Underdog American Varietal

Long in California history, but short on mainstream success, the Petite Sirah (PET) grape has been disdained and misunderstood, playing a hidden role in the blends of many popular wines, but, rarely a star on its own. Difficult to cultivate, and overshadowed by trendier varietals, Petite Sirah was steadily replaced in vineyards, and acreage planted to the grape declined until 1995. Many “old-vine” Petite Sirah  vineyards were sadly lost forever.

Never one to follow trends, we fell in love with Petite Sirah because it has the flavor intensity, wide range of expression, age-worthiness, and old vine American history that immediately intrigued us.

We were captivated by the potential to showcase a “new” style of PET: Vineyard driven, food-friendly yet age-worthy, nuanced, truly hand-crafted with few additions, and perhaps even elegant. The winemaking challenge with Petite Sirah is actually practicing restraint, rather than full-throttle extraction using all the latest bells and whistles from the industry’s chemical companies and “repair shops.”

When we began in 2003, PET was far out of favor. However, in the past few years, a resurrection has begun and both the quantity and quality of well crafted Petite Sirah is at an all-time high.

Jordan MacKay, in Decanter’s 2004 California Supplement, writes:

…it has humble roots; its rag to riches to rags story illuminates the underdog grape with a Dickensian glow, suggesting a modesty sorely lacking in flashier trends.”

Frank Prial, in a 2003 New York Times article about Petite Sirah, “A robust red goes straight to the point,” writes:

If it didn’t have such a French-sounding name, petite sirah might have become the all- American grape we mistakenly think zinfandel to be.”

We are deeply grateful to the Concannon, Foppiano, Bogle, Ridge and the other families who have championed PET over the years when it wasn’t sexy or rewarding. It is because of you that we are here.

For more about the history and evolution of Petite Sirah, please see the wonderful advocacy organization, PS I Love You Web site for more information.