Why Petite Syrah

Inevitability no longer is, well, a foregone conclusion as presidential politics this year are teaching us.

Though it has never been inevitable that our Stags' Leap Ranch will always produce superb petite syrah, at times it has seemed that way.

Carl Doumani discovered something unique 38 years ago when he launched the Stags' Leap Winery. He discovered that petite syrah has a distinct voice in an area lauded for its cabernets, his love affair with the grape translating into one of the Napa Valley's signature wines

We've carried the same commitment forward to Quixote and as we look around today we see we're not alone. Petite Syrah, too long best known as the grape that salvaged boring cabernets, is beginning to gain the respect we've always felt it deserved.

At times, it would have been easiest to throw our hands up in surrender and change course. This is Napa Valley, right? Home to world-class cabernet? So why buck convention? Why petite syrah? Guests to the winery ask the question daily.

My response? Why not?

Petite syrah is distinctive, easy to drink, versatile with a variety of food pairing options. It has the structure to age, the complexity to entice. It's often enigmatic, equal parts beauty and beast, both assertive and elegant. If you don't want to take my word for it, I've got allies.

"As longtime readers know, I believe this is the most underrated varietal in California," Robert Parker wrote in his Wine Advocate. "But it's not exactly a fun wine to drink young. After 10-15 years of age, it often reveals more character than many more expensive reds."

We believe, like Parker, that an older petite syrah quite often is more interesting than more heralded red varietals, but the petites we produce from our Stags' Leap Ranch are characterized by soft tannins which make for enjoyable drinking in their youth.

Experience has convinced us that petite syrah is very terrior driven. Winemakers will tell you that fine wines come from somewhere, meaning it's not the brand that makes the wine, it's the land.

The wines produced within the Stags Leap District have been referred to as the 'iron fist in the velvet glove' because they offer a tremendous fruit punch accompanied by a soft mouth feel, a product of the area's micro-climate.

There is something about the combination of soil and climate - especially our location at the end of a narrow channel from the San Pablo Bay that delivers a daily cooling breeze - that invigorates our petite syrah vines.

So, you might say the answer to the question of why petite syrah is a no-brainer.

It was inevitable.

By Lew Price on April 15, 2008 2:00 PM | Permalink