1993 Foppiano Vineyards, Russian River Valley Estate Petite Sirah

Petite Sirah is a wine grape shrouded in mystery for decades. The veil that has surrounded this variety has finally (mostly) been lifted, and I’ll get to the current scholarship below, but first there’s zero mystery when it comes to this grape's relationship to the iconic Foppiano estate in the Russian River Valley. Put simply, the Foppiano clan was one of the first to bottle and label a single variety Petite Sirah in California, and as today’s profound library bottle from 1993 attests, they are among the most masterful producers of this “mystery” grape. Indeed, it’s so rare to try Petite Sirah with this age that we honestly didn’t really know what to expect, but suffice it to say it far, far surpassed our expectations. Spicy, earthy, and boasting an array of beguiling aromatics, this is one of the most revelatory Northern California wines I’ve had in years. And given all that, it is truly a bargain. So, what is the story with Petite Sirah? This grape was introduced to California back