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The Petite Sirah vs Petit Verdot Red Blend 2021 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s wine sourced from vineyards in the Lodi AVA. This is the first wine that I can remember where I was not sure what the name was. It could be Rough & Ready or Two Heavy Hitters or it could be all of them.
This Petite Sirah vs Petit Verdot Red Blend 2021 is a similar blend to Michael and David’s Petite Petit Red blend also from Lodi. Both Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot are blending grapes and they have very different histories.
Petite Sirah was created by a botanist named Durif in France in the last half of the 1800s. France had major issues with pests and diseases in its vineyards. The Syrah grape grown in Southern France was having major issues, so Durif grafted Syrah to Peloursin which was a little used but hardy, healthy grapevine. By the time he perfected the pairing the troubles in the Syrah vineyards had subsided and Petite Sirah was not needed. The grape somehow found its way to California and Australia.
Petit Verdot is one of the five grapes approved to be included in Bordeaux Red blends. A typical Bordeaux Red blend only shows a small amount of Petit Verdot being included. The grape takes a long time to become fully ripe and often is not ready when the other Bordeaux Red grapes are harvested. In California Petit Verdot has no problem becoming fully ripe.
Petite Sirah is the secret weapon for many California red blends and is often found blended into Zinfandel wines. Petit Verdot is used with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. So why blend the two grapes in Petite Sirah vs Petit Verdot Red Blend 2021? Well, because their names both include different spellings of petite.
Actually, not the only reason, when blended they produce a big, bold, interesting Red wine that can be found at a reasonable price. Neither grape is in demand as a single varietal wine (that may change in the future) and blending grapes tend to be less expensive. But blending grapes are known to have strong characteristics that bring out the best in other grapes. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
The Petite Sirah vs Petit Verdot Red Blend 2021 Tasting Notes
The color is dark, barely see-thru black cherry red with black highlights. The nose is rich and dark, there are scents of violets, very ripe cherries, herbs, jammy raspberry, blueberry, and spice, this is a very floral wine. The Petite Sirah vs Petit Verdot Red Blend 2021 has a rounded, smooth mouthfeel with dark flavors and interesting spices.
This Red blends tastes like blackberry, black pepper, and spice, followed by strawberry, and herbs. The mid-palate offers tart cherry, orange zest, a slight pull from the tannins (it is proper for a big Red wine to have tannins), cranberry, and sour cherry hard candy (not sweet). The acidity is balanced.
The Summary
- The Petite Sirah vs Petit Verdot Red Blend 2021 is a lot of wine for $7.99, the Michael David version is twice the price.
- This is a cool-weather Red blend and a sipping wine. The flavors are so distinct that it may be difficult to pair this Red blend with most food.
