petite Sirah epitomizes Lodi fruit. It’s bright and jammy on top with a solid backbone of dark fruit underneath. This wine is a big, rich, opulent, drink now pleasure giver. The Peltier Station Petite is over the top and I mean that in the best way possible. As the old Howlin’ Wolf song is titled this wine was “Built for Comfort.” While it’s not as age worthy as the other Petite Sirah’s I’ve looked at, so far, that wasn’t it’s intent. All that in mind it still the structure to drink well for several years. But why wait?

While the retail price is $18 you can find this for under $15 if you look around. At that price it’s the perfect choice to bring to a Memorial Day BBQ or other event where you want to wow a large group for a reasonable amount of money.

Check out PS I love You, the Advocacy Group dedicated to this great varietal.

Up Next: 12 Days of Petite Sirah Continues, Stay Tuned.

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