2006 Lake County Petite Sirah — $34

This vintage delights with aromas of earthy blackberry, maple and cedar leading to flavors of dried plum, currant and black pepper with a lingering finish of currant, pepper and tannin.

Winemaker’s Comments

Concentrated aromas of earthy blackberry, maple and cedar precede a supple palate of dried plum, currant and black pepper. The lingering finish of currant, pepper and just enough tannin seems to last an eternity. Our Petite Sirah explodes with flavor on the palate, but displays a luscious overall balance. The tannin structure is present, but not overwhelming, making this wine a candidate for aging many years.  The cool growing season for this vintage brought reduced yields of concentrated grapes. Wine Enthusiast rated the 2005 vintage one of the Top 100 Wines of 2009, as well as receiving two gold medals at the 2008 Los Angeles International Wine Competition and the 2009 Dallas Morning News Wine Competition. Pair this wine with skewered center cut sirloins of lamb with baby artichoke and a Parmesan polenta cake. This wine will be sure to sell out quickly, due to its increasing popularity and our sought after style for producing this wine.

Petite Sirah

Petite Sirah is the same as the French variety known as Durif, a cross of Peloursin wine with Syrah pollen. A French nurseryman, Dr. François Durif, propagated the grape trying for resistance to powdery mildew and named it after himself, in the 1870s. It produces tannic wines the display flavors of spice and plum. Petite Sirah, in addition to being produced as a single varietal, is often used as a blending grape, adding dark fruit flavors and tannin to lighter wines. Compared to Syrah, the wine is noticeably more purplish in color. The wines are very tannic, with aging ability that can exceed 20 years in the bottle.

Preferred Pricing

1 - 2 cases: 10% off, 3 - 5 cases: 15% off, 6 + cases: 20% off (does not apply to Library & Reserve wines).
Mixed cases allowed. Wine club members are given an additional 5% off on all purchases.