Winemaker Notes
Midnight’s when the real show starts, when this slick-haired pitchman dominates the screen of your combo TV/VCR, selling youth serums and exercise equipment. Bedecked with Damson-plum pocket squares or green-tobacco tank tops, he’s got undeniable magnetism and bold confidence. But wait, there’s more. He struts the stage with brown-sugar suaveness. Espresso-bean enthusiasm. Blueberry cobbler authenticity. Slinging silky turns of phrase that are proven—that’s right—proven to deliver the goods. It doesn’t matter what he’s selling, in your sleepy haze, you need it. And operators are standing by.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Woodsy and exotic in the glass, the 2021 First Time Caller, a varietal Petite Sirah, wafts up with a blend of wild blueberries, violets and confectionary spice. This is silky-smooth with chalky mineral tones and a pretty inner sweetness. Masses of tart wild briary fruits drench the palate in youthful concentration. The 2021 finishes long and lightly tannic with a staining of dark fruits and fine-grained tannins. An air of lavender slowly fades.
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James Suckling
Ripe and mellow red and dark fruit here with hints of chocolate, apricot marmalade, dried orange peel and dried flowers. Dense and creamy on the palate with full body and velvety tannins. Plush and lingering.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Matured for 18 months in 82% new French oak, the 2021 First Time Caller Petite Sirah has bold scents of blackcurrant, blueberries, violet, turned earth and wild fennel. The full-bodied palate has a deep core of iron-laced fruit framed by supple tannins and bright acidity, and it has a long, floral finish.
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.
