Winemaker Notes
Serve at room temperature with robust dishes, including beef, venison, turkey, game birds and semi-soft or hard cheeses.
The label art was created by Jacob DeBacker in 1591. The theme of the piece is the hilarity of inebriation and the trauma of the morning after. Excessive joy must be countered by equally excessive sorrow, with penitential atonement for pleasure.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The grape variety's floral aspects come out in the aromas of this big but well-balanced wine. Full of roses and violets, the perfume is unusual and inviting, and the flavors follow, piling on dry but ripe tones of blueberry and black olive, riding a richly tannic texture that seems to coat all corners of the palate.
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.
Sitting on the northeast side of the Clear Lake appellation, this warm area boasts multiple soil types that allow growers a lot of flexibility and experimentation with grape varieties. While Sauvignon blanc is a mainstay, this zone excels with Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, as well as other less common varieties like Barbera and Tempranillo.