P.S. I love you

Now many of you may be expecting me to start off with an elequent Pinot Noir or a nice safe Zin. But to show my determination to learn the ins and outs of wine world I am starting off with a complete unknown: Petite Sirah.

Sure, we've all had Sirah in the past. But what the heck is a petite sirah and why does it scare me so? To kick things off I've chosen a

2006 Reserve Petite Sirah from Running with Scissors

from California's Central Coast. It was a very inexpensive bottle that I bought a few years back because it was just that, cheap. I've been too scared to try it until now.

As it turns out, I'm not the only one who doesn't know what Petite Sirah is. According to the wine world, the name was attributed to no less than four different vines in California in the mid 1990s. Why would one rename their varietals? Well apparently when the grapes could not be identified, this new name was given to several old growth Italian vineyards, composing of Durif, Sirah, Peloursin (a parent of Durif), and Pinot Noir vines. Talk about inbreeding!

Today, Petite Sirah is used mostly as a blending grape and rarely seen as a stand alone wine. I cannot understand why not! It has a well balanced, very distinctive flavor entirely it's own. It is unlike any other wine I have had to date.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much I attempted to find another bottle only to discover is was a two year run varietal for this vintner and no longer in production. I will have to try my luck with another winery. It's good to hear that PS has seen a resurgence of popularity among others who have discovered it's unique flavors. I've seen a P.S. by Bogle I will have to test - stay tuned!

For more information about Petite Sirah, check out P.S. I love you.