Stags' Leap Winery Petite Sirah 1999

There's nothing petite about this wine! Inky dark and delicious, this Petite Sirah from one of Napa Valley's most famous wineries combines ageability and value.

Howevever, Petite Syrah is a more delicate wine than its color or flavor intensity would imply," says winemaker Robert Brittan. From the outset, the grapes that become a part of this wine are handled with extreme care - handpicked, transported the short distance to the winery in small bins, and fermented in small batches at moderately warm temperatures. "You want to extract enough tannin to give the wine structure, but you don't want to overdo it; if you don't remove the skins at just the right time, you can easily create a monster."

The final wine, with 79% Petite Syrah, 15% Syrah, 3% Carignane, 2% Viognier and 1% Grenache, gives off big aromas of blackberry, mocha, forest floor and truffles. These aromatics are echoed in the mouth and woven with flavors of blackberry syrup, orange marmalade and cola. A thick, creamy mouthfeel finishes long with a sensation of bitter chocolate.