Bogle Vineyards - 2005 Petite Sirah

There are certain wines that have become standards of a varietal. Often they have been around a long time and have earned a reputation of quality within their price category. So, when I embarked on this mission that I'm calling the 12 Days of Petite Sirah, there were a couple I knew off the bat I needed to cover. Wines that have become ubiquitous within the Petite Sirah realm. One of those is the Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah. The Bogle family first planted vines in Clarksburg California in 1968. Today they farm over 1,200 acres of vineyards. Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and their proprietary blend called "Phantom" are the first wines that come to mind when I think of Bogle Vineyards.

The 2005 Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah has moderate alcohol at 13.5%. Fruit was sourced from both Clarksburg and Lodi. This wine spent 12 months in American oak and it's finished with a natural cork enclosure. The suggested retail price is $11.

This wine opens with a full nose of candied blueberry, plum and vanilla notes. Right out of the bottle this wine is fairly smooth and accessible. Throughout the palate, both black and white pepper notes feature prominently. Sweet wild berry fruit come out in the mid palate and hangs through the finish which is fairly long and persistent. Within the world of Petite Sirah this is a medium bodied offering, full of character and well balanced. This will pair nicely with a wide array of foods. Beef Stew, Mushroom Ragout and Grilled Chops are just a few of the things that come to mind.

The Bogle Vineyards 2005 Petite Sirah is a classic example of this varietal. It's also a good entry point for those who may be unfamiliar with Petite Sirah but want to give it a try.

Light but persistent tannins suggest this wine will age gracefully for a few years, gaining complexity and additional earthiness as the current fruitiness subsides a bit. To that point I tasted this wine again after it had been open for a full 24 hours. I found it to be just as charming and appealing, having lost none of the characteristics that made it so enjoyable to drink the first night. The fruit had mellowed ever so slightly and the nuances had emerged.

While this wine retails for $11, it's widely available for closer to $9. At that price point, this wine offers a lot drinking pleasure and more than a sufficient amount of Petite Sirah character. Some 30 years after their first vintage of Petite Sirah, Bogle Vineyards represents one of the benchmark wines in it's price category, year after year.

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Coming Up: 12 Days of Petite Sirah Continues, 15 wines to go.

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Jewel Collection - 2005 Petite Sirah

The 12 Days of Petite Sirah continues. Another selection made from Lodi fruit is up to bat. This one is from the Jewel Collection. The only previous wine of theirs I'd had was Viognier. I'd enjoyed that on several occasions and was thus looking forward to seeing what they could do with Petite Sirah. The Jewel Collection 2005 Petite Sirah is 100% varietal and all Lodi Fruit. Alcohol is a moderate 13.5% and the suggested retail price on this wine is $10. This wine is finished with a synthetic cork closure.

Dried blueberry and light plum notes come out in the nose. The first sip also reveals blueberry characteristics along with some light spice notes. Those flavors are accompanied by quite a bit of tartness. This isn't unusual for a Petite Sirah right out of the bottle. Decanting often helps the tartness blow off. In this case it never really did. The initial nose and tastes stayed but the palate of this wine drops off very quickly. The finish is well below average.

Over an evening this wine was retasted quite a few times. Instead of it opening up and becoming more expressive any flavor profile it had dissipated. The only thing that really remained was that initial tartness. Wines can have a good soft lingering tartness that adds to it's appeal at times. That's not the case with the Jewel Collection 2005 Petite Sirah. The lingering tartness this wine displays is unfortunate and unappealing. It also does not offer much in the way of the characteristics normally associated with Petite Sirah.

Even for a suggested retail price of $10 I can not recommend this wine. There are other Petite Sirah's in this price range that surpass it by leaps and bounds. I'll post notes on a few of them as my Petite Sirah coverage continues

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

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Two Petite Sirah's from EOS Estate Winery

When putting together the wines for 12 Days of Petite Sirah, I knew I'd want to include several selections from Paso Robles. I've long been a fan of this area. Quite a few wineries have been producing distinct offerings from Paso for many years now. Wine aficionados and now consumers in general seem to be getting the message about the wines coming out of this Central California Wine Appellation. EOS Estate Winery produces several different Petite Sirah's. I'll be looking at two of them today and then a third later on during the 12 Days of Petite Sirah. EOS has over 700 acres under vine. They're a family owned winery whose stated mission is to produce fruity, food friendly wines that are indicative of their Paso Robles origin. First up is the EOS 2005 Estate Petite Sirah. This selection is 100% Petite Sirah. 88% was it aged for 18 months in neutral oak, 9% of it in two year old Hungarian oak and the balance (3%) in 0ne year old French oak. The fruit was sourced from their Brothers Ranch vineyard. The suggested retail price for this wine is $18.

This wine opens with an absolutely immense nose of chocolate covered blueberries. The first sip reveals that as with the majority of Petite Sirah's this wines need a solid decanting. An hour will benefit it greatly, 2 hours even more so if you have the time. Once it opens up though, rich jammy fruit is immediately evident.  Vanilla bean and white pepper emerge on the mid-palate and carry through the finish, which also shows some earthiness. I enjoyed this wine with a grilled burger and pasta salad for the first meal of the season out on my deck. With moderate alcohol (13.5%) and present but not overpowering tannins this one goes down easy and will match a wide array of foods.

The 2005 EOS Estate Petite Sirah is rich with flavor but it's not a heavy wine. That makes it a good selection as a summer red that won't bog you down. Retailing at $18 and commonly available for a few dollars less than that (check out wine-searcher.com) this is a good value in well crafted, approachable Petite Sirah. Laying a couple down won't hurt either. A few years in the cellar will bring out some earthiness and allow the wine to show a subtler side.

The second wine today is the EOS Estate Reserve Petite Sirah. It's also from the 2005 vintage. All the fruit from this one came from a specific block of the same Brother Ranch Vineyard the previous wine was sourced from. In addition to more specific fruit selection oak treatment on this wine was quite different as well. 27.6% of the juice spent 23 months in new French oak, 18.9% in new American oak, 18.9% in new Hungarian oak and the remainder in on year old Hungarian oak (0.8%), two year old American oak (7.9%) and neutral oak (3%). The suggested retail price for this selection is $25.

The 2005 Reserve open with a nose of candied plum that's underscored by earthiness and a subtle smokiness. As with the other selection I definitely recommend decanting this wine to get the most out of it. After it opens up, rich jammy fruit in the form of blackberry, dark cherry and plum emerge and are mouth filling. This wine has a spiciness and earthiness that emerge prominently in the rich, round, slightly sweet  mid-palate. All these characteristics ride out to the finish. Those elements provide endearing layers of complexity to this wine. Sausage & Peppers, Lamb Chops and other rich foods will be the best matches for this Petite Sirah.

Firmer tannins and a more structured wine suggest the reserve has quite a few years of evolution ahead of it. It's appealing now but I'd be very curious to see how it's evolved in 5 or 10 years.

Both Petite Sirah's from EOS Estate Winery are well balanced with good acid. While neither wine will break the bank cost wise the 2005 Estate is a candidate for everyday drinking. The reserve is a very good value in its price category, especially when it's age worthiness is added to the mix.

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

More than 15 Petite Sirah Reviews Still to come as the 12 Days of Petite Sirah continues!

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Parducci Wine Cellars - 2004 True Grit Petite Sirah

Mendocino County is the origin of the next wine up for the 12 Days of Petite Sirah. Parducci Wine Cellars is a producer committed not only to making good wine but also to sustainable practices. They have set out to produce wines that have a sense of place and which are inextricably linked to their Mendocino roots. The 2004 ParducciTrue Grit Petite Sirah had a small amount (2%) of Viognier blended in to help elevate the nose. It was aged in a combination of French (56%) and American (44%) oak, 23% of it new. 1380 cases of this wine were bottled and the suggested retail price is $25.

Bright berry fruit bursts through a dusty earthiness from the nose onward. The first sip reveals black currant, dark dry fruit notes and a touch of vanilla bean. The mid-palate has black raspberry with a strong and persistent undercurrent of dark chocolate syrup. The finish is multilayered and lengthy. Raspberry truffle and tons of earthiness followed by espresso and chicory notes are the most prominent characteristics. Drink this wine with Beef Brisket, Hangar Steak with port wine reduction Sauce or other equally hearty fare.

Decanting for 45 minutes or more is recommended for this wine to really start opening up and exhibiting it's charming flavors and layers of complexity. This wine is tightly structured with firm tannins. It promises to age a long time. 10 to 15 years strikes me as a safe window for aging this wine.

For $25 Parducci is offering an excellent wine, which for all intents and purposes is a text book example of classic Petite Sirah.

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12 Days of Petite Sirah Continues. Stay Tuned, 19 More Petite Sirah Reviews Coming!

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Quivira Vineyards - 2005 Dry Creek Valley Petite Sirah

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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Peltier Station - 2005 Petite Sirah

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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Rutherford Grove - 2006 Petite Sirah

The second selection for the 12 Days of Petite Sirah is from Napa Valley's Rutherford Grove. Established in 1993, they have been making excursively Estate sourced wines since the 2003 vintage. The Spring Creek Vineyard that the grapes were sourced from is located in St. Helena. This is in the northern portion of Napa Valley. Aging was split evenly between French and American oak. 50% of it new, 30% on year old and the balance 2 year old.1,000 cases of this Petite Sirah was made. The suggested retail price is $37.

Bib black cherry character underscored by vanilla are the most prominent characteristics on the nose. The first sips reveal a fleshy dry fruit and bring plum and sour cherry to mind. Spiciness and subtle licorice notes come out on the mid-palate and carry on through the finish which also has additional dark fruit notes and a touch of earthiness.

While this wine drinks well now, especially after decanting I don't think it's near it's peak. This is a good choice to lay down for 8 or so years and drink for close to a decade after that. The earthiness that is subtly present now should emerge to the forefront over time.  Petite Sirah's are rightly often described as big, juicy and brooding. Elegant is rarely a word associated them, this one is that as well as subtle and layered. The sour cherry notes that emerge on the front of the palate remind me of the characteristics associated with Chianti. In some ways this wine strikes me that perhaps this is what Petite Sirah would taste like if it was made in Tuscany.

Rutherford Grove has crafted a wine that has many of the benchmark Petite Sirah characteristics, yet also strays from what one might consider a typical expression of this varietal. As I mentioned above I expect this wine to be an exceptionally age worthy example of Petite Sirah. Pick up a couple and forget about them for awhile, you'll be rewarded later.

 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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Epiphany Cellars - 2005 Petite Sirah

The first wine I'm looking at for the 12 Days of Petite Sirah is from Epiphany Cellars. Located in Los Olivos California they're one of the labels under the Fess Parker Family of Wines Umbrella. The 2005 Petite Sirah from Epiphany is 95% varietal with 5% Grenache blended in. 55% of the wine spent 24 months in French Oak. 967 cases were produced and the suggested retail price is $30.

Plum, cedar and caramel present prominently in the nose. The first sip reveals the wine to be a bit tight out of the bottle with some characteristic Petite Sirah tartness at first blush. Decanting is highly recommended with almost any Petite Sirah and this one is no exception. Once it opens up vanilla notes emerge and play and become prominent. The caramel continues through the mid-palate and is accompanied by fruitcake notes and some light earthiness. The finish features a terrific spiciness.

I found the 2005 Epiphany Cellars Petite Sirah to be particularly layered and complex for an offering this young. Considering it's relative elegance for a young Petite this is a good choice for a kicked up BBQ. Will pair well with grilled filet mignon, braised short ribs or other rich roods.

Medium tannins suggest this wine will age and evolve nicely. I'd expect the now subtle earthiness to emerge and become far more prominent over time. The Epiphany Cellars Petite Sirah should drink well for at least a decade and perhaps longer. Deciding when to drink it will depend on whether you want to enjoy the current fruitiness or the earthiness which will come out later. Either way this is a fine example of Petite Sirah.

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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12 Days of Petite Sirah

Starting tomorrow I'll be featuring Petite Sirah reviews for 12 straight days. It's an early Christmas gift for those of us who love the varietal most likely to leave your teeth with purple stains. Some will be from well known producers and others will be from lesser known wineries. In all about 2 dozen offerings will be featured during the 12 Days of Petite Sirah. They'll be from a variety of price ranges. This is a fun wine that some winemakers with other varietals as their focus only make tiny amounts of as a pet project. It's the kind of wine that has inspired an advocacy group, PS I love You to form. How many grape varieties can lay claim to that? I hope you enjoy it, I know I'm looking forward to it!

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Castle Rock - 2005 Russian River Valley Petite Sirah

Petite Sirah is one of those grapes that falls below the radar for a lot of people. It's often used in blends. Zinfandel is often one of the things it's blended with. It is however bottled as a varietal also, mainly in California, and has a definite following. When it's great, Petite Sirah makes dense wines that can age a long time in the bottle. They can be inky, spicy, monoliths at times. The sorts of wines that need air and big food to settle them down and pair with. But they can be incredibly enjoyable, unique and fascinating to drink

The Castle Rock 2005 Petite Sirah from Russian River Valley in California starts off on a promising note. The nose is full of berries and the first sip, although tart, reveals some spicy characteristics. The tartness carries over to the mid palate, to the point of distraction. Well over an hour after the wine was decanted that tartness had not measurably dissipated. Some chocolate notes appear on the mid palate but they're not particualry strong. The finish does feature a touch of white pepper. But it's also a noticeably short finish. As you drink the wine you're waiting for the finish to carry itself longer in your mouth but it vanishes in an instant. All you're really left with is a tingling on your tongue from the tartness which is the main characteristic of this wine

Tartness aside, it's not unpleasant. However I do find it to be one dimensional in nature. Therefore I can not recommend this wine. It retails for right around $10.00. For that price there are scores of wines I could point out that offer a lot more bang for the buck as well as hedonistic drinking pleasure. In the category of Petite Sirah alone both Foppiano and Concannon have been making Petite Sirah for years that is consistently enjoyable vintage after vintage. if you're in the mood for Petite Sirah they're safe bets..