Girard Winery Petit Syrah Napa Valley

Girard Winery Petit Syrah From the Napa Valley, USA. Aroma with hints of coffee beans, black fruit, smoked bacon, white flowers and vanilla bean. On the palate, we discover black cherries, berries, chocolate-encrusted espresso beans and spiced meat. The wine envelops the palate with tannin and acidity, accentuated by fruit and spice notes. With some decanting, this wine evolves into an even more integrated tannin.

There are as many misunderstandings about few grape varieties as there is about Petit Syrah. In some parts of France this refers to a clone of a smaller variety of Syrah grapes, but the Petit Syrah has nothing to do with Syrah. In California, the grapes were wrongly equated with Syrah in the past. For a long time, the Petit Syrah seemed to be a cross between the French Peloursin grape and Durif. Later this also turned out to be incorrect. The Petit-Syrah turns out to be a separate species. It produces herbaceous, very dark colored wines. Perhaps the “pepper” taste is reminiscent of the “real” Syrah. In California, beautiful rustic wines are made from it and it is used in blends.

92 points – Robert Parker