Wine Review: Trentadue's Petite Sirah

Oh Petite Sirah - how I love thee. Your tiny dark fruit, bunched so tightly... mildew resistant, but prone to rot... but so full of lovely tannins, rich plum color, and general tasty goodness. Face it people, this is a fantastic little grape.

I recently discovered a different wine shop around the area. A Taste of Wine in Miamisburg, Ohio. It's a nice little place with a good selection, classes, tastings, and knowledgeable staff. Anyway, I went in, asked for a petite sirah, and was handed the Trentadue. The owner explained to me that the price had just dropped from the mid $30 range down to $17.99. Now this is getting up there for the rest of us. Generally I try to spend under $15. But it's okay to spend a little bit more every now and then - and that is what I did.

Trentadue's concoction is a lovely dark purple color, with fantastic legs. Mine was slightly cloudy and there was some residual chunkage where the wine crept up and ate a bit of the cork.

Determined to get the most for my money I allowed this bottle to decant for two hours. If you're not familiar with decanting, you should be. Decant your wine. Get a decanter or a pitcher... a bowl... anything that will expose a lot of your wine's surface area to the air. The process really helps to soften some of the bite in the wine and enriches the flavor immensely.

Back to the wine... There is a wonderful bouquet of cherry and blackberry along with some earthy pepper and clove scents. I would also say there is a touch of lavender in the nose. All in all, a delightful aroma.

Even after two hours decanting and some vigorous swirling in the glass, the taste is very very dry. There is a fresh exotic breezy kind of quality, like I'm tasting the sea – in a good way. It is chocolatey. Rich. There is a very woody, rooty, earthy quality. But it is nicely balanced with dark red fruits, some plum flavors and it fills the mouth and excites the palate.

CONCLUSION:

This wine has an incredibly interesting nose and a delicious sip – but at $18, it's a little hard on the wallet.

4.5 of 5 glasses

Wine Review: Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah

Which Petite Sirah snatched Gold at the 2009 Riverside International Wine Competition? Well, there were three: Mettler, Clayhouse and Bogle. But one of these wines is not like the other. At $10.99, Bogle is half the cost of the other two golds. And it is the winner of numerous silver and bronzes. Most importantly, it tastes fantastic - and that is why I want to tell you about it.

This 2007 Petite Sirah is grown in Bogle's 1200 acre Graton California vineyards. The Bogle family has farmed the land since the mid 1800's, but in 1968 it was the father and son team of Warren and Chris Bogle who first planted grapes. And I would like to thank them - forty years later.

Honestly, the first thing I noted was the price - but the bottle artwork is handsome and refined. In the glass, this wine has a very deep, very dark plum color and there a hint of a smoky, haziness detectable when held to the light.

The aromas are moderate, but harmonious. Notes of green tea, pepper and blackberry waft from the glass and fill the nose.

I tasted this wine, swallowed, smiled and whispered "that is fantastic." It really is. The flavors are not incredibly intense, but they grow with each sip as the petite body of this red fills the palate. There is a deliciously butterscotch smoothness in the sip, perhaps a caramel. I also noted a hint of toasted pecan, oak, pepper, and a mild smoke flavor. Tannins come to the party, but play their part well and are only mildly astringent. The finish is a nice lingering 5 seconds.

I found myself craving a smoky, fatty, grilled rosemary lamb-chop, but any hearty red meat would fit the bill. Spaghetti with meatballs would be another possibility.

I really only have one complaint about this wine. It is the first time I have ever spilled a glass of wine, and it's lusciously rich plum hue threatened to forever stain my beige carpet. After a little work I managed to extract the stain. Maybe I should write an article about stain removal.

CONCLUSION

At $10.99 I feel this wine was a true bargain, and with nothing to complain of other than my personal clumsiness, I heartily recommend this wonderful California red.

4.5 of 5 glasses