Double Gold Winner American Fine Wine

For lovers of big, extracted red wines, packed with flavor and fine tannins, this is the variety for you! Not to be confused with Syrah... Petite Sirah was originally discovered in 1877 by a French botanist Francois Durif, working at the Montpelier Viticultural Institute in southern France. He found this seedling growing in a Peloursin vineyard and discovered that it had good resistance to downy mildew and named it for himself, Durif.

Unfortunately, the tight clusters were prone to bunch rot and the wines that were produced were considered too big and tannic for the French palate and the variety was eradicated in France. It did make its way to California and other parts of the world where it is known as Petite Sirah. There is nothing “petite” about it – even the berries are very large and the wines can be enormous. The key to user friendliness is patience to allow the seeds to ripen, allowing the tannins to relax.

92pts Jeb Dunnuck

The 2018 Petite Sirah is a hell of a steakhouse red and brings a massive, inky, powerful style as well as lots of darker blue fruits, peppery herbs, and chocolate aromas and flavors. This ripe, heady, mouth-filling Petite Sirah should keep for 8-10 years, although I'd drink bottles in their youth.

Winemaker Notes

This 100% Petite Sirah is a truly fruit-focused bottling. This is a massively extracted beauty with an elegant balance. Fully ripe blackberry aroma with a hint of graphite, the lushness on the palate is amazing with mouth-filling viscosity that resolves in a lingering soft finish with gentle tannin. (Fewer than 100 cases produced.)

For lovers of big, extracted red wines, packed with flavor and fine tannins, this is the variety for you! Not to be confused with Syrah... Petite Sirah was originally discovered by a French botanist Francois Durif, working at the Montpelier Viticultural Institute in southern France. He found this variety growing in a Peloursin vineyard and discovered that it had good resistance to downy mildew and named it for himself, Durif.