Foppiano, Petite Syrah, Russian River Valley

Amazing! Deep, dense, almost opaque garnet color, good clarity, absolutely no sign of bricking or sediment in the glass. Aromas of sweet dark plum and dark sweet cherry with a hint of dusty pencil lead. Flavors follow the lead of the aromas, plus a dark, semisweet chocolate at mid pallet. Just enough light, smooth tannins and acidity to keep it from being cloying. Had I tasted this blind, I might have called it a ruby port - it’s that dense …

2009 vintage

Inky purple. Blueberry pie, spice, and cedar on the nose. Lots of smoky plums and peppery black cherries, with a fair amount of oaky tannins and a bit of heat. This is in a very nice place right now.

2011 vintage

Magenta with dark crimson edges. Plum and black cherry nose. Medium to full bodied, boysenberries, sage, solid woody tannins, smoke, good acid, and a medium finish. Lacks a little fruit on the finish.

2011 vintage

Tasty petite sirah. Blackberry and graham cracker on the nose. Good mouthfeel with Luscious fruit and smooth tannins. $13 at Costco.

2014 vintage

Not bad and good at the price point. Fruit forward.

2014 vintage

Deep dark black hole of a nose. High acid, high tannin. Just as one would want here. Some grain-y sweet fruit to the palate.

2014 vintage

A very mysteriously quiet nose. A haunting robe. Smoke on the water. Really silky textured wine. Chewy texture. Very good example that’s not TOO much of too much.

2014 vintage

Sometimes you get lucky. I found this a few weeks ago, covered in dust on the bottom shelf of a wine shop. It was $18! Killer! Fruit is still good and the mid-palate was super chocolatey. Soft but still full bodied.

2009 vintage

Very nice.

2011 vintage

Critics did not like this one, but I think it's fine. Purple paint in the glass; nice nose with spice, dark fruit and just a hint of cocoa; some acidity up front (not crazy about that) with rich blueberries, chocolate and other dark flavors; holds very well through the midpalate, gentle tannins for balance, and a very long fruit-driven finish. Not my favorite at this price point, but I did enjoy it.

2011 vintage

Attractive aromas of berries and spice. Intense hit of blueberries and black cherries combine with spice. Lovely smooth texture in the mouth. Long dry but not austere liquorice finish. Great example of a what Petit Syrah can achieve in California.

2011 vintage

Overly ripe and unbalanced, even after several hours of breathing.

2011 vintage

What a pleasant surprise. Bought on a whim. Really nice fruit. Great dark colour typical for varietal Nose bit of spice. Cinnamon or clove. Nice medium body and finish. Lovely for price

2011 vintage

Nice mouthfeel, fresh and great balance and acidity. Served a little colder than normal, good choice for this wine. Fantastic quality considering the price range.

2011 vintage

88-89

2011 vintage

Very very good petite Syrah, full body

2011 vintage

Attractive and fruit-heavy attack, incomplete and hollow mid-palate, short finish. Tasted over several hours, consistent notes throughout.

2011 vintage

Decanted an hour ahead. Dark red with not much color change. Still seems a bit closed on the nose. Good black fruit with lots of tannins. A nice wine with steak. Still has plenty of life in it. Alas, no more bottles.

1996 vintage

Deep inky purple color. Lovely aromas of ripe dark berries and dark chocolate. Intense flavors of blueberries and black cherries blend with cocoa and a touch of spice. Tannins are complex and quite soft. Good liquorice finish. A very attractive wine, ready to drink now but should also develop further over the next few years.

2011 vintage

Nice dark purple color. Plenty of power here. Still a little too hot to drink now. I'll wait until 2016-2017 before opening another bottle.

2011 vintage

Toujours excellent, ce vin offre une complexité interessante et un bel équilibre. Opaque, il dégage des saveurs de petits fruits noirs, cuir, framboises, cerises. Belle longueur.

2011 vintage

I agree with much of what IsaacJamesBaker wrote below however I don't see how that makes this an 87 pt wine. I guess we use a different scale. To me this petite sirah is a solid 91 pts. and a fantastic value at < $20. This wine tastes like being on vacation in Sonoma county and when you live in NJ in Feb., that is a very good thing! I'm already planning to head back for a few more bottles …

2011 vintage

Too young at this point. All of the individual components, including good fruit, are there, but tannins dominate and overall the wine tasted disjoint. After several hours of breathing, the wine's potential is more obvious. Needs a couple of years in the cellar.

2011 vintage

Really nice wine. Cranberry and dark fruit. Good body without tannin.

2011 vintage

It's the color of The Count from a Sesame Street's cape. Purple. And black. And deep purple. Day 2 and this is a great nose. Blackberry, cherry and light blueberry nuances. Medium tannin, medium plus acid. The nose feels like somew here between Bordeaux and more elegant, kick-ass Grenache. Full-bodied, 14.9% ABV, this feels like a true steal at $19.99. Even though this is an ’11, I'm inclined to say this is a pretty great vintage for this wine. No …

2011 vintage

Excellent, toujours bien équilibré, cassis, mûres, framboise, tanins bien enrobés.

2011 vintage

Foppiano Vineyards tasting (Foppiano Vineyards, Healdsburg, CA) : Blueberry, tight acidic tannin. Round. Nice.

2011 vintage

Nicely balanced wine. Improved after letting it breathe for a little while. Paired very well with steak dinner.

2009 vintage

An absurdly purple color with thick legs. Deep aromatics, with black currants and blackberry jam, underlined by smoke, mocha, caramel and a bit of heat. Dusty but firm tannins, medium- acid, this is such a creamy and velvety wine. The black currant and blackberry fruit is rich but smooth and plush. Secondary flavors of black olive, chewing tobacco and sweet BBQ sauce add complexity. A rich and hedonistic wine, but the different elements are woven together nicely, and the finish …

2011 vintage

Dark garnet, good fruit upfront, nice tannins at the end. I'd recommend this.

2009 vintage

Decanted for 30 minutes. Still a monster wine. It has developed really well. Nose is pipe tobacco, earth, pepper and mushroom. On the palate Fig, dried cherries, dried flowers and savory herbs and leather.

1995 vintage

thin mouth feel, soft tannins, not much fruit - definitely drink now

1996 vintage

Better than boggle phantom.

2009 vintage

Dense, jammy and lush on the nose and front end. Nicely balanced, in spite of some thick tannins being fairly prominent on the finish. Some time in the decanter or another year in the cellar should help improve the overall fit. Pours a deep crimson in the glass and totally opaque to the edge. Fans of the petite syrah varietal will not be disappointed. One of the more intriguing wines I've tried lately.

2009 vintage

On the lighter side for a petite Syrah. Currant and raspberry with a touch of spice in a sea of oak. Slightly unbalanced. Moderate finish.

2009 vintage

Let this one breathe a few hours and it will be much more enjoyable.

2009 vintage

had with dinner at Napa on Providence; we really enjoyed this wine and is a good value

2009 vintage

Sour and overly tannic.

2009 vintage

A very interesting wine. Big flavors. Kind of has a root beer, licorice thing going on, mixed in with blackberry and sawdust. Still has some tannin left

1995 vintage

24$ CAN @ Deluca...new in private store. This is their "flagship" wine. This is not coming off in a style i like. Sharp/tart/sour/hot are some thoughts that come to mind up front. Let this sit in glass for a while, but may need a solid 1-2 hrs to decant along with good food pairing. Nose has dark qualities of berry and light meaty texture. Palate is again overall sharp and hot. The fruit is there but overwhelmed by the ETOH …

2009 vintage

Crimson in color. Medium legs. Dark berries on the nose and palette, medium finish and soft tannins.

2009 vintage

PnP to test: initial aromas acetic and spicy. Very earthy, no fruit to speak of, a little of the dirty diaper aroma. Initial flavour is thin and acidic (but not acetic) with some green and spice, surprising amount of tannin remains. Extremely long finish - 45+ seconds. Into the decanter with it. 50 minutes later, it's opening up very very nicely. Some tart blackberry fruit has emerged on the palate, and maybe something like sour cherry on the nose. I …

1996 vintage

Not overly aromatic, but smooth and well balanced on the palate. May offer some additional rounding with an additional 2 to 3 years in the bottle.

2009 vintage

A substantial wine offering tart plum and chocolate on the nose and palate.

2009 vintage

Cork Flooded about halfway up. Upon opening and in the first 30 min this wine was incredibly funky with a nose and palate that were slightly off putting. The bottle was put aside for 2-3 hours and when I went back to it the notes were as follows: The nose has notes of tar and anise over dusty shoe leather. Interesting but a hair shy of perfectly pleasant. The palate has resolved into plum with a significant amount of sweet …

1995 vintage

10th Annual Petite Sirah Symposium & Tasting (Martinelli Event Center & Concannon Vineyard, Livermore, California) : Very dark red violet color; tart black fruit, tar nose; tar, tart black fruit, roasted black fruit, mocha palate; medium-plus finish (15.2% alcohol, 3.67 pH; 25% new French oak, 5% new Hungarian oak, 70% neutral oak)

2009 vintage

- Brick color - Brick red/brown. Subtle, fruity nose. Smooth, complex, balanced fruit on the palate, with a distinct note of port. Medium finish. Very nice. I was concerned that this might be damaged from shipping, because the cork was stained very dark red almost half the way up. But the wine did not show any of the other typical signs of shipping/ heat damage.

1996 vintage

Nice fruit. Plums. Wive really likes it.

2009 vintage

Dark purple color, obviously. Aromas of blackberries and plums. Lots of tannins as well as plum skins and mocha. Kevin liked it a lot.

2009 vintage

2012 PS I Love You Dark & Delicious Petite Sirah Event (Rock Wall Winery, Alameda, California) : Opaque black red violet color; tart berry, tart plum nose; narrow, tart plum, tart black fruit palate; medium finish

2009 vintage

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Foppiano, Petite Syrah, Russian River Valley

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