WBW #40: Petite Sirah

The theme of Wine Blogging Wednesday #40, as selected by Sanadora at Wannabewino, is petite sirah. WBW was started by Lenn Thompson of LennDevours.

Wines made from the petite sirah variety are usually bold, pleasant to drink, although not highly distinctive; and can age slowly and have long cellaring potential.

Today, petite sirah vines are mostly planted in warm wine regions. Most of the petite sirah vines grown in the U.S. can be found in California. Until recently, this variety has been considered as the same as Durif, a French variety created by one Dr. François Durif in the 1870s. No one seemed to be able to pin point the exact origin of this grape until 2003 when Dr. Carole P. Meredith, a renowned grape geneticist at U.C. Davis, used modern DNA fingerprinting techniques to identify that 9 out of 10 petite sirah vines found in U.S. are actually Durif and the rest are peloursin (a southern France indigenous variety). She also identified that Durif is a cross of peloursin and true syrah. “Peloursin is the mother and syrah is the father.”, she explained.

I have mentioned in a previous post that both my wife and I loved the petit sirah produced by Guenoc. For WBW 40, I went back to the same producer and drank a 1998 Guenoc Petite Sirah North Coast. This vintage shows 14.4% ABV and cost us $17 at full retail.

Tasting notes:

Nose: Dominated by oak and roasted meat upon initial sniff. After considerable breathing, aroma of plum with hints of herb show up nicely.

Color: Inky purple with very tight rims, no sign of fading.

Palate: Still youthful, this bottle shows up in a rather feminine style with rich and jammy black fruits(plum and blackberry). Note of black tea also detected. Not powerful but shows smooth mouthfeel with a great balance of fruits, acidity and tannins.

Body: Full.

Finish: Fairly long. Notes of plum, vanilla and black pepper.

Comments:
This bottle is a good example in demonstrating how durable a petite sirah wine can be.

In addition to Guenoc North Coast not being considered a top-level petite sirah and the 1998 vintage is just so so as far as CA vintage goes, this particular bottle was bought from a retail store with less than optimal storing condition.

Under the aforementioned unfavorable conditions, a lot of wines would have fallen apart, but this particular bottle holds up well and sees no sign of fading after all these years. As a matter of fact, it is still in peak drinking condition when we drank it for WBW.

Petite Sirah needs food. It is actually too thick and jammy to sip on its own. Paring it with braised lamb belly, the food and wine matches really well.

2005 Talus Collection Pinot Noir, California – a wine for pretzels?

This bottle of 2005 Talus Collection Pinot Noir, which retails between $5-$8, is produced by Canandaigua Wine Company of Constellation Wines U.S., which is part of Constellation Wines, an operating division of Constellation Brands, Inc.

You may not have heard of Constellation Brands, but this company makes commonly known wines brands including Big House Red, Alice White, Covey Run, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi. These wines can usually be found in neighborhood wine shops or dive bars.

It is a random Friday night and we just want to open a bottle of wine as sipping beverage, so the cork of this bottle is popped. We don’t have any high expectation for this generic pinot, but I am quite surprised to say that it actually contains all the basic components of a Pinot Noir. Also, it is actually a quaffable wine, no worse than any 2 (or 3) buck chuck that you can pick up from Trader Joe.

From the producer's fact sheet, 2005 Talus Collection Pinot Noir consists of 75.7% PinotNoir, 6.6% Petite Syrah, 4.9% Syrah, 4.2% Valdigue, 3.3% Sangiovese, and 5.3% miscellaneous blenders. ABV: 13 %

Tasting notes:

Color: Light ruby.

Nose: Light oak, bing cherry (although a bit artificial) and very faint notes of baking spice.

Palate: Very soft. Mid palate is quite hollow delivering bing cherry and light oak flavors. Decent peppery kick at the end but alcohol is also very high toned. Tannins virtually does not exist.

Body: Light and watery.

Finish: Short. Spicy, oaky and slightly bitter.

Comments:
I rarely post tasting notes for under-par wines, but this is definitely one of them. As varietally correct as this wine can be, this wine is one dimensional. The bottom line is that it just has a 'cheap feel' written all over it.

According to Talus Wine’s website, this wine is served on all domestic flights of Delta Airlines. Quote from Talus: “Talus Collection Pinot Noir is assertive yet smooth, with a mixture of black and red fruits and a subtle touch of earthiness. (It's a must with pretzels.)”

So there you have it: There is indeed a Pinot Noir that pair well with pretzels!

NV Barefoot Merlot

Founded in 1986 by Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, Barefoot Cellars produces wines that claims to be "affordable, varietally correct, soft and approachable and are immediately ready to drink off the shelf." Introduced to the public in 1997, Barefoot wines are sold in supermarkets and wine shops across the nation.

Tasting Notes:

Color: light ruby.

Nose: Initially very closed. After short air time, it shows candied fruit and notes of Chinese 'five-flower-tea'.

Palate: One dimensional. Weak berry with streaks of green notes. Light tannins exhibited with more air.

Body: Light.

Finish: almost non-existent.

Comments:
For those who doesn't know Chinese five-flower-tea, it is a herbal beverage usually based on these ingredients: Chrysanthemum morifolii, Lonicera japonica, Bombax malabaricum, Sophora japonica, and Plumeria rubra.
This tea is used to treat mild symptoms of "Hot Qi" : eye discharge, sore throat, halitosis and constipation.

This wine is what it is, a quaffable plonk. Bought at Costco for $4. Consumed over 2 days. Actually on day 2, the five-flower-tea aroma has blown off quite a bit. On the palate, there is even a hint of mocha and leather.

Solevenian, American and French medley

This past Wednesday, my wonderful bartender friend Steve at Cafe Mae Mae is bidding farewell to the cafe and embark on a new career with the hospitality industry in France. To say Bon Voyage to Steve, I decided to stop by this charming cafe to have a drink with him.

Little did I know beforehand that by the time I left that place, I was treated with a medley of Solevenian Cabernet Sauvignon, American Fume Blanc, French Liquer Fabrique and finally a specialty drink called 'Escape' that is quite fitting for a nice sendoff for Steve. Not to mentioned a taste of the heavenly chocolate cake as dessert.

Wine tasted:
2004 Santomas Koper Cabernet Sauvignon, Slovenia
2005 Grgich Hills Cellar Fume Blanc, Napa Valley
NV L. Garnier Liqueur Fabriquee Par Les Peres Chartreux

2004 Santomas Koper Cabernet Sauvignon, Ludvik Nazarij Glavina Cellars, Slovenia

This table wine grade cabernet sauvignon is produced by the Ludvik Nazarij Cellars sourcing grapes from Koper, a sub-region of Primorje (meaning "near the sea"). The average age of the vines are fairly young, generally around 10 years old.

Tasting Notes:

Color: Dark ruby.

Nose: Typical cab - Currant, vanilla and toasty oak and a touch of heat.

Palate: Tannins quite soft, fairly well integrated. Quite smooth and balanced. Not particularly big and rather straight forward. The nose follows through to the palate yielding consistent notes of currant, vanilla and faint herbs.

Body: Medium.

Finish: Short but clean, tannins does not obscure the aftertaste.

Comment: What a pleasant surprise. This wine is 13.5% abv. Retail price is about $12 but it is hard to find in the US. Would definitely try again.

2005 Grgich Hills Cellar Fume Blanc, Napa Valley

Grgich Hills Cellar is built in partnership of Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, a Croatian immigrant, Austin Hills and his sister, Mary Lee Strebl in 1977. The heart of the vineyard is located in Rutherford, Napa Valley. The grapes of this Fume Blanc is sourced from the American Canyon/Carneros area vineyards.

Tasting Notes:

Color: Golden straw.
Nose: Grassy, pear and toasty.
Palate: Rich and very balanced. Taste of grapefruit, vanilla and subtle oak. Zesty acidity.

Body: Full

Finish: Clean and crisp.

Comment: 14.2% abv. Fermented in 50% stainless steel, 50% 3-year-old French oak. Retail price is about $30 in NYC.

NV L. Garnier Liqueur Fabriquee Par Les Peres Chartreux VEP

Chartreuse (Chartreux) is a French liqueur composed of distilled wine alcohol flavored with extracts of 130 herbs and flowers. The liqueur is named after the Grande Chartreuse monastery where it is produced, which in turn is named after the Chartreuse Mountains, the region in France where the monastery is located.

With almost 400 years of history, Chartreuse is one of the oldest and most mysterious spirits still available. Only three monks from the order know the secret recipe, each hold one third of that recipe and all have taken a vow of silence, so the secret recipe is kept safely. The liqueur was originally created as an "Elixir of Long Life" in 1605 by Peres Chartreux. The formula was perfected over the years and by 1737 the liqueur was released to the world in a form that is close to what we drink today.

Tasting Notes:

Color: Golden yellow.
Nose: Initial rush of alcohol, followed by juniper, pine and exotic herbs after the liqueur warms up in the snifter.
Palate: Rich and very smooth. Layers of pine, juniper, herbs and slightly floral; hint of sweetness at the backend.
Body: Full.
Finish: Ridiculously long and savoury.

Comment: 54% abv. Retail price is about $100 in NYC. A nice after dinner drink.

2004 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine represents the first Californian cab I really drank in 2007. For the longest time, I have shied away from new world cab and concentrated on wines from left bank Bordeaux and Languedoc regions. Time for a change!

Ordered this Cabernet over lunch at a local wine bar for $10 by the glass. At a restaurant for a cab of this quality, it is really a good deal. Retail price at time of writing should be around $26-$30.

According to the producer, 2004 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon is 97% Cabernet and 3% Petit Verdot. The fruit of this wine comes from both Rutherford and local Napa Valley vineyards. Each vineyard block was harvested and made into an individual lot representing that block. The wines were pressed off the skins from 10 to 23 days after crushing. Blending generally takes place between January and April of the year following harvest and the wine is aged for 18 months in American oak barrels with 1/3 new wood.

Tasting notes:

Color: Dark ruby.

Nose: Fairly closed. Mostly currant and hints of vanilla.

Palate: Velvety and smooth with layers of warm dark fruit. Relatively thin at first. With air, the wine gains weight, Supple tannins begin to creep out. Other flavors also become more evident: cedar, spice possibly some leather. Very balanced but not a whole of of depth or complexity.

Body: Medium to full. Supple tannins.

Finish: Medium long. Notes of chocolate.

Comments:
According to the winemaker, 2004 was one of the earliest harvests in Napa Valley history. This wine already show signs of maturity and should peak in 2-3 years. If properly stored, it should drink well for 5 to 8 years after that. Buy 1 to lay down is not a bad idea.

2003 Grizzly Flat Shiraz - a $3 beauty

Grizzly Flat is produced by Grizzly Flat Cellars, San Luis Obispo, CA. According to the marketer, Underdog Wine Merchants, the grapes for Grizzly Flat Shiraz are sourced from Central Coast, CA. This wine carries a 13.5% alcohol.

From the surface, this wine does fit the profile of those wines that aimed for cute marketing ploys. Not only it has a eye-catchy name, the wine label also says 'Big Bold Red' that would attract folks who like big, bold wines.

Once I pulled the cork, I have realized that this is really a decent Shiraz that will satisfy the crowd at at summer barbecue. Winejudging.com also awarded the 2003 Grizzly Flat Shiraz the 2006 SCHOTT ZWIESEL Silver medal for Syrah/Shiraz costing below $14.

In my opinion, it is as drinkable as any under $10 Shiraz, if not better. I found this wine in the closeout section of a New Jersey wine shop for merely $3. (What a deal!)

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Bold and spicy. Alcohol pokes out a bit upon opening. With air (about 45 minutes), cherry and plums notes shows through.

Palate: Initially very tannic and alcoholic. after 30 minutes to 1 hour, tannins and heat smooth out and the wine shows typical Syrah notes of plum, cherry and the oak in background becomes more apparent.

Body: medium to full, a little flabby.

Finish: Short with some heat. Slightly oaky and spicy.

Comment: Excellent QPR wine for $3-$6, but not for the price of some retailers that charge $13 for it. Drink best between 1 to 3 hours after opening.

2004 St. Francis Zinfandel 'Old Vine'

My friend Johnny brought this wine to dinner this evening. The grape of this Zin is sourced from vineyards at Sonoma Valley, CA. It carries a 15.5% alcohol.

Wine maker's notes:
This distinct “old world style” of wine displays deep aromas of ripe black cherries and licorice, rich with spice and toasty oak notes that carry into a long luscious finish.

According to website of St. Francis, this Zin is aged in American oak barrels for 14 months before bottling and held in the winery from 4 to 8 months before release It has aging potential of 5-7 years..

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Initial tight and yields little. After 30 minutes, toasty oak and plum becoming more apparent.

Palate: Nose carries to the palete. The alcohol sticks out throughout but the mouthfeel is quite smooth and rich. Jammy plum and blueberry(?) with faint hint of oak, vanilla and spice in the background. With air, tannins starts to smooth out.

Body: Full.

Finish: Medium. Becoming tannic at around 1 hour mark.

Comment: At time of posting, this Zin is a bit disjointed. It should benefit from 1-3 years of cellaring. Also, at $15-20, this Zin may not be a good QPR wine. I may buy another bottle and compare it with an a similar Zin from the same region such as 2004 Dry Creek Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandel in a few years.

2002 Guenoc Petite Sirah, Lake County

Guenoc Petite Sirah has been dear to my heart. Years ago, my wife and I bought and drank this Californian beauty quite often without much knowledge of grape variety, definition of nose and palette. However we were always pleased with the richness and smoothness of this wine.

Fast forward to 2007, I decided to visit this 'old friend' and picked up a bottle of 2002 Guenoc. Surprised to see its label has changed to a more non-descriptive image. With further research, I found out that 2001 is the last vintage that carries the Lillie Langtry portrait.

Label aside, the 2002 Guenoc Petite Sirah still offers good QPR for a wine that cost around $16. This wine is smooth, rich and well rounded for a Petite Sirah at this price range.

Tasting notes:
Nose: Oak and plum with some alcohol upon opening (this wine does carry a 14.5% alcohol). After 1 hour decanting, notes of spice and some floral scent become more notable.

Palate: Blueberry and plum surrounded by hints of vanilla and spice. Although quite one-dimensional, it is balanced and powerful without being overbearing. The alcohol smooths out over the course of dinner and the fruit and underlying spice become more pronounced.

Finish: Long with a chocolate aftertaste. Pleasant.

Comments: Served with broiled rib eye steak and portabella mushroom. Fairly good match.