PS, How Do I Love Thee?
Let Me Count The Ways

You gotta like ‘em big. Beyond that, this varietal offers perhaps more diversity than any other, in the climates that will accept it and the character of the wines it produces.

by Clark Smith
November 10, 2008

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really had my doubts. An entire day of Petite Sirah tasting? I have seen regional character manifest in so many places and varietals that I’ve grown to expect a distinctive flavor signature, and it’s my job to find it and define it. But going into a whole day of strictly Petite Sirah, I just wasn’t sure. Enjoy them though I do, I had simply never given regional distinctiveness a thought. I like ‘em all. The wine is so different from anything else that sense of the grape rather than sense of place has always dominated my thinking. Sure, I’ve judged big flights of PS, but always blind – never with the regions identified and grouped together.

Read your Alexis Lichine, your Frank Schoonmaker, your Andre Simon - Petite Sirah is not a noble grape. Whatever that means. So I thought, maybe that’s because they all taste the same. Terroir-challenged. A heartless factory grape.

It’s baloney. Turns out that, when you actually look, Petite Sirah reveals itself as quite clearly reflective of region. In fact, when New York Master Sommelier Darrin Siegfried asked for a suggestion for a variety to display regional differences, I recommended it. “The Petite Sirahs worked out even better than I hoped for,” Brooklyn’s top palate reported back.

And the traits are just what you might expect. The Howell Mountain wines are breathtakingly hard, just like the Cabernets, while the Russian River wines are round and supple and full of cherry aromas, just like the Pinot Noirs.

A Brief But Colorful History

Carole Meredith, the famed grape geneticist at U. C. Davis, resolved the controversy of the grape’s origin in a 1998 paper. Though occasionally mistakenly misnamed, the preponderance of Petite Sirah in California is identical with the French grape Durif. This varietal is named after the Rhône-based nurseryman who, in the 1880’s, introduced Syrah pollen to an obscure variety called Peloursin from the mountainous region of Isère, and then planted the resulting seeds, later selecting from the vines the full-flavored, well colored variety resistant to powdery mildew which carries his name.

The new grape’s compact clusters and resulting susceptibility to bunch rot meant that it did not do well in its native Rhône, languishing in obscurity and often confused with its equally tight-clustered parent Peloursin. It was not until it was exported to the drier climate of California that it was to prove its value as a workhorse red varietal, which could be counted on for muscle, color and body.

Even in California, any grower will tell you that PS is a nightmare to grow. It rots. The tightfisted bunches and thin skins beg for Botrytis. And don’t get excited - there is nothing noble about this rot. Grey slime, sour rot and unstable color really puts the “ick” in Yquem. The variety never became a superstar in the Rhône, where the loose-clustered Syrah is preferred. Ask any Frenchman – Petite Sirah is not a cépage noble.

What the heck IS a noble variety, anyhow? Historically, it probably stems from grapes that supported the famous wine regions of Europe by consistently delivering great wines for the top producers. The key word in that sentence is “Europe.” The ability to make the Big Wine. If we look at the short list of noble grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling - one trait sticks out: the ability to survive extended hangtime, to improve on the vine in the rainy late autumns of the continent. Its lack of rot resistance may well have crossed Durif off the list.

Sour rot’s ignominious feature is that it is contagious. The laccase enzyme of Botrytis attacks color – not just for the PS but in the whole field blend. And the vinegar bacteria that get started on the vine (and here I speak from a rather vast pool of personal experience) multiply so quickly that they can out compete the yeast fermentation, rendering into stuck, acetic vin piqué not only for the lot in question, but sometimes spreading almost overnight throughout the winery, sticking every tank. Not very noble behavior.

But in the dry climes of California, rot pressure, while still a matter of concern, does not trump the grape’s offsetting virtues. In the land of the free, Petite parades itself as nobly as any other grape, with West Coast sunshine to combat the tendencies of its compact, pinecone-shaped clusters, their berries squeezed into squares like tannin hand grenades to the delight and awe of New World winemakers.

And as it turns out, Petite Sirah is capable of great regional variability. In retrospect, the reasons seem obvious. Aromatics, color and tannin. All abound in the grape, and the development of each appears strongly influenced by place. In my companion piece, Sources of Regional Diversity in Petite Sirah, serious geeks can follow my sleuthing into what makes this varietal tick. The short version is:

Color: Hits the max with moderate heat and lots of sunlight. When it's too hot or cold and foggy, color is less intense.

Tannins: Adequate warmth and lower yields increase tannin content. Tannin character is controlled by water availability, so deep clays give soft, round, sweet tannins, and droughty sites with good drainage give harder, more structured tannins. The hardest are high altitude sites with west-facing slopes.

Terroir aromatics: Unsurprisingly, distinctive aromas of local vegetation show up in the wines grown among these scents. High deserts impart aromas of sage and bay, while vineyards with eucalyptus windbreaks smell of mint, and coastal forests bestow juniper and cedar aromas.

Fruit aromas: Who knows why, but fruit aromas sure do vary. Red Fruit, black fruit, citrus and floral scents parallel what we see in other varietals. For now, all we can do is take note of what we see.

We grouped the many examples of high altitude Petites together to see if we could find common threads which set them apart as a group from their downstream cousins. We flanked this group with the Suisun Valley on one side, noted for its cool but fogless conditions and deep clay soils, and Lodi wines on the other. Though each area showed its own distinct characteristics, there were obvious common threads: very dark color, minerality, and hard, angular tannins.

High Altitude Petites

SIERRA FOOTHILLS:
Extremely dark purple color in youth. Rich violets and blackberries. Elevated alcohol, racy minerality.

• Ursa Vineyards
  2006 Petite Sirah, Naggiar (Sierra Foothills AVA)

EL DORADO:
High altitude granite and high incident light produce extremely dense, tight, hard reds which are among the most underappreciated in California. Black pepper, sage and other high chaparral herbal scents. Black fruit aromas can be closed in youth, angular minerality.

• Ursa Vineyards
  2004 Petite Sirah (El Dorado AVA)

RED HILLS LAKE COUNTY:
Extremely dark color due to high incident light, amplified by reflection off local obsidian glass shards strewn thoughout the red decomposed granite soil. Fennel, sage, juniper and pinesap. Black fruit and plum aromas. Hard tannins are fine and sweet.

• August Briggs Winery
  2006 Petite Sirah, Black Rock Ranch (Red Hills Lake County AVA)

CALAVERAS COUNTY:
1500 foot elevation and shallow sandy gravel produce dense, highly colored fruit full of intense blackberries, giving rise to wines which can be a bit hard and closed in youth. The regional identity is tourist over purist, as crowds of visitors along Highway 49's Gold Rush "Antique Row" persuade winemaking here to be user-friendly, often employing lavish oak.

• Twisted Oak Winery
  2006 Petite Sirah (Calavaras County AVA)

SAN ANTONIO VALLEY:
This underappreciated mountain enclave in southwest Monterey County produces very serious but uniquely rustic reds. Intense red fruit and the signature gunpowder tea precede angular, chunky tannins with outgoing cowboy charm and a fair slug of alcohol.

• Newell Vineyards
  2004 Petite Sirah (San Antonio Valley AVA)

COLUMBIA VALLEY:
Here high altitude and high latitude combine to produce long, fogless days, resulting in intense color, as well as intense aromatics and minerality. Cassis, rhubarb, anise, tar, black pepper and mint aromas. Guava flavors. Firm, angular tannins accentuated by piercing acidity.

• Masset Winery
  2006 Petite Sirah, (Columbia Valley AVA)

HOWELL MOUNTAIN:
Just as we find in its Cabernets, we find high desert vegetation such as sage, juniper and wildflowers, very closed red licorice fruit aromatics, brutal, uncompromising tannins and good minerality. In addition, Petite Sirah adds a guava flavor signature in the finish.

• Retro Cellars
  2005 Petite Sirah, Park Muscatine Vineyard (Howell Mountain ~ Napa Valley AVA)

Low Altitude Petites

There are also many fine lowland wines, especially for those who like the grape’s feminine side.

SUISUN VALLEY:
The sea level Suisun wines were also very deeply colored, due to their moderate temperatures and fogless full sun conditions. But their tannins were supple and fine, an artifact of deep clay soils, and carrying sweet, jammy ollalieberry flavors.

• Forlorn Hope
  2005 Les Deux Matieux (Suisun Valley AVA)
• Olabisi Vineyards
  2005 Petite Sirah King Vineyard (Suisun Valley AVA)
• Quixote Winery
  2005 Pretense (Solano County)

LODI:
Deep fertile loams produce rich, fruity Petites with great current drinkability. Aromatics can include peach, honeysuckle, and confectionary notes as well as green tea and white pepper. Round, velvety tannins and lively acidity in the mouth, supplemented with ample oak influence. A kiss of lime or lemon in the finish.

• Mettler Family Vineyards
  2005 Petite Sirah (Lodi AVA)
• Mettler Family Vineyards
  2001 Petite Sirah (Lodi AVA)
• Twisted Oak Winery
  2002 Petite Sirah Silvaspoons Vineyard (Lodi AVA)
• Christine Andrews Vineyards
  2006 Petite Sirah (Lodi AVA)

RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY:
The pinnacle of refinement was to be found in the Russian River wines, whose age worthiness set them apart. Lightest of the group in color (merely dark), due to cool climate and fog influence. The very aromas that define Russian River Pinot Noir: cherry, orange blossom, and lilac. Round, feminine tannins, bursting with lemon and blackberry on the palate.

• Foppiano Vineyards
  2005 Petite Sirah (Russian River Valley)
• Foppiano Vineyards
  1993 La Grande Anniversaire Petite Sirah, Estate (Russian River Valley)

DRY CREEK VALLEY:
Dark ruby color. Austere black fruit aromas, closed in youth, but with complex white pepper and lime elements. Dense, hard tannins, with flavors including fig, tobacco, guava, carob, and cinnamon together with floral features.

• Mounts Family Winery
  2006 Petite Sirah (Dry Creek Valley AVA)
• Mounts Family Winery
  2005 Petite Sirah (Dry Creek Valley AVA)
• Pedroncelli Winery
  2005 Petite Sirah (Dry Creek Valley AVA)

ALEXANDER VALLEY:
The single example we looked at was a concentrated, long hangtime product, still quite dark after four years, with effusive aromas of butterscotch candy, strawberries and lavender. Rich and appealing for lovers of the big style.

• Trenadue Winery
  2004 “La Storia” Petite Sirah, Estate (Alexander Valley AVA)

NAPA VALLEY:
Deep purple color, austere cassis, plum and tar aromas and dense, hard tannins.

• August Briggs Wines
  2006 Petite Sirah, Frediani (Napa Valley AVA)
• Robert Biale Vineyards & Winery
  1995 “Old Vineyards” Petite Sirah (Napa Valley AVA)
• Robert Biale Vineyards & Winery
  2005 “Royal Punishers” Petite Sirah (Napa Valley AVA)
• Quixote Winery
  2006 Petite Syrah, Stags’ Leap Ranch (Napa Valley AVA)

ST. HELENA:
Deep purple, with closed plum and tar aromatics and fine, graceful tannins characteristic of fertile clay.

• Stanton Vineyards
  2004 Petite Sirah (St. Helena ~ Napa Valley AVA)
• Stanton Vineyards
  2006 Petite Sirah (St. Helena ~ Napa Valley AVA)

MENDOCINO:
Soft, drinkable, with moderate color and the distinctive maraschino cherry aromas one also finds in the region’s Zinfandels and Cabernets.

• Parducci Wine Cellars
  1987 Petite Sirah (Mendocino County AVA)
• Parducci Wine Cellars
  2005 “True Grit” Petite Sirah (Mendocino County AVA)

PASO ROBLES:
Generous, moderately tannic wines with complex aromatics. Floral aromas of rose and violets, sassafras and cola, citrus, black pepper and cardamom. Sweet, chalky tannins can be a little severe in youth but flavors are always available.

• Clayhouse Vineyard
  2005 Petite Sirah, Estate (Paso Robles AVA)
• EOS Estate
  2005 Reserve Petite Sirah, Estate (Paso Robles AVA)
• EOS Estate
  2000 Reserve Petite Sirah, Estate (Paso Robles AVA)
• Victor Hugo Vineyards & Winery
  1999 Petite Sirah, Shell Creek (Paso Robles AVA)
• Victor Hugo Vineyards & Winery
  2006 Petite Sirah, Estate (Paso Robles AVA)
• Norman Vineyards
  2004 Petite Sirah (Paso Robles AVA)
• Sculpterra Winery
  2006 Petite Sirah (Paso Robles AVA)
• Bianchi Winery
  2005 “Signature Selection” Petite Sirah, Rancho Tierra Rejada (Paso Robles AVA)

CENTRAL COAST:
Our single example possessed a savage mustard weediness together with lychee and rosewater aromas, firm, feminine tannins, herbed pomegranate and guava flavors and bright acidity.

• Concannon Vineyard
  2005 Petite Sirah Limited Release (Central Coast AVA)

You Need Schoolin’, I’m Not Foolin’

Do Petites Age? Our tasting contains several examples that demonstrate that indeed they can.

• Parducci Wine Cellars
  1987 Petite Sirah (Mendocino County AVA)
• Foppiano Vineyards
  1993 Petite Sirah (Russian River AVA)
• Robert Biale Vineyards & Winery
  1995 Petite Sirah (Napa Valley AVA)
• Victor Hugo Vineyards & Winery
  1999 Petite Sirah (Paso Robles AVA)

This variety seems endowed with all the elements to achieve gracefulness naturally – intense coloration, extractive power, and aromatic charm. But we also found a few clunkers, which were, in the main, victims of excessive hang time. It takes effort to dry out these wines, but it can be done. Particularly in regions of moderate color density, one should not count on big tannin as a warranty of ageability. Chief among the warning signs to drink now is a voluptuous forward fruit, but in this variety, one needs to distinguish between the fragility of pruney/raisiny fruit and the generosity of the dense plum and boysenberry which may age well.

Not immune from the downside of modern trends towards extended hang time, Petite’s dense coloration nevertheless usually saves all but the most extreme examples from dryness in youth, but poorly formed tannins spell doom in the cellar. Even for experts, the sheer mass of tannin makes it plenty tricky to distinguish youthful hardness from the grainy dryness which signals decline. In lighter reds, these are easily distinguished by the position and character of the tannins - the sheet-like grippy structure, all atop the tongue, which one finds in young wines being quite different from the dirty, gritty tannins under the tongue and in the cheeks as older wine falls apart.

To be sure, these tannin differences will prove useful guides once the wines have gotten through their first decade or so, and it is plain that the ’93 Foppiano remains vigorous and age worthy. But in the young wines, I doubt many could have seen this possibility. Likewise, I do not find that the standards of acidity, alcohol balance, pH or even minerality offer reliable clues to ageing of young Petites.

What to do? My simple advice is to watch the color. Healthy color is the key to structural finesse and graceful longevity. Probably the best indicator is hue. As with kings, the royal purple is the stamp of nobility, and a premature bricky hue says “if you like me, drink me now.”

Beyond that, I’d simply add that this varietal offers one of the best playgrounds for an enthusiast to experiment. The best reason to cellar this variety is that it’s an adventure, because none of us really know how it works. Hey, anybody up for a little fun?

Ready For Prime Time

Now one of the most consistently delightful varietals to be purchased, Petite Sirah is ascending to a serious position among American reds. These wines are not cheap, and recession or no, they are not likely to soften soon.

You gotta like ‘em big. Beyond that, this varietal offers perhaps more diversity than any other, in the climates that will accept it and the character of the wines it produces. Take the same advice I gave Darrin Siegfried, and take your next regional terroir tasting from the ranks of our Best-of-Appellation™ picks.

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See the Complete List of wines advanced to the
Petite Sirah Best-of-Appellation™ List

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