The WineThere are some people whose frames allow them to carry a lot of weight without looking flabby. Just so with this wine, which weighs in at nearly 15% alcohol and which shows plenty of the tannins that typify Petite Sirah from warm regions. The wine lived in French oak barrels (30% new) for 17 months prior to being bottled.
The wine is dark purple in the glass, with a snoot-ful of complex aromas! Moving from the high-toned aromas to the darker notes - violets, blueberries, dusty earth, figs/quince and baked rye, plums. Very tannic atthe moment - in it's first 7-ish years of existence, these tannins serve the wine by providing a long-lasting finish highlighting its flavors of dark plum, blueberries, molasses and graphite.
After about 15 years, this wine will become quite smooth and approachable on its own, making it an attractive gift for those who want to commemorate a memorable event by popping this cork many years from now.
Petite Sirah is known as 'Durif' in France where it was cloned in the 1800's by a scientist of the same name (Dr. Durif, I presume). But as it turned out, Petite Sirah preferred the California climate to that of Southern France, and became the most widely planted grape in California around 1900. Though less dominant today, it is still used in small-ish amounts by winemakers seeking to add heft to their red wines.
Drink now through 2045!
The Winery
Biale is primarily known for two red varietals - their Zinfandels and their Petite Sirah. The first time I ever said "FIFTY DOLLARS FOR A ZINFANDEL???" it was because I'd just seen the new release of a Biale Zin. Both grapes work well for Biale's preferred style, which is unabashedly big and brawny. But these are not "Bimbo wines" - my term for a wine that snaps your head around at first, but then quickly becomes boring after a short period. No, this is a memorable wine.
