Petite Sirah

Petite Sirah

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Petite Sirah should be more popular than it is. After all, it checks so many of the boxes that American consumers often look for in a red wine: It tends to display ripe, rich fruit, leans toward the more powerful end of the spectrum, and its spice notes allow it to pair with a wide range of foods. Petite Sirah also plays well in the proverbial sandbox with other grape varieties, often lending blends greater depth of color and an undertow of richness. Despite the fact that even the best examples rarely cost a fortune, it flies relatively under the radar –– but this grape variety has the potential to offer profound, joyous pleasure.

Petite Sirah is a red wine produced from the grape of the same name. Interestingly, it's not the same grape variety as Syrah, with which it's often conflated. Petite Sirah is actually the same as the Durif grape variety of France, which is the result of a crossing between Syrah and a local grape variety called Peloursin. In practical terms, this effectively means that Syrah and Peloursin are the "parent" varieties of Petite Sirah.

The origins of the Petite Sirah grape can be traced back to southeastern France, where it is known as Durif. Despite its roots, Petite Sirah reaches its most well-known heights in California; The grape shines in the Central Coast , where it is often blended with Zinfandel ; in Temecula Valley ; and Livermore Valley, where producers like Dante Robere and Concannon produce notable examples. There are also top-quality producers of Petite Sirah in Napa Valley and Sonoma, including Gehricke, Girard, and Ovid. The Prisoner also includes it in its famous namesake blend, and Petite Sirah plays a role in the blend for the Orin Swift Eight Years in the Desert red. Excellent Petite Sirah can also be found in Washington State and Australia, too.

Petite Sirah offers dramatic aromas and flavors that makes wines produced from it just as enjoyable when sipped on their own as with food. In the summer, Petite Sirah and blends that incorporate it tend to pair well with barbecue, and in winter, the richness and depth of flavor in those bottles make them comforting and warming on a cold, dark night. Petite Sirah also will fit any budget: Delicious ones can be found for under $25, and pricier options are also available, many of them capable of aging for an extended period of time. As is generally the case, the bottles that are best able to evolve in the cellar tend to be less giving in their youth, and often need time for the tannins to soften. If you do want to enjoy these particular bottles early, either decant them or pair them with foods that are high in protein and rich with some fat.

Petite Sirah can work wonders in a blend. Many producers use it, even in unnamed capacities, to lend darker color and greater richness to wines that are labeled as being produced from other grape varieties. Remember, in the United States, a wine only has to be made from 75% of a single grape variety to be called that grape on the label. For example, a bottle that's labeled as Zinfandel can have up to 25% of other grape varieties in there –– Petite Sirah is not uncommon in that role.

Petite Sirah tends to show deep, dark, rich fruit like plums, blackberries, and occasionally blueberries and cherries. Sweet spice notes (especially if the wine has been aged in new oak) like vanilla, cinnamon, and clove can also be discerned. Hints of black tea and cigar tobacco are not uncommon, especially if the wine has a bit of age to it. Sometimes, candied violets may be present, too. Petite Sirah is relatively tannic, but the texture of those tannins varies with location, producer, and vintage.

Given that Petite Sirah tends to be rich with a higher content of alcohol, it's important to enjoy it at the right temperature. Drink it too warm, and it will likely come off as boozy with cooked or stewed fruit. A quick stint in the fridge will work wonders, but don't drink it chilled –– otherwise, you'll risk running into tannins that seem woody and astringent. Enjoying Petite Sirah from a Syrah , Cabernet Sauvignon , or universal-style glass is a smart move, while sipping it from the more dramatically triangular bowl of a Pinot Noir glass may amplify the alcohol, throwing its balance off.

There are countless great Petite Sirah wines and blends on the market today. These five producers, listed alphabetically, are a perfect way to start exploring all that Petite Sirah has to offer.

One of the legendary producers of Israel, Carmel has been a leader in Israeli wines since it was founded by Baron Edmond de Rothschild in 1882. Among a wide range of other wines, their Old Vines Petite Sirah, from the Judean Hills, is a ripe, rich red whose plum and dark-berry fruit find fantastic counterpoints in sweet spice.

This excellent Temecula Valley producer offers a fantastic range of well-crafted wines, including Malbec , Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, and more. Their Petite Sirah Reserve 2018, the first vintage of this wine, is a generous, dramatic red wine, gushing with ripe plums and blackberries, baking spices, and toasty vanilla.

Foppiano Vineyards has been one of the most important producers of Petite Sirah in California for a long time. They're based in the Russian River Valley, which, while far more well-known for Pinot Noir, is also capable of growing excellent Petite Sirah, too. The 2016 is in a great place right now, its plush yet still-assertive tannins lending its plum and kirsch flavors serious structure. This wine proves how elegantly Petite Sirah can age.

Ridge has been a key player in the evolution and success of California's wine industry for a long time –– 2022 is actually their 60th anniversary. From the iconic Monte Bello to their terrific Lytton Estate Petite Sirah and even a standout Grenache Blanc, they seemingly do it all. The 2020 Geyserville brings together 69% Zinfandel, 20% Carignane , 8% Petite Sirah, 2% Alicante Bouchet, and 1% Mataro, and is everything you'd want a blend like this to be: Generous and ripe yet with excellent structure and length, and shimmering with blackberries, mouthwatering cranberries, ancho-spiced dark chocolate, and a long, mineral- and baking spice-flecked finish.

Mettler was established over a century ago, and even today their reds continue to show the potential of Lodi. The 2018 vintage is still defined by its purple fruit and crushed blueberries, but there is a hint of orange oil, sarsaparilla, and candied violets peeking through. This is one for the cellar, or your next barbecue.

Petite Sirah is loved for its deeply colored wines with rich black fruit flavors and bold tannins. The grape related to Syrah and the rare French grape, Peloursin. The French call it “Durif” but this wine is rare outside of California.
Given the wines sometimes aggressive tannins, Petite Sirah will do well matched with fat and umami – be it steaks from the grill or a plate of beef stroganoff.
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Petite Sirah (or Durif ) is a black-skinned grape variety, with Petite Sirah being its North and South American name. In the rest of the world it is generally known as Durif, named after its discoverer, Dr. Francois Durif.
"Petite" here refers to the small, intensely colored berries that make Petite Sirah such a distinctive variety. These grapes produce a wine with a high tannin and acidity level, making it an excellent candidate for aging in the cellar.
The most searched-for Petite Sirah wine on our database is the Stag's Leap Petite Sirah from Napa Valley.
From the Rhone in 1880, Dr. Durif released his new grape to the world after he noticed a natural crossing - most likely due to cross-pollination, from one of his Peloursin vines. The name Petite Sirah first appeared in Californian wine literature four years later, but as a blanket term for several dark-skinned grape varieties.
It was not until 1996 that Californian ampleographers identified Durif's other parent as Syrah . This was an important revelation, but not surprising given Petite Sirah's name and the visual similarities between the two grapes.
Petite Sirah produces very dark and inky colored wines thanks to the high skin to juice ratio from the small berries. This also produces a large amount of concentrated tannins to create a big wine with plummy and earthy flavors.
Commonly reported primary flavors of Petite Sirah include blueberry, blackberry, plum and chocolate with nuances of black pepper, black tea, licorice and various herbal elements. The most notable aspect of Petite Sirah wine is the floral aroma profile with violets and lavendar often recited.
Petite Sirah may of originated in France , but today it is scarely grown there with a mere six hectares (14 acres) of the variety reported in 2018. It is better suited to drier climates such as Australia, California and Israel .
The dry and hotter microclimates found throughout Australia's viticultural regions are ideal for Petite Sirah. The variety flourishes in Rutherglen , Victoria where a majority of producers grow the variety to some degree. Here, the absence of rain throughout the end of the growing season is favorable for the grape's thin skins.
The variety is often found blended with Shiraz in Rutherglen, but a few varietal examples exsist. It is also utilized in the production of sparkling red wines and vintage and tawny styles of fortified wines.
The year 2002 was significant for Petite Sirah in the United States . Not only did the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms officially recognize Durif as a synonym of Petite Sirah (ending years of dispute), but Petite Sirah's greatest fan club, "P.S. I Love You," was formed.
"P.S. I Love You" is a group of zealous advocates dedicated to raising the profile of this dark and mysterious grape variety. They have a challenge ahead; the grape has been particularly popular in California , where it has sizable plantings, but recent trends there indicate a decline in its production, in favor of its increasingly popular parent, Syrah.
The variety was introduced to the country in the 1970's, but Petite Sirah was scarcely found on wine labels. It wasn't until the early 2000's that Margalit Winery included a portion of the variety in the production of the Special Reserve, one of Israel's first cult wines. Petite Sirah then achieved a newfound popularity with boutique producers chasing the same level of acclaim and success.
In its early history, Petite Sirah was used as a minor partner to other grape varieties, in particular to add color and structure to wines from weak vintages. This was thanks to the high acidity and tannin levels of the grape which also gives Petite Sirah a remarkable ability to age if produced appropriately.
In the winery, the extent of maceration of Petite Sirah should be kept in check. As a tannic variety, it is easy to over extract and create unbalanced organoleptic properties. Co-fermentation of Petite Sirah with other varieties is widely employed, especially with Viognier in the Rhône Valley and Chianti. In terms of barrel-aging, American oak is often preferred over French oak.
With tight clusters of small grapes, the variety is highly susceptible to bunch rot in the vineyard, hence dry vintage conditions are favourable. Petite Sirah likes an extended hangtime to develop its full extent of tannins and phenolics.
Picking time is of utmost importance for Petit Sirah as the variety has a particularly small picking window. Too soon and the phenolics are underipe, too late and there is a steep susceptibility to bunch rot as well as producing an overly tannic wine.
In the Rhône Valley when the variety was developed in the 1870s, it known as Petite Syrah in reference to the low yields the variety produces. This was adopted in California but created confusion once actual Petite Sirah was invented. Today, Petite Sirah is most-commonly found.
Other synonyms include: Duriff, Syrah Petit, Petit Duret.
Petite Sirah pairs well with foods that are rustic and flavorful. Char-grilled meat and vegetables, game birds and strong cheeses all work well with the high tannin content.
Ideal dishes include pulled aubergine and black bean burgers and roasted stuffed cauliflower with kale and chestnuts. Refrain from pairing Petite Sirah with delicate cheeses as well as any seafood based dishes.

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Petite Sirah Wine Guide | Learn About Petite Sirah

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Before we get into what Petite Sirah is, let’s debunk one very common confusion, Petite Sirah is NOT baby Syrah (Shiraz) . The grapes are related — botanists actually think Syrah was one of the parent grapes of the new Petite Sirah grape — but it is not a young version of Syrah (it also is not spelled ‘Petite Syrah’). We can see how this is incredibly confusing, given that they both have a very similar sounding name. For that, we can thank the California wine industry and marketing.
Now back to what Petit Sirah actually is. Petite Sirah is actually a grape called Durif that was discovered in France in the 1860s by the botanist Francois Durif. In Durif’s greenhouse, it seems a Syrah vine crossed with another vine during pollination, and the resulting grape a small, intensely colored berry that was high in tannins and acidity . Naturally being the one to discover the new grape, Francois named it after himself (wouldn’t you?).
At some point after this, the grape traveled to California, where winemakers recognized the grape had many similar features to the Syrah they knew well. While they recognized the grape was not Syrah, Petite Sirah was a much more attractive name than Durif, so that’s what they began calling it.
Currently, California and Israel are the two places that produce the highest quality Petite Sirahs worldwide, but the grape can often be derided by snooty wine professionals as not established enough. This is a main reason why California producers came together to create the P.S. I Love You organization , which seeks to raise the profile of this minority wine. Their official mission is to “promote, educate and legitimize Petite Sirah as a noble wine grape variety, with a special emphasis on its terroir uniqueness.”
Petite Sirah has deep rich flavors and aromas of blueberry, chocolate, pepper and spice, and its high tannins and acidity make it great for pairing with curries, as well as rich meaty dishes.
It truly is a unique grape, just don’t confuse it with Syrah!

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