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Wine Details
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Description:
The Petite Sirah grape is most likely an offshoot of the Duriff Rhone grape, grown in France, and is not related to the Syrah grape. Until the 1970's, Petite Sirah's claim to fame was as a blending wine. Since then Petite Sirah has emerged as a noble varietal in its own right. Petite Sirah performs best in mild coastal regions, and produces intensely peppery wines with substantial tannins. The colors of Petite Sirah wine range from a rich red to an almost inky deep purple. Petite Sirah wine combines rich berry flavors and its trademark spiciness. It is reminiscent of the flavors of black pepper, blackberry jam, blackberries, oranges and plums. Petite Sirah ages very well and can "hold its fruit" for 10 to 20 years.
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Varietal Definition
Petite Sirah:
Petite Sirah is the same as the French variety known as Durif, a cross of Peloursin, with the true Syrah. A French nurseryman, Dr. François Durif, propagated the grape trying for resistance to powdery mildew and named it after himself, in the 1870s. Petite Sirah has long been an important blending grape, prized primarily for its deep color and fairly intense tannin. It is the variety most often chosen to blend into Zinfandel for added color, complexity, body, and to tone down the tendency of Zins toward "jammy" fruit.
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Syrah:
Syrah is the eight hundred pound gorilla of Rhone grapes! In the vineyard and the winery, Syrah is typically an easy grape to work with - healthy, early ripening, resistant to mildew and rot; suitable for winemaking in a variety of styles. The wines from Syrah are tannic without being harsh. The wines will have a taste and smell of dark blue fruit like blackberries and blackcurrant, with a strong spicy side where one can find freshly ground pepper and other spices. Syrah is famous for its part in the French blends, such as Côtes du Rhone and Châteauneuf du Pape.
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