Red Truck Mendocino County Petite Sirah 2005

Chris Sherman of the St. Petersburg Times gives this a glowing review under the heading, “Uncorked: Petite sirah is small in name only.”

Petite sirah is not syrah or shiraz, although it is a direct descendant straight from the Rhone. Nor is it petite. Petite sirah is big, really big, from the juiciest of grapes, like a water balloon filled to bursting with grape and cherry jam.

It has spice and pepper, plenty of guts. So much that wine writers and fans, I plead guilty, have apologized for its frivolous name and introduced it as a John Wayne of wines. That makes it sound like too much of a tough guy when one of its trademarks is charm, even silky smoothness. Let’s recast with Clint Eastwood or Steve McQueen.

“It has intense tannins, deep color and a lot of acid, but is so well balanced with all this fruit, that it doesn’t comes out hot (with too much alcohol) or “furrish’ (with tannin),” explained Phil Regan, the winemaker at Foppiano. The Foppianos have bottled petite as a varietal for 30 years, and now have it in a third of their Healdsburg vineyards, which produce 10,000 to 20,000 cases a year.

Make its acquaintance now, because this petite sirah is bred for chilly evenings, thick pork chops, legs of lamb, beef stews, grilled sausage and stout cheeses. (Florida has plenty of months for salmon and pinot noir.)

Gravitas Marlborough Pinot Noir 2005

Tudor Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2005

Very good but not as good as others available at lower prices.

Sideways Wine Club selection June 2005.

Anton Bauer Wagram Cuvee No. 10 2004

Perfectly drinkable but pricey at $15.99.

One online reviewer remarked of this wine, “I love wines like this -very giving, but a little unrefined. Like bringing a stripper to the library.” I’m not sure what the hell that means but it’s funny.

Waltzing Bear Soloman Hills Pinot Noir 2004

Outstanding pinot we discovered during our first tasting at Tastes of the Valleys.

One of four different pinots made by Waltzing Bear that year.

Terra Australis Shiraz 2002

Le Paradou Cotes du Luberon 2004

If there’s a worse red wine out there, I don’t know about it. My word but this was awful

Le Paradou Vin De Pays De Vaucluse 2004

This was a WineSmith pairing for the Let’s Dish Sesame Apricot Chicken with Rice. The latter was quite enjoyable; the former, not so much. The pairing was correct flavor-wise but neither of us liked the wine, which reminds one of a Chardonnay but with more sweetness.

Sea Ridge Chardonnay 2005

Mama Sue: “Awful! Awful!”