Petite Sirah

Petite Sirah  is also called Durif and is a black skinned red wine grape that was originally from the Rhone region of France in the 1870’s. A cross between the Rhone variety, Peloursin and the popular Syrah, Petite Sirah  was named after its creator French nurseryman Dr. Francois Durif. Petite Sirah  was created in order to prevent Syrah from mildew. The tight clusters got rid of the mildew, but it made them susceptible to grey rot due to the humid Rhone region. Petite Sirah  does well in the warm and dry climate in California as long as the rains are not heavy or frequent. Petite Syrah features intense tannins and un-jammy flavors. Petite Sirah  tones down wines that are jammy, brown sugary and raisiny on their own. Petite Sirah  produces dark wines that are quite inky and can actually stain your good wine glasses. With the grapes being so small, the skin to juice ratio is very high meaning the wines are high in tannins. Petite Sirah  grapes are delicious on their own, but are also quite wonderful when they are blended with Zinfandel or Cabernet. Wine produced from Petite Sirah  is relatively acidic with a firm mouth feel and texture. The bouquet has black pepper and herbal overtones with flavors of blueberries, plums, and black fruit.