Markham, Petit Sirah 2003 (Napa), $25, 14.8% abv

In my quest to continue to understand the new-new grape, petit sirah, I had a glass of Markham Petit Sirah recently.

I would have mistaken this wine for a Zinfandel (though ultimately, I think Zinfandel shows more figs and raisins). Aromas were only medium-intensity (I thought it would be louder) and included jammy blackberry, loads of granite, blueberries, cinnamon, slight vanilla, and maybe some violet. The tannins were ripe and a long finish was carried by juicy blackberry and smoke.

Not quite my cup of tea (wine?) but this Petit Sirah seriously rocked out with a bowl of buffalo chili with cilantro sour cream. In fact, with the tannins tamed, the juicy fruit came gushing out. In the right setting, this could be a real crowd pleaser.

Wine in a keg

Each keg holds 2.25 cases of wine.

How cool is that?

The Crusher, ‘Grower’s Selection’ Petite Sirah 2008 (Clarksburg) $13, 13.5%abv

Happy Singles Awareness Day.

I was looking through my cellar for something to pair with my special Valentine’s Day chili (it has lots of beans), and I found this guy, brought to you by the same negotiants who bottle Pepperwood Grove and Smoking Loon. Nielsen reported that Petite Sirah is among the four most discussed grapes on the internet, so let’s see what the fuss is all about.

The wine is a saturated inky purple. Aromas and flavors were predominantly dark jammy plums and red liquorice but there was also an intriguing white pepper note. The intensity of aromas was a little shy of medium, even after letting the wine warm up some from cellar temperature. The texture on the palate was medium-bodied and soft finished by a small amount of drying tannins.

So far from being The Crusher I was thinking of (i.e., my last trainer at Equinox), this was a good everyday wine for its interesting aroma profile. I think I might seek out another Petite Sirah in the near future.