About This Item
**Cannot be shipped to MT**
Classic blackberry-fruit focused, this very full-bodied Petite Sirah coats the entire palate. Tannins are abundant, yet gentle, and devoid of any angularity – the wine is rich, soft, and pleasant. The finish seems endless, as the black berry flavors linger on and on with the just right acidity. ** Only 149 cases produced. **
For lovers of big, extracted red wines, packed with flavor and fine tannins, this is the variety for you! Not to be confused with Syrah... Petite Sirah was originally discovered in 1877 by a French botanist Francois Durif, working at the Montpelier Viticultural Institute in southern France. He found this seedling growing in a Peloursin vineyard and discovered that it had good resistance to downy mildew and named it for himself, Durif. Unfortunately, the tight clusters were prone to bunch rot and the wines that were produced were considered too big and tannic for the French palate and the variety was eradicated in France. It did make its way to California and other parts of the world where it is known as Petite Sirah. There is nothing “petite” about it – even the berries are very large and the wines can be enormous. The key to user friendliness is patience to allow the seeds to ripen, allowing the tannins to relax. Through genetics, it was determined that this variety was the result of pollination of a Peloursin flower with Syrah pollen. Good news: very recently, a French vigneron has re-introduced Petite Sirah to France!
– Bob Foley
