Petite Syrah

13.8% alc.   

Quixote Winery in Stag's Leap AVA

Back when I used to work at Meadowood Resort in the Wine Education Department, part of my job would be to occasionally take guests of the resort on wine tours of the Napa Valley.  I spoke to a lot of people and met a lot of Napa Valley wine industry folks. One of my favorites was Quixote Winery in the Stag's Leap district of Napa. Aside from the inspiring Friedensreich Hundertwasser design of the building and their commitment to organic farming, Quixote has that certain je ne sais quois that is so often missing in Napa Valley wineries. Whether that is attributable to the casual-chic element that is evident upon entering, or the sense of history and funkiness that hangs on the walls in the form of photos of popular and not-so popular images - a seemedly ad -hoc mixture of eccentric relatives, wall of fame, and Joseph Campbell- installation artpiece of the hero's journey. Or, perhaps it is the cool-as-a cucumber approach of the resident estate manager, Lew Price, who's low- key approach is a breath of fresh air in a valley where the hard sell can be a bit too prevalent. Being a native Californian, I have to admit my bias towards California wines, after all ask any Frenchman about French wine and you'll be lucky to get a word in edgewise. I also like to pull for the underdog. Perhaps that's why I love Petite Sirah so...the wine's mysterious origins are as intriguing as a Caravaggio painting, and the flavors continue to gain nuance as the grape is taken more seriously. Quixote shares this love with me, and they have dedicated themselves to that love, going so far as to have a "high noon" shootout between Petite Syrah and Cabernet (Quixote uses the alternate spelling for the grape with a y rather than the traditional i, the difference is completely unimportant) to see which paired better with lamb. I don't need a shootout to figure this one out, but if your interested in the story, I suggest you go to their website and click on the "QSpot."

I first had this wine at the shop and immediately fell in love with its depth and rusticity. The fact that the wine is modestly priced and delivers so much only confirms my assertion that Quixote is serious about Petite Syrah. Just think, if this is the base model, imagine what the tricked out version offers! And so, last saturday when I found myself in Culver City for a dinner honoring my brother's 46th birthday, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Pretense on the wine list (with a decent mark-up as well) Tom Schnabel, the producer of Café L.A. on KCRW, a long-standing favorite show of mine, deferred to me and asked me to pick out a bottle. I said, sure, knowing that the Pretense was the proverbial ace up my sleeve. The wine didn't dissappoint and Tom sent me an e-mail a few days after thanking me again for the selections. My notes on the wine are as follows:

Ripe black cherry and blackberry with damp earth, candied apple and coffee grounds aromas. medium-to full bodied with silky tannins that go the distance. Bright,yet balanced and taut.