The leaves are changing quickly in the vineyards in Napa Valley from Carneros to Calistoga.  Each evening the temperature drops a bit lower and in the morning a gust of wind arrives from the nearby bay; autumn colored leaves from the vines drop to the vineyard floor, letting us know that fall is here and that winter’s rains are on their way. 

Afternoons are still warm in Napa Valley but in the evenings, the temperatures quickly drop and for wine aficionados who love complex, interesting dark red wines, a glass of Petite Sirah is a wonderful treat.

Petite Sirah is a varietal whose grape has an interesting history.  Today it is largely grown in California (as opposed to other parts of the world) and while it was originally considered to only be largely traced to the grape Durif, it has recently been tied to Syrah reigniting a long debate regarding the varietal’s origins.   In Napa Valley, there are a number of vintners who excel at making Petite Sirah but Vincent Arroyo takes passion to an art.

Vincent Arroyo Winery, located in Calistoga, is well-regarded for its Petite Sirah wines.  The winery touts that many of its Petite Sirahs are so popular that they are sold out upon release or often sooner as futures while still in the barrel.  Years ago I had the opportunity to cross paths with Vincent and when asked why he focuses on Petite Sirah, his enthusiastic answer (accompanied by a happy-go-lucky shrug of his shoulders) was as genuine as the dusty earth where his Calistoga vineyards grow:  “Because I like it!”

If you can stop in at the winery and taste from the barrel or upon release, you will quickly realize that these Petite Sirah wines are special.  For this week’s article, I opened a 2007 Rattlesnake Acres Petite Sirah (“2007 Rattlesnake Acres”) from Vincent Arroyo Winery.   My bottle was acquired a few years ago and allowed to age.   Presently the winery notes that the 2010 vintage is already sold out.  If you are able to taste either in the spring or in the fall bwhen the winery hosts a new release event, it would be advised to procure a bottle for now and a bottle to age.

 The 2007 Rattlesnake Acres six (6) years later still shows off bright yet elegant fruit.   The wine’s texture benefits from age as it is characterized by silky tannins and is wonderfully smooth.  The nose on the wine shows off ripe plums, blackberries and aromas of dusty Calistoga earth.  On the palate, clear dusty tannins run throughout, bits of chocolate, mocha and coffee intertwine with delicious black cherry and berry fruit.  The combination is beautifully balanced and as distinctive as art.  The dusty nature of the wine plus its inherent slightly tart fruit begs for an introduction to chocolate.

Many Petite Sirah wines pair beautifully with chocolate.  While it may be easy to pair a Petite Sirah with dessert, chocolate can be used in a variety of main courses.   Perhaps one of the most best known main course pairings is the traditional Mexican recipe of Mole Poblano.   In Mole Poblano, chocolate, nuts, garlic, spices and chile blend together to create a carefully blended and balanced sauce that infuses itself into chicken.

Using the Mole Poblano Chicken to create tacos, soft sweet white corn tortillas are carefully toasted, dressed with ribbons of garden picked arugula, topped with chicken, crumbled queso fresco and a dash of crema.  Arugula adds a sense of seasonality as the peppery green is growing in abundance in the garden right now.  Its spicy flavor profile compliments the Mole Poblano sauce in a friendly and intrinsically Californian way . . . giving the meal on the plate a close sense of locality as opposed to being from far away.

Coupling on the plate is a vegetable medley of sauteed zucchini and sweet onion.   While zucchini is a summer vegetable when it is flash-sauteed quickly with a high sear it can be tossed with cumin and garden fresh herbs, such as lemon thyme and oregano. 

The spices of the vegetables and also in the Mole Poblano mirror the slight peppery nature of the wine, the nutty nature of the Mole Poblano accentuates the earthy nature of the Petite Sirah and the Mexican chocolate in the Mole Poblano causes the sweet nature of the fruit in the wine to do a flip-turn and then some on the palate. 

All in all, whether it be a glass of Vincent Arroyo’s lovingly crafted Petite Sirah, a bit of decadent Mole Poblano Chicken or a combination thereof, you are in for a treat.