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Petite Sirahs on a Satruday Afternoon
ICASI
Tasted March 20, 2016 by Loren Sonkin with 377 views
Introduction
Yesterday, my wife and I went to the local cooking school for lunch. The lunch is BYO and there were 14 of us who brought some Petite Sirahs to sample. Given the size, we all took small pours and divided everything into five flights to match the foods. I love Petite, but I do think most need some time to develop.
Flight 1 (3 notes)
With Tiramisu Bread and Sesame Bread
and Grilled Eggplant Involtini
Red
2013 Carlisle Petite Sirah Sonoma County
91 points
Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries and chocolate. Tannic. On the palate, black raspberries. Strong backbone of acidity. Good finish.
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Comment
Red
2006 Sean Thackrey Petite Sirah Sirius Eaglepoint Ranch
92 points
This was pretty odd. A lot of people thought it was corked. I did not, but it had a dry card board note. We went back at the end and the nose was cleaned out, so it appears there was no TCA. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, spearmint, and dry cardboard which blew off. Also some Iron. The nose is warm. On the palate, much cleaner. Black raspberries, some iron. Good balance. Is this a proper bottle? Not sure. Needs air though.
Red
2005 Robert Foley Petite Sirah
94 points
This is big but tight at first. Inky purple. With some swirling it shows black raspberries with slight floral notes. On the palate black raspberries with a bit of a charred wood note. Fresh fruit on the palate. Juicy acidity. Needs time as it kept getting better.
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Flight 2 (3 notes)
With Vegetarian Lentil Soup
Red
2012 Hammell Wine Alliance Petite Sirah Hommage a François Durif No. 1
89 points
Deep purple in color. Thinner in texture. Black cherry fruit on the palate and nose. A very nice wine but just seemed to be lacking compared to the other wines on the afternoon. A petite-lite if you would.
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Red
2013 Orin Swift Machete
92 points
What you would expect from an Orin Swift Petite. It is big and fruity and accessible. I liked it but others had some issues. Dark purple in color. The nose has dusty chocolate covered cherries. On the palate, lush black raspberries with some dark chocolate. Good acidity. Delicious. Paired nicely with a thick Lentil stew.
Red
2010 Dehlinger Petite Sirah Guadagni Vineyard
92 points
The darkest, inkiest wine of the afternoon. It stained the glasses a lovely shade of magenta. The nose has black raspberries, licorice and iodine. On the palate, this is a big wine. Strong acidity. Good black raspberry fruit. Nice finish. This is the biggest Dehlinger wine I have ever had, but it is delicious.
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Flight 3 (3 notes)
With Risotto Stuffed Tomato
Red
2012 Foppiano Petite Sirah
87 points
This brought me back. There was a time I drank a lot of this. Its been a decade or so though. Purple in color. The nose is nice black raspberries. On the palate, this is soft and easy to drink. A bit thinner. Nice balance. Not as "serious" as most wines on the table, I would drink in the next five. No idea about pricing but this used to be under $20, if it is still that, this is a nice entry level PS.
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Red
2010 Jaffurs Petite Sirah Thompson Vineyard
92 points
This is still quite young. It does seem better than a bottle I remember on release. I think as a general rule, Jaffurs Petite need ten and probably more time. Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, charred meat, dusty with some licorice. On the palate, tight black raspberries. Seems like once this unwinds there will be a lot of complexity. Still, it is food friendly and works well. Good finish.
Red
2010 Priest Ranch Petite Sirah Somerston
92 points
I never had this one before. It is very good. Deep purple in color. The nose has black raspberries and slight coffee grounds. On the palate, slightly sweet black raspberries. Slight drying tannins. Complex. Interesting. Very tasty. Big but not a monster wine. Plenty to time left but one to look for.
Flight 4 (3 notes)
With Eggplant Parmesian
Red
2002 Jeff Cohn Cellars Petite Sirah Frediani Vineyard
94 points
Most people around me found this to be WOTN. Purple in color. The nose has nice black raspberries, chocolate, slight dried violets. Complex and layered, yet the fruit remains fresh on the palate. Black raspberries with some dark chocolate and slight earthiness. Good acidity. A lovely wine that seem like it is just entering its maturity. Years left.
Red
2013 Ridge Petite Sirah Lytton Estate
89 points
On my end of the table, we were disappointed by this one. It is very good, but we hoped for more. I think the real issue is that it is just too young. It needs time to develop and put on weight. Inky purple in color. The nose is very tight with black raspberries. Thinner texture. Sinewy. Black raspberries. Densely packed. Put away for ten years.
Red
2007 Scholium Project Bricco Babelico Tenbrink Vineyards
92 points
Abe's wines can be a crap shoot. This one was successful. Deep purple in color. Black raspberries on the palate. On the palate, this is sweet. A fair amount of RS is left in the wine it seems. It is one of those wines that a little goes a long way. Not sure where I would serve it. Too sweet for table wine and too dry for dessert. In any event, very good on its own. I suppose holding this will reduce the sweetness level. Still drinking quite young.
Flight 5 (3 notes)
With Warm Cinnamon-Honey Greek Donuts
Red
2002 Turley Petite Syrah Library Vineyard
90 points
Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, and dried flowers with a strong barnyard aroma. On the palate, one dimensional. It is nice black raspberry fruit but not a lot of depth or complexity. Nice wine but at this age and expense, one might hope for more.
Red
2000 Turley Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Acres
94 points
I was quite surprised that this outperformed the 2001 IMO. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, slight bramble and slight earthiness. On the palate, nice complex layering. Juicy black raspberries. Nice finish. Seems to be at peak but probably will be there for another 10 years. Good finish.
Red
2001 Turley Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Acres
92 points
This is in a nice place now. Purple in color. Black raspberries, some dust slight driftwood. On the palate, this is good but I would have hoped for a bit more complexity. Still plenty of time. Slightly raisined on the palate. Perhaps this bottle saw a bit of heat. Even so, it is delciious and has a nice complexity to it.
Closing
Great way to finish the season (we are skipping the finale SQN tasting).