Happy Holidays and welcome to December!  It’s fair to say that in the past, I wouldn’t have looked to Dark Horse as my first choice for a wine to add to the table at the holiday.  However, it’s been a few years, and the limited release of petite sirah is mighty tempting.  While not the first grape most people would think of for the holidays, petite sirah is small, meaning it has a high ratio of skin to juice.  Since the skin is where the flavor (and tannins are), it means that petite sirah packs a flavorful punch in a full bodied red wine.  Given the new varietal choice Dark Horse Petite Sirah 2013 chose, it seems fair to give them another chance.

Sight: Hot magenta edge with an inky black body.

Smell:  A deep hit of boysenberry leads off giving a lot of deep fruity flavors to the nose including jammy blackberry, currant, and blueberries.  There are nice spicy notes from the oak, and a touch of vanilla / black pepper.

Sip:  The palate starts soft and very full, rounding it’s way around the tongue, and beginning to build tannins immediately.   The blueberry and blackberry flavors grow in intensity, driving home huge jammy notes and depth, laced with smoke and subtle spicing.  A touch of sweetness also builds out throughout.

Savor:  The tannin build becomes huge, keeping the dark fruit from the berries and a hint of oak or chocolate, but being greatly driven texturally by the fruit.

Dark Horse Petite Sirah is a long way from the original review of their chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon back in 2013, and it has a much greater depth of flavor.  While this is a limited release, it might be worth going to look for given the powerful characteristics of petite sirah.  A hint of sweetness isn’t too rough here, keeping the wine more tolerable as the tannins are powerful.  With such strength though, this is a nice pair for a lot of foods containing fat, including duck, pork, and even potentially Chinese or heavier Thai curries.  It could even match well with chocolate or dessert.  While I doubted that Dark Horse could make something this impressive, I’m happy to say that Dark Horse Petite Sirah is a brilliant value, and has a lot of potential.

Verdict:  Smooth, Dark Berries, Sweet, Tannic
Price: $10
Modesto, CA