With the exception of the Heritage Clones cuvee, Rosenblum Cellars’ Petite Sirahs are all inky/purple-colored. The Heritage Clones and Pato Vineyard are relatively soft for this varietal. I would opt for drinking the 2005 Petite Sirah Heritage Clones over the next 5-6 years. The ever reliable Kent Rosenblum continues to turn out a portfolio of delicious Zinfandels. Along with Napa’s Biale family and a short list of other North Coast producers, Rosenblum Cellars is as good as it gets when it comes to Zinfandel. Petite Sirah may be California’s most underrated wine, especially when it comes to aging potential. It will never possess the complexity of a top Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon, but it can age effortlessly for two decades or more. I still have some Petite Sirahs from the early seventies in my cellar, and they remain delicious wines.Tel. (510) 865-7007

Good Petite Sirah that comes down on the chic side of rustic. Shows jiggy-jaggy tannins, wild berry, chocolate and pepper flavors and a high alcohol prickliness, yet it’s dry, with that mysterious, drink-me-again quality.——S.H.(11/1/2007)—— 87