Education
St. Francis Educational Series - Petite Sirah
by Stephen Pavy
Petite Sirah = Durif = …say what??
Our 2002 Zichichi Petite Sirah is a rare and wonderful offering by St. Francis Winery. This dark, inky, brambly, chewy wine is anything but "petite"…so what is it, where did it come from, and where did it get its name?
Petite Sirah was created in 1880 by Dr. Francois Durif, a grape nurseryman working in southern France. In France, this grape varietal was then known as Durif. (I guess if you create a new varietal you can name it after yourself.) The new varietal grew from a seed he extracted from the fruit of an old French varietal named Peloursin. Dr. Durif didn't know the pollen source at the time, but we now know through the DNA analysis done by Dr. Carole Meredith at UC Davis that it was Syrah. Thus, Petite Sirah is a cross between Peloursin and Syrah.
By 1884, Durif was introduced to California. Syrah had already been introduced in California in 1878. Now here is where some of the confusion sets in: some of the low-yielding Syrah was already being referred to as "Petite Syrah", or "little Syrah". The confusion about names grew worse when in the 1890's, phylloxera destroyed virtually all of the true Syrah vines in California. By the late 1890's replanting included both Petite Sirah and some Syrah vines, but the distinction had been muddied. Was it low-yielding Syrah that had been planted? Or, was it Durif, which had also been called Petite Sirah by some growers in California? Without the DNA testing that we have today, it was difficult to tell with 100% accuracy.
In California, by 1976 Petite Sirah acreage peaked at around 14,000 acres. By 1995, it reached a low of 2,400 acres. By 2001, however, Petite Sirah acreage had grown back up to over 4,000 acres.
Our Zichichi Petite Sirah uses grapes that were planted in the Dry Creek Appellation in 1928 and in 1964. Our blend is about 77% Petite Sirah from the Zichichi Vineyard and about 23% of Zinfandel from the same vineyard property also planted in 1928 and 1964. (By the way, our Zichichi Zinfandel is a blend of 77% Zinfandel from these old vineyards and 23% Petite Sirah.)
So Petite Sirah is Durif. They are just two names for the same thing. (Just like "Syrah" and " Shiraz" are two names for the same varietal.) I doubt that you will see Durif on a label anytime soon, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is considering a proposal to let Durif be used as a synonym for Petite Sirah.
Finally, since Petite Sirah is the offspring of Syrah and Peloursin, you should be able to find some similarities between Syrah and Petite Sirah. (I doubt if you have ever tasted Peloursin - I haven't - but there should be some similarities there as well.) In our 2002 Zichichi Petite Sirah I see a wine that is dark purple to inky black in color, with flavors of big black brambly fruit, crushed warm blackberry (think warm blackberry cobbler), black pepper, cocoa, earthy notes and chewy tannins. Try it with chocolate, roasted meats accompanied by fruit chutneys, braised meats, roasted vegetables and game. This wine also goes well with pizza, eggplant parmesan, and pastas made with rich cheese sauces and roasted vegetables. If you're a cheese lover, try this wine with hard, aged cheeses, lighter blue-veined cheeses, goat cheese (especially aged) and cheddar cheese. Enjoy!
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