Reviews - Petite Sirah

2005 Napa Valley Petite Sirah

92 POINTS
Brings a boutique touch to this often rustic variety, with a classic structure, although no Petite Sirah can ever quite escape its brawny bulk. Nor should it want to. Blackberries, black currants, loganberries, plums, cherries, dark unsweetened chocolate, leather, coffee, violets - they all come together in this dry, fresh young wine. Will easily hold for a decade or two, gradually getting softer and sweeter.

- Wine Enthusiast, October 2007

Four Plus Stars
Full bodied and supple, this is a medium rich Petite Sirah, with evident oakiness, and a very long finish, tasting of plum, blueberry, toast, cedar and black licorice. Excellent value.

- Restaurant Wine, Issue # 121-122

2003 Napa Valley Petite Sirah

92 POINTS
Classic Petite Sirah, full-bodied, rich, totally dry, very tannic and fruity. So good now with something big, like short ribs, that it will be difficult to cellar, but this is a wine that will soften and sweeten over many years. And what a finish, long in ripe, wild blackberries, cherries and coffee.

- Wine Enthusiast, December 1, 2005

90 POINTS
Wine doesn't get any darker than this dense behemoth. For fans of chewy, inky, extracted yet elegant wines with grapey, peppery plum, wild berry, herb and spicy floral notes. The tannins are what you might expect from a wine of this size - mouthcoating. Still, it's a delightful wine to drink. Drink now through 2009. 3,217 cases made.

- Wine Spectator, October 31, 2005

2002 Napa Valley Petite Sirah

93 POINTS
Great depth of color; classic, brooding inky hue. Ripe aromas of plum, blueberry, cassis and mint. Supple and juicy imparting black cherry, plum and cream flavors. Tannins are round integrated with all the rough-hewn components tempered, resulting in a balanced wine.

- The Wine News, August, 2004

92 POINTS
Marvelous stuff, this shows wickedly dark pigmentation, and is still extremely dark in color and dense almost to the point of opacity at three years of age. Yet it is not hard or biting to experience, as it shows very expressive aromas of dark berries, woodsmoke and spices. Despite excellent intensity and persistence on the palate, it finishes soft and smooth.

- Michael Franz, Wine Review Online

9O POINTS
Pours inky black, and feels big and rich in the mouth, with firm, tough tannins framing flavors of black and purple stone fruits and berries. Manages to develop real character and finesse in a variety that can be overly wild.

- WINE ENTHUSIAST, NOVEMBER 15, 2004

"Rose, blueberry, clove, herb, eucalyptus. oak and a hint of pencil shavings on nose; blueberry, blackberry, dried fig, bacon fat and dark chocolate flavors; sweet toasty style, good length." Recommended.

- San Francisco Chronicle, January 20, 2005

"Girard has found a way to retain the heft of Petite Sirah, and add an almost refreshing quality to it. This fierce-looking Girard stuff even has some additional complexity on the nose: low-key spices, vanilla, toast, coffee, flowers. Huge, chewy palate, a heart-warming mouthful, but with a surprise ending: smooth, almost elegant, with bright acid and not much apparent acid."

David Rosengarten, The Rosengarten Report, November, 2004

* * * * 1/2
Petite Sirah can be harsh, tannic, not user-friendly. But the 2002 Girard is almost a throwback to gentler times. It's redolent with blueberry fruit, with hints of coffee, chocolate and tobacco. It's fairly generous and really needs specific foods to match it with: venison, for sure, maybe duck, aggressive cheeses, too; $24. True story: After sitting in a glass for 24 hours, the wine stained the glass blue. The stain remains.

- Michael Lonsford, Houston Chronicle, September 16, 2004

"Best Bottle"
A rare one from the Napa Valley, this is seriously good;
its inky power is augmented with scents of tobacco and toast.

- Paul Gregutt, Seattle Times, December 1, 2004

5 STARS
Powerful, near-blockbuster Petite, with deep color, intense fruitiness (blackberry, plum), and medium oak character (vanilla, toast, tobacco). Long finish.

- Restaurant Wine , June, 2004

2001 Napa Valley Petite Sirah

RATED 5 STARS
"Extremely intense in color and flavor; a massive Petite, yet with good balance for its weight and tannin. It is very ripely flavored (plum, berry, jam, molasses), fleshy, and somewhat tannic on the finish. Great Value"

-RESTAURANT WINE, OCTOBER, 2003

Rated 91
This grape variety is a mystery to many who find it coarse and overpowering. When it is made well, however, and the tannins have been slightly tamed – enough at least to allow the brilliant berry fruit characteristic to shine through – petite sirah can make one of California’s most satisfying red wines, a wine of great depth, richness and complexity. Girard Petite is a bit young to drink at this time, but over time it has the potential to be sublime.

-Robert Whitley, Copley News Service

2000 Napa Valley Petite Sirah

Rated 92
" The floral-scented fruit, like the bloom of a black rose, sets the stage for this purple wine. Then it’s deepened by dark chocolate, sleek raspberry, all gripped by a rustic, elegant tannin. Lasting and lovely, this is a big ol’ petite that can stand next to any gems from the hills of southern France."

-Wine & Spirits Magazine, November, 2002

"Wow, the fat, ripe and fleshy Girard Petite Sirah 2000, Napa Valley, offers incredible size and presence. Raspberry and blackberry jam and port teem in the glass, though there's nothing sweet about this masive dry red wine that strides not on little cat feet, but on the huge, sleek paws of a lithe black panther. Astonishing stuff."

- Frederic Koeppel, Scripps Howard Service, November 26, 2002

"Girard Petite Sirah 2000 radiates inky dark violet hues of old-vine sirahs and tingles the palate at onset with good acid. Mid-palate it goes into a quiet silky mode and then explodes with dark fruit. There is nothing flimsy in this definition. It's a sexy body wrapped in a tweed overcoat."

- Renie & Sterling Steves, Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX, November 6, 2002

1999 Napa Valley Petite Sirah

Rated 91
"This wine sports an inky dark-violet hue, evoking black cherry, plum, blackberry, cocoa and spice. On the palate, it's plush, bright and long. Really delicious."

-Wine Enthusiast Buying Guide, May 2002

Rated 91
Rated as fourth best available Petite Sirah

- PetiteSirah.com