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Don’t let the name fool you – petite sirah is anything but petite.
Petite sirah gets the “petite” designation from the size of the grapes, not from its flavor. So if you’re thinking petite sirah is a lighter version of syrah, you may be in for a big, peppery surprise.
Yes, peppery.
The hallmark of petite sirah is that the aftertaste – known as the “finish” in the wine world – should taste like freshly ground black pepper. And that’s on top of the fact that it should be a big, bold, dry red wine, not so different from cabernet sauvignon.
So why would you drink petite sirah? Because it’s perfect with steak, especially if it has those amazing peppery tastes.
We’re seeing more petite sirahs on the shelves these days, so we invited over newspaper colleagues Brian and Karen Francisco and Kim Szobody, who works in the fiscal affairs department at Fort Wayne Community Schools, and held a blind tasting of six wines. One thing we discovered is that most of them benefit from a little oxygen – after we switched from our small tasting glasses to our big Riedels, they improved immensely.
First up was Francis Coppola Diamond Collection 2007 Petite Sirah ($19.99), which was good but was marked much more by smoky oak flavors than black pepper. It was a big, dry red with nice depth, yet creamy smooth, and lots and lots of oak.
Krista initially found it had hints of black licorice, and after it opened up, hints of vanilla and cream came through.
Next came Concannon 2005 Central Coast Petite Sirah ($14.49), which turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the tasting. Concannon was the first California winery to bottle petite sirah, so we figured they would know what they are doing.
Instead, it had no pepper tastes at all, and it was not big and powerful like a petite should be. It was a fruit bomb, with a long, sweet fruity finish, that reminded Dan of a cheap Australian shiraz.
“Yellow Tail is better,” said Kim, referring to one of the most popular cheap Australian lines.
Then we tried the Spellbound 2007 California Petite Sirah ($15.99), which brought us back to what a petite sirah should be. It was restrained in your mouth – just a big, bone dry red – while the finish was deep and complex with an explosion of fruit. In a big glass, it got even better:
As big fans of petite sirah, we would have liked a little more pepper, but for those who are new to it the pepper in this one was a revelation.
“If pepper is the hallmark of petite sirah, this one hits the mark,” Karen said.
Kim, who is a red wine drinker, found hints of vanilla and chocolate in the wine as well.
Then we moved on to the Ravenswood Vintners Blend 2006 California Petite Sirah ($11.99), which seemed to be a simpler version of the Spellbound.
Brian thought it might be too smooth: “You want something to bite you back a little bit,” he said.
Then came Bogle Vineyards 2007 California Petite Sirah ($11.99), which started out good but quickly fell apart. It smelled amazing and tasted good in your mouth, but the finish was sweet and watery, and there was no pepper at all.
We finished with the Castle Rock 2005 Russian River Valley Petite Sirah ($11.99), which despite being a 2005 and the low price, seemed to need a little more aging. It started out as a big, bold red wine with a big finish, but one we weren’t sure we liked, though it was clearly interesting. It was zippy and zesty. But not everyone liked it.
“I think this is the most peppery of the bunch, but it also has a flat flavor,” Brian said.
In the end, we found ourselves torn about our tasting. While we’re happy there are more petite sirahs on the shelf, we also found that the wines are not exactly what we had hoped to find. So is it better to have more choices even if they’re not all spectacular? Or is it better to have fewer choices but know exactly what you’re getting?
The first shipment of Satek wine is due to be delivered to Cap N’ Cork’s Coldwater Road location on Tuesday. You might remember that this summer we told you about plans for Satek Winery in Fremont to begin limited distribution of some of its wines. Until Tuesday, the only place to get their wines has been at the winery itself, near the intersection of Interstate 69 and the Indiana Toll Road.
The wine delivered Tuesday will be Satek’s 101 Lakes Red, a semi-sweet red wine and the winery’s most popular.
At press time, it was unknown which Cap N’ Cork would be carrying the wine in addition to the Coldwater Road store.
