Premium Petite Sirah Tasting

With my taste buds still recovering from the tannic overload of tasting 78 Petite Sirahs at the P.S. I Love You tasting event the night before, I attended Beltramo's P.S.-themed tasting Saturday as a synchronistic opportunity to sample several of the Petites from premium P.S. producers that did not participate in the Petite Sirah producers association event. The only crossover between the two tastings was the Stags' Leap, which was showing just as well on Saturday as it had the night before--a very good and complex Petite.

The standout at this tasting for me, and the best Petite I tasted out of 87 samples in 2 days, was the '02 Varozza Vineyards from Napa. This wine is among the first produced at this historical winery site since the late 1940s, and only 168 cases were made. (I was so impressed that I nabbed the last two bottles on the shelf at Beltramo's, and downloaded the order form for more from the Varozza website.) The winemaker is Anne Vawter, who spent four years at Pardigm working under Heidi Barrett. Also delicious was the '04 Corte Riva. The Outpost, Switchback Ridge and Robert Foley, all among the most expensive Petite Sirahs in the state, were impressive, but pushing the limits on alcohol and concentration. The Robert Foley was the best of those three for me.

• 2006 David Bruce Petite Sirah Central Coast 83 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast

  Dark purple violet color; black fruit and oak nose, lacking focus; tart berry, black fruit, dull palate; medium finish

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• 2006 Trinitas Old Vine Petite Sirah 86 Points

  USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi

  Dark purple violet color; ripe cherry, blueberry, clove, vanilla nose; ripe blueberry, berry, blackberry, black plum, vanilla oak palate, made for early drinking; long finish 86+ pts. (needs at most another year in bottle)

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• 2006 Stags' Leap Winery Petite Sirah 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Very dark purple violet color; nice blackberry, berry, floral, lilac nose; tasty, poised, black fruit, blackberry, herbal, graphite, mineral palate with good acidity; long finish 92+ pts.

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• 2002 Varozza Vineyards Petite Sirah 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

  Opaque purple violet color; nice black plum, berry, charcoal, blackberry nose; focused tart black fruit, tar, mineral, charcoal, blackberry palate with depth and grip; long finish

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• 2007 Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah "R" Enver Salman Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Central Valley, Clarksburg

  Opaque black violet color; lovely blackberry, floral, black plum nose; very tasty, poised, rich, blackberry, black plum, chocolate, oak palate with depth, very approachable now and not likely a long ager; medium-plus finish 91+ pts.

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• 2004 Corté Riva Petite Sirah 93 Points

  USA, California, North Coast

  Opaque purple violet color; tart black fruit, berry, charcoal nose; tasty, concentrated black fruit, tar, charcoal palate with intensity and grip; long finish

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• 2005 Outpost Petite Sirah The Other 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  Opaque purple violet color; high notes of French oak, tart blackberry on nose; tight yet, tart blackberry, French oak, graphite, tart black fruit palate, with more acidity than most in the flight of 9; long finish 91+ pts.

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• 2006 Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah Peterson Family Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Opaque purple violet color; grapey, primary, green herb, blackberry nose; tight, black plum, tar, lavender, anise palate, a little hot; long finish 90+ pts. (16.4% alcohol)

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• 2007 Robert Foley Petite Sirah 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Opaque black violet color; nice black plum, berry, blackberry nose; concentrated, blackberry, black plum, tar, mineral, French oak, mocha palate; long finish

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