by Ethan Johnson
November 9, 2008

Whoa! 2 wines back-to-back! Anyway, here's the news: My favorite red varietal is Petite Sirah. I am always interested in trying a bottle from familiar and unfamiliar producers alike, within reason. Sadly, the beer/wine chain I work for carries precious few Petite Sirah offerings. One of my many goals while I am employed there is to beef up the PS catalog. 3 new additions would be a noticeable expansion. Thus: Forced to sneak off to [somewhere else] to seek out and yes, find PS to satisfy my craving, I bring you:

Producer (Vineyard): Don Sebastiani & Sons
Varietal (Grape type): Petite Sirah
Vintage (Year): 2004
Country: USA (California)
Color: Red
Cost: Inexpensive ($15 USD)

Swirl and Sniff: The color is a solid purple. Not inky black as PS is wont to be. Scent-wise, alcohol (sigh), then plums, then some mystery scent, and then - WHOA - cigar. I am very skeptical about claims of exotic wine scents, but seriously, when that scent hit, it was like someone cracked the paper off of a cigar and gave me a nose full of the underlying tobacco. Then back to the plums. Oh - and for a fleeting instant, scrambled eggs.

Taste: Very thin, with plums. Watery on the edges. As the wine sat and aerated in the glass, it got more tannic and "grippy", yet smooth. Why yes, this is repurposed from the previous review. This defies the essence of PS, which should be bolder and firm in its conviction.

Pairing: I drank this with pot roast and mashed potatoes. Fortunately, the wine paired well with the food in that nothing battled for supremacy, but there was not vaunted "third flavor" as a result of the pairing, and drinking the wine with food led to an astringent finish.

Rating: When it comes to this wine, I would (and you may):

• Buy three or more bottles for regular enjoyment
• Buy a bottle or two for occasional enjoyment
• Ask for when dining out or at a party
• Settle for if your preferred wine is not available
• Politely decline and never drink again, ever

Despite the exotic scents off of the glass, this really isn't a particularly compelling specimen of my favorite red varietal. Think of it this way: If you're into music - really into music, you probably appreciate a diverse range of styles. And if you're something like me and really appreciate production, you might find redeeming qualities in music styles you don't like. This wine is like "smooth jazz". Most of smooth jazz is annoying, to me, but sure, some of it is listenable and even memorable. But so I want it in my personal collection? Not really. But so I want to hear [annoying song title here] or ANY "smooth jazz"? Oh please, wash over me with that mellow stuff, I beg you. (That's what she said.)

If you do give this a try, please let me know how your experience compared with mine. Thanks! <EM>

(The Totally Unpretentious Wine Reviews Index may be found here.)