Concannon Petite Sirah 2005

Concannon 2005

Petite Sirah $12.99

Central Coast

4.5 stars

OK, we finished our second bottle of this wine and enjoyed it thoroughly. It has an amazing nose, smells of plum and dark spices (pepper?). The flavor is nice and fruity, gets dryer in the middle and finishes with a very unique flavor. Havnt quite nailed down what it tastes like but I tasted hints of vanilla and white oak. The actual finish is prune like with an overtone of a dark rich wood, maybe hickory or mahogany? I need to learn my wood smells.

I think petite sirah is an interesting varietal because it is not the same or really even related to syrah/shiraz, and most of the petite sirahs that you drink do not even consist of the same grape. Its weird that they have not nailed down what each wine consists of now that they have the technology to do so.

Here is what my wine book says about it:

In the early days petit sirah vines were probably a type of syrah that had small petite grapes. Over the years other vines were mixed in which created field blends in these vineyards. As more and more varieties found their way into california the true identify of petite sirah grew more and more obscure.

With the 1990's DNA fingerprinting of the vineyards revealed 3 common possibilies. First, it could be a field blend of many varieties, including true syrah, carigan, zinfandel, barbera and grenache. Second, the wine may be made from peloursin, and ancient Rhone grape. Finally and most likely is that the wine is a Durif, a cross between peloursin and syrah created in france in the 1880's.

Vega Sindoa Red Blend 2006

Vega Sindoa 2006

60% Cabernet Sauvignon/ 40% Tempranillo $12.99

Valdizarbe Valley, Spain

4 Stars

Very delicious wine. Dark Cherry flavors with a spicy overtone. Light bodied. I can taste the alcohol, but its not overbearing. It has a slightly dry finish, but is easy drinking.

Two Dog Red Blend 2006

Two Dog 2006

Red Blend (50% Syrah, 27% Cabernet Franc, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon) $14.99

Central Coast

3 stars

Spicy yet fruity aroma. Slightly dry wine with dark fruit flavors. Spicy finish.

Louis M. Martin Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Louis M. Martin 2006

Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Sonoma County $13.99

3 stars

Extremely fragrant. Smells of ripe fruit.

Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Toasted Head 2006

Cabernet Sauvignon $14.99

North Coast

3 stars

Balanced, earthy tones, easy finish

Damilano Nebbiolo 2006

Damilano 2006

Nebbiolo $15.99

Barolo, Italy

2.5 stars

This wine is very fruity and has aromas of herbs and tannins. The wine itself is dark and rich and fruity. It finishes very dry with a lot of tannins. It is also slightly heavy bodied and really coats your tongue and mouth. Also has a tar like aftertaste.

Nebbiolo is a varietal that is used to make Italys most famous wine varietals Barbaresca and Barolo. This grape is massively structured and adamantly tannic when young. Nebbiolo can simply close your palatte down and cause your taste buds to shrink away. With age, nebbiolo becomes a delicious combination of suppleness and power. Nebbiolo has particular flavors and aromas of tar, violets, and often a rich espresso-like bitterness. Very little Nebbiolo is planted outside of Italy.

Briccotondo Barbera 2007

Briccotondo 2007

Barbera $15.99

Piedmont, Italy

3.5 stars

Very well balanced wine. Rich red fruits, with a tar like overtone.

Barbera is the most widely planted grape in Piedmont, although nebbiolo is more renowned. Barbera is a mouthfilling rich wine that is packed with every black fruit imaginable: blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry and black plum. The wine also has a vivacity and a vibrancy that comes from the grapes high natural acidity. Italy and California remain the major areas for Barbera. Little is planted elsewhere in the world.