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+--- Thread: '99 Fife Redhead Petite Sirah (/thread-14732.html)
- ddf68 - 08-30-2001
Monster wine alert. Dark purple color, big sweet oaky nose. Initially almost impossible to tast anything but tannin. After about half an hour the fruit started fighting back. There were still huge reefs of tannin, but there was enough ripe berry fruit to give some impression of balance. I think there was probably some oak on the palate as well, but it was hard to tell.
Big and oaky is usually not my thing, but this one I liked. If you buy any, make sure to give it its own bin in the cellar. Otherwise, it will push the other wines down and take their lunch money.
BTW, unlikely as it seems, this made a decent match with roasted elk in a sort of demi-glace wanna be sauce.
ddf
- Innkeeper - 08-30-2001
As Bucko said to me last time I popped a monster petite sirah a year old; baby killer. However, that was a great answer you gave Summa over on the Burgundy thread.
- Bucko - 08-30-2001
Baby killer.......
I like the winemaker at Fife. Really nice fellow. He also teaches wine evaluation courses at UC Davis and gives the CA Wine Judges Exam, which I finally took last year.
Bucko
- summa - 08-30-2001
Fife fan here as well, and yes great answer at Burgundy thread, thanks again.
p.s. Bogle does a petite syrah as well, will have to try it soon.
[This message has been edited by summa (edited 08-30-2001).]
- cpurvis - 08-31-2001
Like the Fife zins as well. Redhead Vineyard & other. cp
- Innkeeper - 08-31-2001
Fife also makes a killer barbera, which you can find a TN on if you hunt around.
- jackl - 12-12-2001
Recently tried the 2000 Bogle Petite Syrah so thought I'd make a contribution with some notes. This is my first attempt at posting so bear with me. Leather and alchohol on the nose with little fruit. With 13.5% alchohol, I think I might be right in saying that it seemed a little hot, but not overly so. Otherwise, there were very sublte but nice flavors of plum/prunes and maybe a little blueberry in the background. As for the tannins, I'm not sure how to pick up on them. Are they what gives a tingle on the back of the tongue? If they are, then they seemed to be at about the right level (if there is such a thing). Overall, I enjoyed it even though the alchohol was a bit more pronounced than I am used to. Actually, it seemed to work well with the style of wine.
About the 'baby killer' thing, I hope I'm not worthy of that less-than-prestigous title! I figured that it being a pretty inexpensive bottle (10 bucks) that you didn't have to worry about that and I was really wanting to try a petite syrah, as I have never had one. Can $10 wines be cellar-
worthy?
- Innkeeper - 12-12-2001
Hi Jackl, and a hearty enamel removing welcome. Yes, that tingling is the tannin. Yes, you can age a $10.00 wine. Bogle is a consistent producer, and I'd bet on the fact that it would age nicely for another five or six years.
On another note, not all PS has to go into the dungeon for an eon or so. Parducci, for one, makes a nice one that is ready on release. Having just said that, the Bogle may be much better in a year or so.
- jackl - 12-15-2001
IK, thanks for the reply. You touched on my next question. Do most quality PS's have a tannin level that would be helped by some time in the cellar? How would you rate PS, as far as tannins, compared to other grapes, cabernet etc. Sorry for all the questions, it's just that I have so much to learn and so little time! Anyway, I'll try to make contributions if and when I can. Hopefully I might even teach someone something one day!
Cheers
- Innkeeper - 12-15-2001
Petite Sirah is a lot like Italian Barbera; the more you pay for it, the bigger and harder it gets. A few years ago, when we were still arguing PS vs syrah/shiraz (it is now a mute point), there was a lot of accessible PS around. Now things seem to evolved, at least on the Left Coast, to PS being big and hard, and syrah being accessible. Used to drink, just two years ago, Arciero Petite Sirah by the case; now they don't make it anymore. There were others; just go to the Seach function and type in Petite Sirah and my handle at the bottom. You will quickly see my recent adventure with PS, one of my old favorites. Incidentally, I love the syrahs from the Left Coast, but consider them, I believe correctly, to be completely different wines.
- winoweenie - 12-16-2001
It is mute now, but that's moot. WW
- Innkeeper - 12-16-2001
Whatever.
- Innkeeper - 02-01-2002
Got in a supply of the '99 Parducci Petite Sirah ($8.52 Pops mixed case) for everyday drinking. Opened the first last night with a stroggie (had to use up the sour cream). All went well. Parducci still makes an approachable Petite with varietal character, and it matched nicely with the food.
Beaustiful purple color. Berries, cherries, and spice on the nose and tongue tip. Nice complexity with full body (13% alcohol) and well integrated oak across the palate, followed by a lovely finish. Nothing harsh, just nice. Now, when to pop the '99 Bogle that's also sitting down there?
- Innkeeper - 07-22-2002
Enjoyed another '99 Parducci with strogy last night. Wonderful.
- Innkeeper - 04-18-2005
'02 Parducci, California, Petite Sirah ($9.99 Jason's Ellicott City, MD). Alcohol level 13.5%. Even though this winery has gone through many problems and changes, this wine has not changed much since we first started drinking it in the early '70s. We just checked those notes.
It is still about cherries and berries on the nose and upfront; lush complexity with admittedly noticeable oak on the palate; and a finish that is more than noticeable. Still a very approachable PS.
Matched it with lamb burgers and salad with B.C. dressing. Excellent chow.