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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