Winemaker Notes
Petite Sirah is meant for hearty fare standing well with grilled meats and richly sauced pastas and stews. Gorgonzola and Stilton cheeses are favorites and, if you're feeling a bit adventurous, enjoy alongside a dark chocolate soufflé.
Blend: 89% Petite Sirah, 11% Carignan
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Fragrant, showing wild blueberry, huckleberry and blackberry flavors that are ripe and bold, with hints of pepper, violet, rosemary cedar and espresso. The velvety tannins give this tightly wound version traction. Drink now through 2025.
With its deep color, firm tannins and bold flavors, there is nothing petite about Petite Sirah. The variety, originally known as Durif in the Rhône, took on its more popular moniker after being imported to California in the early 1880s. Quintessentially recognized today as a grape of the Golden State, Petite Sirah works well blended with Zinfandel and finds success as a single varietal wine in the state’s warmer districts. Somm Secret—Petite Sirah is not a smaller version of Syrah but it is an offspring of Syrah and the now nearly extinct French Alpine variety called Peloursin.
A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.