The
Cure For The Common Cabernet Sauvignon
It’s
April. Why is it snowing? As I write this,
the white stuff is coming down pretty hard.
I’m so over winter 2009, but it just
won’t breathe its last chilly breath.
In the outside chance that this is the dawning
of a new Ice Age, I decided to review the
Official Wine of the New Ice Age—Petite
Sirah.
On a cold, winter-like day in April, petite
sirah (sometimes called durif or petite
syrah) makes a great companion for hearty
spring stews or when you’re cuddling
up in front of the fireplace to toast the
vernal equinox.
Petite sirah is as enigmatic
as the Easter Snow Bunny. Folks once thought
petit sirah was related to the syrahs from
France’s Rhône Valley, but it
is its own grape. Petite sirah is all but
gone from France these days, but it sure
loves California, where it thrived in abundance
in the 1970s. However, when West Coast winemakers
fell in love with cabernet sauvignon and
chardonnay, many petite sirah vines were
tossed into the trash heap.
More recently, petite sirah
has made somewhat of a resurgence with plantings
more than quadrupling in the past decade.
Still, petite sirah acerage is about half
of what it was in 1976.
Besides the impending glaciers
moving ever southward, which is reason enough,
wine lovers are finding petite sirah as
a more than adequate antidote for the common
cabernet sauvignon. And that is a healthy
trend.
I’ve got no particular
beef with cabernet sauvignon, but often
today’s cabernets achieve their muscularity
through higher alcohol levels, which seem
to know no ceiling. Petite sirah are far
from alcohol-free, but much of this wine’s
intensity comes from the grape’s thick
skin and small berries. For example, in
my sampling of 14 California petite sirahs,
the average alcohol level was 14 percent,
with more than half of the sample having
13.5 percent. (This includes the average-skewing
Rosenblum Cellars’ Rhodes Vineyard
Petite Sirah coming came in at a whopping
15.7 percent.)
And speaking of beef, I
find petite sirah as a great companion for
all sorts of roasted red meats, including
spring lamb of course. Blessed with a closet
full of spices, petite sirah’s qualities
seem to have more give and take with meaty
flavors than with many run-of-the-mill cabernets
or merlots.
On the retail front, petite
sirah seems to be in a holding pattern since
my previous exploration of the varietal
in early 2007. Many of the same makers,
such as Guenoc, Bogle and Stags’ Leap,
are still making solid, enjoyable interpretations
of this wine. There are a few new faces,
such as Artezin and Dancing Coyote, in the
mix that are also quite pleasing. Retailers
say they don’t sell a lot of the dark,
black wine, which is usually stuck in the
“other red” category or among
the syrah/shiraz, but there are regulars
who enjoy its big, bold, plumy flavors.
All things are viewed through
the prism of our current economic downturn
and wine is no exception. In this time of
upheaval and chaos, petite sirah may find
its big break. Cabernet sauvignon drinkers
who may be scaling back their purchases
may be a tad disappointed by the sameness
of the $15 and under cabs. Now may be the
time to pick up a bottle of something a
little different. Not only will they surprised
by the intensity of the petite sirah wines
with their rich fruit qualities with flavors
of smoky, dark chocolate, cinnamon and cloves,
they will appreciate the cost.
In my petite sirah sampling,
half of the wines were $15 and under. And
here’s the kicker: as the prices went
down, the scores went up. The $9 Bogle and
the $10 Guenoc California, which were tasted
blind, received some of the highest marks.
There were some upscale winners, too. I
found the Stags’ Leap ($38), the second
most expensive bottle, and Artezin ($25)
to be elegant and tasty.
So if you need a big red
wine that goes easy on your wallet for those
upcoming frosty Memorial Day sleigh rides,
pick up a bottle of petite sirah.
2005
Guenoc Petite Sirah, California
• $10
• Two Thumbs Way Up
•
Perfume-like aromas of violets, blackberry
with a sultry smoky quality. It offered
generous amounts of blackberry, ripe raspberry
and sour cherry flavors with a pleasant
note of nutmeg and cinnamon.
2005
Stags’ Leap Petite Syrah, Napa Valley,
Calif.
• $38
• Two Thumbs Way Up
•
Elegant aromas of cassis, black cherry and
slightly smoky oak. Flavors of tart cherry,
blackberry and fresh plum give way to cinnamon,
nutmeg and anise. It finishes with a touch
of coffee and dark chocolate.
2006
Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah, California
• $9
• Two Thumbs Way Up
•
Simple but enjoyable aromas and flavors
of smoky, black currant, violets, black
cherry and tart blackberry. Full-bodied
yet it maintains a round, velvety quality
that makes it easy to quaff. Seems to beg
for food.
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