KLINKER BRICK | Petite Sirah | Lodi | 2015
petite sirah

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Today we are are going to review a very rare, single-varietal petite sirah wine from California‘s famous Lodi sub-region – Petite Sirah Lodi 2015 by Klinker Brick Winery. Petite Sirah (also known as Durif or Petite Syrah in France) was created by botanist Francois Durif in Montpellier (France) around 1880, but is now very rare found outside of California. This grape variety can produce very deep colored and full-bodied wines, with rich black fruit flavors and bold tannins. Despite its popularity, petite sirah is an exceptionally rare grape variety, with less than 10 000 planted acres worldwide. DNA tests shows that petite sirah is a cross between syrah and peloursin (a very rare french grape variety, found only in a few places in the French Alps). It was imported to America by Charles McIver in the mid-1880’s, where it got its new name – ‘Petite Sirah‘. Contrary to what its name suggests, petite sirah is not just a lesser (more ‘petite’) version of syrah but a totally distinct grape variety. Petite Sirah produces some of the deepest colored and most opaque red wines, with very high levels of anthocyanin, similar to tannat and sagrantino grape varieties. This wine here is made out of petite sirah grapes that were sourced from the Mokelumne River vineyards of the Lodi AVA (California, USA). In order to soften the tannins and add extra complexity, this wine has been aged for 16 months in new and used french (60%) and american (40%) oak barrels. But enough with all that theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: very deep & opaque ruby color
clarity: noble and hazy ruby shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & expressive
fruit profile: red fruits | black fruits | blue fruits
__red fruits: sour cherry
__black fruits: black plum | blackberry | black cherry
__blue fruits: blue plum | blueberry
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: floral | herbs | spice | oak |earth | other
__floral: lilac | violets | lavender | iris
__herbs: thyme | rosemary
__spice: nutmeg | anise | cloves | tonka seeds |peppercorn
__oak: roasted oakwood | sweet tobacco | liquorice | vanilla
__earth: charcoal  | granite | graphite | black soil dust | sand | turf
__other: new leather | hints of iron
primary layer: fruit & herbs

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: fine-grained
balance: fine
__dominant: none
body: ample | full-body

//Taste
fruit profile: blue fruits & black fruits
fruit character: ripe & overripe
non fruit: spice & earth
finish: long
aftertaste: velvety-crisp

//Scoring
KLINKER BRICK | Petite Sirah | Lodi | 2015
variety: petite sirah
country: USA
region: California | Lodi
rating: 96.2

//Conclusion
maturity: in its prime | drink now or age for 2 or 3 more years
verdict: exceptional | simply epic | a wine that can reach into the realm of perfection

//Prediction
predicted RP rating: 92

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This is definitely an exceptional wine of USA and, with a total of 96.2 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is an outstanding petite sirah wine and definitely one of the best we’ve tasted so far: round, crisp and voluptuous, with an expressive nose and an ample palate. The wine is right there, at the summit of its prime form, therefore we would recommend to drink it sooner rather than later, as it is always better to drink a wine a year too soon than a day too late. On the nose the wine displays a mixture of ripe and overripe blue, black and red fruits in the foreground, supported by a nuanced, spicy-floral background and a noble, oaky and earthy layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers mouth-watering acidity, fine-grained tannins and a touch of alcoholic warmth, that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which leads to a velvety-crisp aftertaste. All in all this is a rich, flamboyant and elegant, single varietal petite sirah wine, with an amazing complexity, both on the nose (with those vibrant and expressive blue fruits and floral notes) and on the body’s structure (highlighted by that bright acidity and silky tannins) – definitely a wine that is mixing power with finesse. We believe this gorgeous wine will pair lovely with delicate meats, that are rich in natural umami flavour, like for example Tournedos Rossini or peppercorn filet mignon steak. Enjoy!

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