McManis Petite Sirah 2007

For whatever reason, this article didn’t come easy for me. Spring is in the air here in Northern Virginia and I just  can’t seem to focus on things like I want to. I look out in my yard and as the snow has receded, all I can see is the  myriad of branches that have fallen from the trees making the yard look like a giant game of pick up sticks. All those will have to be cleaned up before I can break out the mower. Of course, there’s the annual maintenance on the mower and let’s not forget over seeding the lawn. This winter took a harsh toll on what little grass I’ve managed to get growing out there.

It’s also the time of the year when the good folks at the wineries head on out to inspect the damage the winter brought to the vineyards. I sincerely hope that no one took too large of a hit. Here in Virginny we had several feet of snow dumped on us. Grape vines are hearty and I know the ones in New York and in other regions regularly get that kind of treatment so all should be well. Still, unexpected weather can make things hard on folks and the snowfall here was definitely unexpected.

However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t take this time to enjoy a good wine. Today’s offering is a Petite Sirah from McManis Family Vineyards in Ripon, California. Now, the Petite Sirah grape is actually a varietal known as Durif. This grape is a cross between Peloursin and the Syrah grape propagated by Dr. Francois Durif back in the 1870s. It is typically used as a blending grape because of its intense color, flavor and tannins. Many experts believe that it tends to make uninteresting wines on its own. I would say the the offering from McManis shows those experts to be wrong.

True to form, this wine is an intensely dark plum color that seems to suck the light into it. It has a nose rich in blackberries along with hints of leather and smoke. You expect this to be a big, chewy wine but the winemaker has done an excellent job of softening it a bit. It is still a big, fruit forward wine without being jammy. You can taste the blackberry and smoke and it has a light tannic finish that lasts a bit but doesn’t linger forever. There is a lot of alcohol in this wine, 14.5%, but it doesn’t assault you nose or palate. Overall, this is a wine for red meat and pasta but something that can be sipped as well. The tannins will let it age well but not as long as the super tannic California reds will. This is an excellent example of a winemaker extracting the best elements a particular grape has to offer and coaxing these elements into something very much more than expected.