2014 Joseph Swan Vineyards, “Bastoni Vineyards” Petite Sirah, Sonoma County

Joseph Swan

Joseph Swan is known for being one of the first winemakers to bring Pinot Noir to Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley and to cultivate these grapes in such a way that they mirrored the Burgundian wines he admired.

Swan was a go-against-the-grain kind of guy. In 1969, when California winemakers were in the midst of eking out their own distinct style of wine, one that was separate and distinct from the Europeans who dominated the world wine market, Swan was looking for ways to recreate that magic Burgundian style in Sonoma County. 

He was still an airline pilot when he built his winery on the 11-acre plot in Western Sonoma County that he had purchased two years prior.

With his eyes set on France, Joe left the airline industry in 1974 and devoted his time to refining his winemaking style. He made his Pinot Noir and Zinfandel using whole cluster fermentation and manual punch-downs, processes common in Europe, but looked down upon in the US. Wine historians sometimes call Joe revolutionary in his thinking, and for his impact on the evolution of California wine. In other words, Joe wasn’t afraid to take risks with his wine, and take his winemaking in a direction that was out of step with the norms in the US. 

In an interview with the LA Times, current head winemaker, Ron Berglund, who was also Joe’s step-son-in-law, said, “Joe never made wine for the market, he made it for himself, and that’s because he didn’t want the pressures of marketing. He was one of the true artists in the industry who did it for the love of it, and he never had to compromise.”

The Joseph Swan Petite Sirah was a later addition to the Swan portfolio, which, beyond the popular Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, also includes Chardonnay, Syrah, Tannat, Grenache, Gewurztraminer, and Valdiguie.

Petite Sirah

There’s some interesting history behind the Petite Sirah grape. To begin with, the grape’s actual name isn’t ‘Petite Sirah’, rather, it’s called ‘Durif’, for the French botanist, Francois Durif, who discovered the hybrid grape in his greenhouse in the 1860s. 

Durif’s greenhouse was home to several French varieties including Peloursin, a now nearly extinct French variety, and Syrah. It seems as though the two vines spontaneously cross-pollinated at some point in the enclosure, and the result was a small-berried fruit that was highly tannic and acidic.

There are less than 10,000 acres of Petite Sirah planted today. Most of these plantings are found in California’s Sonoma County, Mendocino, Lodi, and Napa Valley, but also in Australia. Smaller plantings are scattered throughout Israel, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.

What’s the difference between petite Sirah and Syrah?

The Bastoni Vineyard is a charming, family-farmed vineyard that has been managed by the Bastonis since the early 1900s. Petite Sirah seems to love the cooler climate here, and the grapes exhibit less jammy characteristics than their cousins grown in warmer climes like Napa and the Central Valley.  

Aromas of plums, dark cherries, and black currant mix with the earthiness of white pepper and wet gravel. The neutral oak softens the tannins and acidity, but leaves the wine with a nice weight. Winemaker Ron Bergland once described the Swan Petite Sirah as a linebacker doing ballet, and it’s hard to come up with a better descriptor for this wine than that!

The wine is medium-plus in body and perfectly balanced—with relatively modest alcohol and great freshness guaranteeing more positive evolution still ahead. On the palate, you get most of the aromas plus black tea, and blueberry.