Winemaker Notes
Buckle up for a Petite Sirah that’s equally elegant and powerful. A seductive stunner, Suite Petite brings sultry flavors of bursting blackberries, blueberries, anise and a delightfully subtle hint of cacao and baking spices. With balanced tannins and a full mouthfeel, this is one you won’t soon forget!
Pair with braised beef short ribs, chicken mole, or a blue cheese burger with caramelized onions.
Blend: 85% Petite Sirah, 8% Syrah, 7% Grenache
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Supple tannin's and blueberry marked with dark chocolate grace the palate, complementing the fresh perfume of blue fruit that’s characteristic of Petite Sirah. Roasted coffee and soy sauce add savoriness. The result is not the teeth-stainer and -gripper one may expect from this variety.
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Wine Enthusiast
A dense cassis aroma manages to be both ripe and balanced by floral undertones on the nose of this affordable offering. Hearty flavors of black currant and blueberry are spiced by caramel, vanilla and mace, providing a thorough experience.
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.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.