In the vast and diverse world of wine making, it's difficult to find a grape that is quintessentially American. There are native North American varieties after all, but none that have made their way into any prominent role in modern wine growing. That's one of the reasons why Petit Sirah has developed such a cult following in the United States.
Not to be confused with Syrah, recent DNA tests have been able to trace this Californian hybrid back to the 1880's when it was imported from France, thought to originally be called Durif. Durif is a likely cross between Peloursin and Syrah grapes.
Originally, Petit Sirah was probably named so because its grapes had similar characteristics to Syrah in that both can be massive, rich and rustic wines. As one might guess they were probably also petite, and smaller grapes are generally favored by wine makers because they have a higher skin to juice ratio. A great deal of the tannin, flavor and subtle aromas in red wine come from the skin, so during wine growing and cultivation smaller grapes are generally prized higher than larger ones.
Today, there is an interesting underground infatuation with the grape, not only because the Americans have renamed it, re-bred it and called it their own, but also because its complexities can be enthralling. Some have gone so far as to nick name it P.S. I love You and refer to it as the John Wayne of grapes.
If you are interested in truly experiencing the grape in its most prized habitat, checkout the Blue Tooth Tour currently moving through the country. Named after the unavoidable blue color the grape imparts to the teeth and lips, the festival showcases the very best in California Petit Sirah.
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Article comments
1 - DrPat
I sometimes wonder where the preferences for heavily oaked, high-tannin wine comes from - in a way, these wines are like expresso, or maybe Turkish coffee, to a coffee-drinker: bitter and dark.
Perhaps it's because my tastes run to sweeter wines with the fruit flavors in the front, but IMHO, too many California reds overemphasize the skin and the cask, to the detriment of the juice.
2 - Jo Diaz
Tynan: How fun to read your posting of our Blue Tooth Tour. It was an awesome experience to have people like Jim Concannon, David Bruce, Louis Foppiano, Dave Pramuk of Robert Biale, John Monnich of Silkwood Wines, Matt Magoon of Guenoc, Dan Teldeschi of F. Teldeschi Vineyards, Bogle Vineyards, Vina Robles, Mettler Wines, EOS, Judd Finklestein of Judd's Hill and Judd, Phillip Lolonis of Lolonis Wines, Bob Marr of Marr Cellars, Bob Swain of Parducci Wine Cellars, Julie Pedroncelli St. John of Pedroncelli, Roger Rosenblum of Rosenblum Cellars, and Sandra Wilson of Wilson Vineyards all in one room pouring their won wines. The point wasn't about over-oaked, over-tannic wines. (It's a shame that this became an interpretation of what it was all about.) Rather, it was a celebration of the rich, extremely flavorful history of Petite Sirah as it relates to the American wine industry. And it was also about tasting wines from a broad range of flavors and price points... from the soft approachable Petites from Parducci, Bogle Vineyards, and the Selected Vineyard line from Concannon, to block busters from David Bruce, Silkwood, all the rest of them, really.
3 - Jo Diaz
I just noticed that I didn't add Miro Tcholakov, the winemaker for Trentadue wines in my earlier posting... (Just back from this tour and I'm still regaining energy... Sorry, Miro). Miro's extremely talented, and his wines have been enjoying 90+ scores from Robert Parker, Wine Spectator, etc. The rich, lush flavors of his wines are a prefect complement to what's happening with Petite Sirah, and great-big-thanks, Tynan, for helping us to spread the word about a mysterious American varietal... We'll be visiting Fort Worth/Dallas, St. Louis, and Chicago in May. Anyone who would like to attend (it's by invite ONLY), please e-mail info@bluetoothtour.com and state which city you're interested in. http://www.bluetoothtour.com has full details with dates.
4 - DrPat
Teldeschi's Muscat and Wilson's Late Harvest are wonderful wines that keep the rich flavors of the fruit without overly oaking them. Rosenblum Cellars has a Black Muscat that is incredibly good.
Trentadue may be getting good marks for wine, but I had the most nasty experience of my life tasting their port. I failed to read the notes before sipping, and was shocked to have something reminiscent of licking an ashtray fill my mouth.
Then I saw the flavor description: "...notes of tobacco". Okay, so there is something worse than over-oaking!
5 - Dave Pramuk
At Biale, we love working with PS. In Napa, where it used to proliferate, we are like a modern day PS preservation society.
Treated with TLC in a good vineyard site and the winery, PS can make beautiful and age worthy wine. It is about the most underappreciated grape around.
By the way, tasting a couple dozen Petites on an antique train in the rail yards with winery owners? How cool is that? The BTT was a blast.
6 - John Monnich
Scientists have also noted over the years that the Petite Sirah leaf is generally smaller than the Syrah leaf (though its the son of) and that the leaf has deeper lobes. Speculation is tht the name had something to do with the obviously smaller leaf size.
The Blue Tooth Tour for me was like a little boy in a candy store. WOW! what great wines all available in one place to taste and evaluate. Where can we meet again soon?