2022 Wood Family Vineyards Petite Sirah – Delicious and Mysteriously Dark
The Winery
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Wood Family Vineyards, located in eastern Livermore Valley, with Rhonda Wood owner & winemaker, has been producing award winning wines for over two decades. You can read more on her background from airline pilot to award winning winemaker at:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2016/02/10/wood-family-vineyards-2/
and
Her awards are extensive and too numerous to list here in this article and would refer you to their website at the bottom of this article.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Petite Sirah, as an educational note, is not a “smaller” version of Syrah as it is a wholly different varietal. The background on Petite Sirah is that it is the offspring of Syrah and Peloursin (a scarce and almost extinct grape) from northern Italy/Switzerland area. The varietal name is Durif and was first introduced in 1880. Petite Sirah possess one of the highest levels of antioxidants. In a 2023 report from the California Grape Acreage Report from California Department of Food and Agriculture, with 284,341 acres of red grapes planted, Petite Sirah represent 11,334 acres or 4%. It represented the 6th most planted acres of red wine grapes in California.
Once in the glass the Petite Sirah has a dark purple color and a heavy viscosity. On the nose, floral and spicy notes of blackberry and black pepper. On the palate is where this wine varietal stands alone with intense and chewy flavors of plums, dark berry fruits (plum & cherry) and blackberry. The enormous and mouth-filling finish a collaboration of spices (vanilla & clove), cocoa and black tea resonate sip after sip. The strong tannins in Petite Sirah were noticeable but still rounded. Their 2020 Petite Sirah was awarded 93 points from Wine Enthusiast. The 2022 comes in at 15% alcohol and will be released the end of June at $38/bottle. Only 5 barrels were produced.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The wine was specifically selected for tonight’s dinner to go with a dry rubbed BBQ’ed pork tenderloin. This was a slightly different recipe than a previous one. The dry rub included chili powder, brown sugar, dried oregano, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, fine sea salt, pepper and a little extra virgin olive oil. The slices of pork tenderloin each provided ample flavors to assimilate this refreshing and exquisite wine without overpowering it. The meal was accompanied by BBQ’ed previous baked Russet potatoes, scooped out and filled with a pork sausage. Also served with BBQ’ed Portabella mushrooms. The slices of pork tenderloin were served with Stewart and Jasper Cherry Pepper sauce. An excellent food and wine pairing!
Sláinte,
Michael
https://californiawinesandwineries.com