The 7 Best Petite Sirah Wines to Buy in 2026
Petite Sirah may not be the most noble and well-respected grape variety, but if you like big, fruity, and deeply concentrated red wine, we recommend enjoying a well-made bottle (or two).
Petite Sirah was created in 1880 by Francois Durif in his agricultural laboratory in Montpellier, France. He accidentally crossed a relatively unknown variety, Peloursin, with a better-known variety, Syrah. Although it was completely unintentional, Francois took credit for the resulting grape and rather arrogantly named it after his last name. It’s still called Durif in France and Australia, but when it arrived in California in 1878, it was confused with Syrah and given the nickname “Petite Syrah” because of the grape’s low yields. Even at that time, winemakers only used it as a blending grape to add rich color to their wines, but to avoid confusion, the name was changed to Petite Sirah.
The grape grows best in California’s warmer climates, such as Lodi and Paso Robles, as well as warmer vineyard locations in Napa and Sonoma. It’s also grown in the Galilee wine region of Israel. When made into a single variety wine such as those we’re featuring this week, you can expect dark, deep, rich ruby, inky, and garnet colors and aromas and fruit flavors of blueberry preserves, red and black plum, and blackberry with secondary notes of tobacco leaf, saddle leather dark chocolate, black pepper, and brown spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. If you’re wondering what foods to pair with Petite Sirah, go for simple comfort cuisine like pulled pork sandwiches, BBQ brisket, Kansas City ribs, and juicy burgers.
Below, seven of the best Petite Sirahs on the market.
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Stags’ Leap Winery 2021 Petite Sirah Napa Valley California
Image Credit: Stags Leap Stags’ Leap Winery estate vineyard is one of the most important for the propagation of Petite Sirah in Napa. It covers 85 acres and is separated into 23 different blocks based on exposure to the sun, soil type, and whether it is a valley floor or hillside location. Their Ne Cede Malis Block was studied by the University of California, Davis in the 1980s when they discovered old Petite Sirah vines that were planted in the 1930s. These old vines were grafted and extensively researched and are responsible for much of the information we know today about Petite Sirah in California. Stags’ Leap Winery 2021 Petite Sirah is ruby red to purple colored in the glass with aromas of finely ground black pepper, cinnamon, cassis, and black currant with flavors of fresh cut black plum, juicy blueberry, and Madagascar vanilla pod.
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Recanati Winery 2020 Reserve Petite Sirah Galilee Israel
Image Credit: Recanati Recanati Winery was founded in Israel in 2000 by Lenny Recanati and Uri Shaked. Their mission was to produce excellent wines that reflected the unique terroir of Israel, and to date, they remain one of our favorite Israeli producers. The winemaking team grows a variety of French grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay, but also makes excellent wine from Petite Sirah and Marawi. (The latter an authentic Israeli variety that grew here over 3,000 years ago.) Recanati Reserve Petite Sirah is certified Kosher, and we tasted it in advance for our readers who observe Passover. It is also available at an excellent price because of the U.S. dollar to Israeli shekel exchange rate. It has aromas of black currant, clove, blueberry, black raspberry, and leather with flavors of red raspberry, fig, chocolate, black plum, cassis, and just a touch of tobacco leaf in the finish.
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Optik 2022 French Camp Petite Sirah Highlands District Paso Robles Central Coast California
Image Credit: Optik Paso Robles tends to have warmer temperatures than the hillsides of Napa and Sonoma Valleys, but French Camp Vineyard is one of the highest in the appellation and can have up to a 50-degree temperature change between bright sunny days and cool, windy nights. This factor contributes to the bold flavors and bright acidity found in many wines made from grapes sourced here. Fruit used to produce Optik 2022 Petite Sirah was harvested from this vineyard, and the resulting wine has bright, balanced acidity and aromas of ripe black plum, cigar box, and black raspberry with slightly grippy, firm tannins supporting big bold flavors of black raspberry, cassis, blueberry, red raspberry, and red currant.
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Adaptation by Odette 2022 Petite Sirah Napa Valley California
Image Credit: Odette Adaptation by Odette is part of the PlumpJack collection of wines, which was originally founded by Gavin Newsom on San Francisco’s Fillmore Street in 1992. Since then, the PlumpJack Group has grown to include founder Gordon Getty, general manager John Conover, and a team of excellent winemakers. Grapes for this excellent Petite Sirah are sourced from vineyards in Napa Valley. Adaptation 2022 has fruity aromas of red cassis, red raspberry, and black plum with soft, rounded tannins and flavors of cassis, black raspberry, blueberry, and a touch of cigar box in the elegant finish.
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Robert Biale Vineyards 2023 Royal Punishers Petite Sirah Napa Valley California
Image Credit: Robert Biale We love the fascinating history of Robert Biale Vineyards as told by the current generation. The story goes that in the 1940s, Robert’s father, Aldo, would help his mother sell homegrown produce over the telephone to supplement the family’s income. But at that time, Napa Valley had a multi-user “party line” phone system, so the family developed the codeword gallina nera or “black chicken,” and Aldo would include a jug of bootleg Zinfandel with the order. Robert Biale Vineyards continues to produce fantastic Zinfandel, but for this article, we’re writing about its delicious Petite Sirah. The 2023 is ruby-garnet, almost purple colored in the glass. It has enticing aromas of black plum, blueberry, and cinnamon that transition to juicy flavors of blackberry, blueberry, tobacco leaf, and nutmeg on the palate.
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Ridge 2022 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah Dry Creek Valley Sonoma California
Image Credit: Ridge Dr. Osea Perrone founded Ridge in 1885 when he purchased 180 acres of land, planted vineyards, and eventually dug a cellar to store the wines he was producing. Although Ridge is better known for their Monte Bello and Zinfandel wines, it makes an amazing under-the-radar Sonoma County Petite Sirah from its Lytton Estate vineyard. The “upper vineyard” sits at an altitude of 2,600 feet and is called the Perrone Ranch in the founder’s honor. Ridge 2022 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah is decidedly purple in the glass with aromas of black currant, red currant, and black plum with soft velvety tannins and flavors of blueberry, charcuterie, red raspberry confiture, black raspberry, and brown baking spices.
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Aratas Wine 2019 Petite Sirah Napa Valley California
Image Credit: Aratas The name Aratas Wine honors the Chohany family’s Hungarian heritage and translates roughly to “golden harvest.” Vintner Stephanie Douglas and winemaker Matt Sunseri have joined forces to make an excellent 100 percent Petite Sirah made from grapes grown and harvested at the Carpy Connolly Ranch in Rutherford. The wine is aged for 28 months in 30 percent new Hungarian oak barrels and then gets two more years of cellar time after bottling. The 2019 vintage represents the winery’s current release. Inky purple in the glass, it has aromas of violet, brown baking spices, and ripe black fruits. It is soft and silky with flavors of black olive tapenade, black plum, and blackberry.
