Mr. McMurphy Would Like a Petite Sirah

My parents are wine people. They’ve been collecting and enjoying wine since the 70’s when whites were all the rage. They have been to wine country…many of them, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, and several times to California. So, when they recommend a wine, I listen. This year for my birthday, they sent me three Pedroncellis from Sonoma. I opened one of them last night, a Petite Sirah. I knew that Petite Sirah (no relation, whatsoever, to Syrah) was a very heavy red. But I did not know what a grown up wine it was. This wine is structured, balanced and tight. There was nothing fruity about it. If it were a person, Pedroncelli Petite Sirah would be nurse Ratched, strict and humorless, yes, but also very focused, disciplined, and intense. The color is a deep purple red. The nose is peppery, cedar and the flavor has hints of licorice. The finish is long with good tannins. All in all, the Pedroncelli Petite Sirah is a very satisfying, grown-up glass of wine.