A Tale of Two Syrahs

What a difference a Y makes. We’ve got a grape in California called Petite Sirah. There is also a grape in Southern France called Petite Syrah. Although they were once thought to be related, they are not. No way.

Petite Syrah, the French kind, is a small-berried clone of the noble Syrah, the backbone of some of the finest wines of the Northern Rhone, including Hermitage, Co^te Ro^tie and Cornas.

Petite Sirah, the American kind, is actually a minor French grape, either Durif or Peloursin. Never heard of them? Neither has anyone else who is not a grape physiologist. To put it as delicately as possible, even the French regard both grapes with a certain disdain. (This has not stopped some California wineries--David Bruce and Stags’ Leap among them--from labeling their wines made from the Petite Sirah grape with the Petite Syrah name.)

No matter whether Durif or Peloursin dominates a Petite Sirah planting, the resulting wine is capable of only minor-league success. Years ago, Connoisseurs’ Guide stopped tasting Petite Sirahs because so few of them were worth the price or the time required to age into drinkability.

Apparently, the world agreed; planted acreage of Petite Sirah has fallen from 14,000 two decades ago to fewer than 3,000 today. By comparison, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon have increased to about 40,000 acres apiece.

But a funny thing has happened. The true Syrah has come to California, and its emergence as an important grape on the wine scene seems to have breathed new life into the muscle-bound but fast-fading Petite Sirah.

Petite S. also has benefited from the recent popularity of overripe, out-sized Zinfandels. If Zin with high alcohol, high tannin and inky colors can find a market, so can Petite Sirah.

To be sure, there are some pretty decent wines in the list below, and there are even a few that will not demand a decade of cellaring to come into their own. But on the whole, Petite Sirah is not a variety that is likely to come back into fashion in any substantial way.

1998 David Bruce Petite Syrah, Central Coast, $14. The wine delivers reasonably fruity and well-defined aromas of blackberry, black pepper and oak, but its narrow, pinched flavors limit the initial fruity impression and all but overwhelm the wine at the finish. Tannins are moderate for Petite Sirah but to little good effect.

1998 Concannon Vineyard “Selected Vineyard,” California, $9. I am almost fond enough of this wine to call it a good value and to consider it for serving with the sturdy hunks of red meat that seem to fit comfortably with rustic Petite Sirahs. This one may need more fruit to fill out its weighty, tannic structure, but few wines at its price will give you as much muscle.

* 1997 La Jota Vineyard, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, $38. Now, I have nothing against this relatively deep, somewhat mouth-filling, cellar-worthy bottling (and I admit admiring La Jota’s Cabernet Sauvignons and Viogniers), but I am amazed at the winery’s ability to price this wine as if it were made from one of our finer varietals. It all goes to show that some folks still favor the kind of brawny wines of which the grape is capable.

* 1997 Madrigal Vineyards, Napa Valley, $30. If you are attracted to the La Jota, be sure to check out this out-sized, raw-boned wine, whose combination of ripe fruit, rich oak and overarching tannins make it a candidate for a decade of cellaring. It is never going to round into elegance, but it does seem likely to age quite well. Still, only fans of the style need apply.

* 1997 Mirassou “Harvest Reserve, Edmund Mirassou Dedication Bottling,” Monterey, $18. Mirassou has crafted a balanced, presentable version of the grape that eschews the concentrated, brooding, massive approach to Petite Sirah. It is reasonably deep in fruit with leanings to cherries and blackberries and shows a note of sweet oak in its approachable, moderately tannic composition. It can age a few years but would be entirely comfortable with appropriate foods even now.

1997 Ridge Vineyards “York Mountain Vineyards,” Spring Mountain, Napa Valley, $20. Ridge has been making Petite Sirah from this hillside vineyard for more than a quarter of a century. When the wines succeed, they are among my favorites, and I still have several examples in my cellar. I like to pull them out for my brother, the bigger-is-better proponent in the family, because they are plenty gruff for him and I can find something to like in their solid blackberry and black pepper character. Unfortunately, this vintage is short on the fruit needed to ward off its all too evident tannins.

* 1998 Rosenblum Cellars “Pickett Road,” Napa Valley, $20. The Rosenblum approach, which has been so successful for Zinfandel, also seems to work with Petite Sirah because this solid wine avoids the massive side of the grape and instead delivers plenty of ripe fruit at its heart. To be sure, the wine is tannic and will surely benefit from age, but the prescription calls for three to five years instead of 10 or more.

1996 Stags’ Leap Winery Petite Syrah, Napa Valley, $28. Even with some 22% of the true Syrah blended in, this wine is definitely Petite Sirah, from its inky, glass-staining color to its unbridled heat and tannin at the finish. It may be ripe, but its fruit is far too limited, and very little of it will be in evidence after the decade or more of aging required for the wine to soften.

Definition of Symbols

* * * A world-class wine, superb by any measure, the top 1% to 2% of all wines tasted.

* * An exceptional wine, well worth the effort to find, 10% to 12% of wines tasted.

* An admirable wine, tasty, focused, attractive, about 25% of wines tasted.

No Rating: The best are quite pleasant and can be good buys when moderately priced.

$ Good value for the money.

x Below average quality, to be avoided.