SCORES AND AWARDS

90 Points - Vinous

Bottled just a few weeks prior to this tasting, the 2023 Pinot Noir Cortada Alta Vineyard is quite a bit more herbaceous than the 2022 tasted alongside. Lighter in both color and body, the 2023 is all about floral, salty, minerally, peppery grilled herb character. It has elegance and finesse in spades, but I’ll be interested to see whether the stems integrate with time—today, they speak loudly and carry a big stick. 

— Billy Norris

93 Points - grapelive.com

The lean, edgy and deeply opaque purple/garnet 2022 Theopolis Yorkville Highlands Petite Sirah is similar, but ripe and fuller than the 2021 version, which was exceptional, showing off a bit less concentrated fruit density than prior versions, loads of spice, some meaty notes and lovely floral notes. The slowly opening and vigorous palate revolves around black fruits, a spicy crunch from the partial whole cluster and stem inclusion with mountain herbs, peppercorns, sticky lavender and feral notes. The mouth fills out with blackberry, damson plum, black cherry and tangy currant fruits, along with smoked meat, truffle, mocha, vanilla, cedar, smoky graphite and framboise. A good cut of acidity and subtle raw tannins make this vintage a nice companion to a robust winter’s meal and or BBQ. Theodora Lee’s The signature Petite Sirah typically in recent years uniquely sees about a third whole cluster and stems in the fermentation, which is done in open top five ton stainless steel vats and gets a cool and lengthy maceration on the skins before being pressed to barrel. The 2022 vintage, which saw some heat spikes and a little earlier picks, interestingly enough came in with just about 12% natural alcohol, which is a rare thing in Petite Sirah in the modern era, only 335 cases were made, and it was matured in French oak for close to 22 months with about 30% new wood used and the wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Petite Sirah, which originally came from the southwest of France and is really called Durif, it was a natural crossing of Syrah and Peloursin. The crossing occurred by chance when Syrah pollen ended up germinating a Peloursin vine back in the 1860s where the French botanist François Durif. Durif, hence the name, had kept a nursery of several grape varieties at his home in the commune of Tullins where he most likely had plantings of both Peloursin and Syrah. After coming to California early in the 20th Century the Durif was confused with Syrah and later acquired the names Petite Syrah and Petite Sirah, as it is more as today.

The Theopolis Petite Sirah, as I’ve said many times over the years, is a true terroir driven wine from terraced vines in the Yorkville Highlands, again has a thrill ride for the senses and an almost Northern Rhône, like a Cornas, quality from the mountain fruit, schist like soils and terraces vines, absolutely exceptional. I was completely seduced by this exotic 2021 Petite Sirah, and I recommend decanting and having it with a robust meal, Theodora suggests smoked brisket, BBQ ribs and wild game dishes, all of which, along with lamb, sound great to pair with this one. Again, as mentioned in my previous reviews, Theodora Lee’s Theopolis Vineyards, one of a hand of black owned wineries, is one of the top and most unique sites for Petite Sirah in California, her vines hug steep terraces in the Yorkville Highlands and have received amazing critical acclaim since being established in 2003, with her success first coming from the wines made by Mike Officer at Carlisle, and more recently with Paul Gordon’s Halcon version. Her own wines, which I first started tasting with her 2013 vintage have just got better and better as the vines come into full maturity. This lighter framed 2022 Petite Sirah really grew on me in the glass and should continue to fill out and get more deeply perfumed over the course of a few years and it should go another decade easily, I would advise giving it 3 to 5 years if you can, otherwise decanter and enjoy it with food. The Theopolis full collection of offerings, which include some small lot Pinots and more recently some red blended wines, like Theodora’s new Grenache based Rhône red blend that includes a bit of Petite Sirah, as well as her unique Petite Sirah Rosé and an off dry white made from a rare grape called Symphony, a crossing of, as Theodora notes, Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris. Lee has added a brilliant cool climate mineral toned stainless Chardonnay as well, so there’s a lot of quality choices here. The Theopolis Petite Sirah, still flies under the radar, but it deserves more attention for the terroir and style distinction it delivers and it is a wine that adds to textural tapestry of original California wines. Petite Sirah, which rare in its homeland these days, has become an iconic California varietal, and I highly recommend including these one as must try version.