Petite Sirah

[mrdutton]

I've tried three wines over the past two days. Each is my first introduction to Shiraz, Syrah and Petite Sirah.

Yesterday I tried a 1997 Wyndham Estates BIN555. Nice fruit on the nose with plums on the palette and a hint of pepper. Very slightly astringent and not overly tannic. I really catch the pepper on the finish. Nice medium body and not overly intense even with the alcohol at 14%. But there was something lingering that did not sit that well with me. I think it was the oak that I was shying away from - but not so much that I wouldn't drink it again. I thought it was a good wine. Wyndham Estates noted that it was ready now but could cellar well.

Today I tried a 1997 Foppiano Petite Sirah (14.5% Alcohol) and a 1998 Domaine de Entrefaux Crozes-Hermitage (13% Alcohol).

I made up little scraps of paper with French on one and Calif on the other, folded over several times. My wife poured the wines out of my sight. After tasting them, I guessed them easily because of the alcohol.

Both were very dark, ruby red in color but with good clarity. The Foppiano showed more legs than the Crozes-Hermitage. I didn't like the Foppiano much. It was unbalanced, very little bouquet, very tannic, astringent and intense to the point where it was difficult for me to find any fruit in the wine. It had a long, lingering finish with lots of oak and a hint of pepper. To me, this wine should be laid-up for a while to get rid of the tannins (hopefully).

The Crozes-Hermitage (which Larousse says has been a lackluster appellation in the past) was more balanced. I could discern the fruit in the bouquet. Taste-wise it was not as intense, tannins were clearly present but the wine was only slightly astringent. I would liken the fruit to plums with some earthy overtones on my palette. The finish did not linger as long as the Foppiano and showed hints of pepper. It was in the finish where I caught the most astringency.

My palette says:

First Choice - the Syrah
Second Choice - the Shiraz
Poor third choice - the Petite Sirah (I need to qualify this - until another choice of wine is sampled. Added comment 03/01/00)

It would be interesting to read the opinions of someone else..........

[This message has been edited by mrdutton (edited 03-01-2000).]