Petite Sirah /
Durif
Petite
Sirah is a variety with many fans among consumers. Originally
cultivated and labeled as Petite Sirah only in California, its
origin was unknown and identification uncertain and could only
be speculated upon, until late in 2003.
Historically,
the majority of vineyards plantings identified as Petite Sirah
were actually mixed varieties of a dozen or more distinct types,
but often including grapes with confusingly similar characteristics,
such as Durif, Peloursin, and Syrah.
Just
over 3,200 acres of grapes identified as Petite Sirah are presently
planted in California. Although only a portion of these vineyards
have been surveyed, recent DNA evidence from research led by
Dr. Carole Meredith at the University of California at Davis
has confirmed most plantings to be the same grape as Durif.
About 10% however, is Peloursin, which, observed in the field,
is practically indistinguishable from Durif, even by expert
ampelographers.
It
was long theorized this was the case, that Petite Sirah was
the same as the lackluster French variety known as Durif,
a cross of Peloursin, yet another unremarkable variety,
with the true Syrah. A French nurseryman, Dr. François
Durif, propagated the grape trying for resistance to powdery
mildew and named it after himself, in the 1870s. The inability
of Durif to produce distinguished, high quality wines in France
effectively nullified the value of its mildew-free attribute,
especially since the grape's compact clusters left this variety
particularly susceptible to bunch rot.
In
the 1940s, Larkmead and Louis Martini sold wines labeled "Duriff".
The fruit source for these wines was probably what later became
known as Petite Sirah. Most plantings of Petite Sirah were made
before the 1960s, when vintners were mainly concerned with producing
copious amounts of flavorful blends of generic "Burgundy". Wines
that showed varietal identity were of little consequence.
Field-blending
was the norm during this time, with many varieties often interplanted.
As a result, few vineyards identified as Petite Sirah are "pure".
Vineyard blocks are often peppered with vines of Alicante Bouschet,
Carignan, Grenache, Mourvedre, the aforementioned Peloursin,
or Zinfandel. The reality therefore is that wines from these
vineyards labeled "Petite Sirah" to at least some degree are
blends, accidentally if not purposefully.
Although
the nomenclature is similar and Petite Sirah is a true
offspring of Syrah, the vines and grapes of parent and
child are quite different and distinct from one another and
these varieties should never be used synonymously. In April,
2002, the TTB
announced they will forthwith consider Petite Sirah and Durif
synonymous for use on wine labels.
As
many as sixty California wineries today produce varietal Petite
Sirahs for fans and followers. The first to do so were Concannon
and the original Souverain, both from the 1961 vintage. Some
vintners choose to spell it as "Petit Sirah", "Petite Syrah",
or "Petit Syrah" and , although this is no doubt intended to
provide some advantage in the marketplace, it merely serves
to confuse consumers and defer their attention. These variant
spellings are also used in other countries where the grape has
migrated: Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.
At
four to eight tons per acre, Petite Sirah is a fairly good producer.
The vines are sturdy and fairly long-lived and thrive in many
types of soil. The berries are somewhat prone to sunburn. Their
tight grape clusters are also subject to rot when damp or rained
upon. Typically a midseason ripener, however, this is not usually
a problem in California.
Petite
Sirah has long been an important blending grape, prized primarily
for its deep color and fairly intense tannin. It is the variety
most often chosen to blend into zinfandel for added complexity,
body, and to tone down the tendency of zins toward "jammy" fruit.
On
its own, the flavor of Petite Sirah can be vaguely black peppery,
but can mostly be described as "vinous" and, although agreeable,
pleasant, and sometimes delicious, not highly distinctive. Nevertheless,
wines made from Petite Sirah age slowly and can survive fairly
long cellaring of ten years or more.
| QUE
SIRAH: A CELLAR LESSON
Among the Petite Sirahs that truly impressed me early
on, particularly the 1969, '71 and '74 vintages, were
those made by Freemark Abbey and Ridge, both sourcing
grapes from Napa's York Creek Vineyard on Spring Mountain.
Deeply fruited, with lavish richness and round, massive
tannins, each begged the question of cellaring potential
for this varietal.
Hoping
to revive the memory, we followed our March, 2002, Petite
Sirah tasting (NOTES),
by opening a bottle of 1974 Freemark Abbey, recently acquired
from a well-kept private cellar.  Although
not completely gone and still possessing considerable
tannin, the aroma was but a hushed whisper of black licorice;
the bouquet was sadly dominated by musty staleness; the
flavors also dull and dank.
We'll
savor our memories (...wistful sigh!) and be reminded
to review our personal cellar lists, with eyes open and
corkscrews at ready, prepared to spare any and all bottles
of more than a decade-old from similar fates. |
by
Jim LaMar
RELATED LINKS
Winemaker Dennis Fife has an article on the Fife
Winery site with much more detail about the identification
of this grape and its history in California. "What
Really Is Petite Sirah?" is in
PDF
format.
PS
I Love You is an organization of producers and consumers
whose mission is to advocate and promote appreciation of this
variety. Their web site includes news and events, Petite Sirah-matched
recipes, membership information, a historical timeline of developments
significant to Petite Sirah and also a transcript of Dr. Carole
Meredith's speech to the First Petite Sirah Symposium, detailing
her findings on the grape's origin.
