I have reached a point in my wine tasting journey where I would rather wait for a good wine than drink just anything. House wines rarely do it for me anymore making it hard to eat out affordably and have a good wine. The mark us is understandable, but tough to pay knowing the actual retail cost of different wines. So, I find I would rather go home and get a good bottle out of my lovingly built private stock. Ah, the perils of food pairing!
I have found through my travels in the last year a particularly enjoyable, rich, full-bodied red blend by Michael David out of Lodi, CA, called Petite Petit. (The Wine Girls will agree with me on this.) Petite Petit is 85% Petite Syrah and 15% Petit Verdot, hence the name. This dry red explodes with sumptuous dark fruit flavors but is smooth and has a wonderfully lingering finish.
MD's website (
www.michaeldavidwinery.com) refers to this blend as a "whopper style of wine" and uses descriptors such as "substantial" and "loaded." Drinking a fine wine is not a side dish for a meal or nondescript prop for social events, it should be a beautiful centerpiece.
This wine stops conversation in mid-sentence as this lucious, round elixir caresses the tongue, coats the mouth, and tickles those olfactory nerves. Pause. Sigh. Repeat! No doubt, Petite Petit is a rich experience, and a deep, joyous distraction from the mundane.
You can generally find it for under $20. I buy mine at one of my favorite wine bars - Grappa Growlers.
