Petite Sirah |
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Ah, imagine a Mediterranean breeze ruffling olive leaves next to your villa in the south of France, as you sip a spicy red wine with flavors of blackberry, cassis, chocolate, and spice. Well, we can’t provide you with a villa but we did come up with a Petite Syrah that supplies these flavors and more. At this price, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better wine to go with southern Italian food, barbequed meats, or any other hearty rustic food.
This is the first year Dashe Cellars has made a Petite Sirah from the Todd Brothers Ranch vineyard, and it is one of the darkest, most intense, and luscious wines we’ve ever made. Black-purple in color, it is certainly one of the most distinctive wines we’ve ever made!
Wow—we’ve seldom seen such a consistently great vineyard for Petite Sirah anywhere in California, but of course the Todd Brothers Ranch, with its steep slopes, bright red soil, and rocky terrain, has always been one of our favorite vineyards for Zinfandel and is clearly an ideal terroir also for Petite Sirah. Located in Geyserville, at the northern tip of the Alexander Valley, this west-facing site seems ideal for producing balanced, yet substantial, wines that are capable of long-aging.
As is typical of Petite Sirah, the wine is a dark purple-black in color. It has intense blackberry and chocolate fruit, and an intense fruit and spice-driven midpalette. Although it has substantial tannins, as do most Petite Sirahs, the version from the Todd Brothers Ranch has a silkiness and smooth, velvety texture that is immediately appealing.
Given the intensity of wines from the superb 2009 vintage, we suggest decanting the wine at least an hour before consuming, to help soften the tannins and integrate the flavors of this intense wine.
