Wine of the week: BARRA of Mendocino, 2018 Mendocino Petite Sirah

Bella Collina means “beautiful hillside” in Italian, and the grapes groomed on this 900-foot-high perch in Mendocino County tend to be intense.

This is the case with our high-altitude wine of the week winner — the BARRA of Mendocino, 2018 Mendocino Petite Sirah at $26.

“The Barra family has something very special happening on their hilltop vineyard,” said Randy Meyer, the winemaker who crafted the bottling. “We talk about whether it’s the elevation or the terroir, the slope or the lack of water. Is it our organic farming practices or the clone itself? Most certainly, it’s a combination of all these factors that contribute to the quality fruit we get from this vineyard. It’s low tonnage, but it’s intense!”

With a tease of black raspberry, this edgy petite sirah has powerful fruit. It’s a touch tart, which makes it even more interesting, and the wine also has cedar and black pepper in the mix. Balanced with crisp acid, it’s striking. (It’s currently rolling over to the 2019 vintage.)

“Petite sirah can be a bit of a cult wine because of its tannin structure and intensity, but we feel that this wine really shows off what we can do both in the vineyard and in the cellar,” Meyer said. “Our petite is also unique in that it is made with 100% estate-grown, certified organic grapes.”

Contrary to what some might think, petite sirah is not just a “little” version of syrah, he said. It’s a true grape variety that is the offspring of syrah and peloursin. Also known as Durif, it was first documented in France in the early 1800s and found its way to the U.S. in the mid-1800s.

Following the advice of vintners Karl Wente and Louis Martini in the early 1960s, the late Charlie Barra began planting the petite sirah varietal, which was known as an excellent blending grape because of its deep color and intense tannins.

In addition to the weave of petite sirah vines, the 27-acre Bella Collina hilltop vineyard is also home to zinfandel and 200 Leccino, Frantoio and Arbequina organic olive trees. The family harvests the olives in late fall, usually around October, and bottles its unfiltered, first-press Bella Collina Olive Oil.

The premier product at BARRA of Mendocino, naturally, has always been wine. Growing grapes in Mendocino County for more than 65 years, organic farming pioneer Barra planted his first vineyard in Redwood Valley in 1955. Today, wife Martha and her children Shawn and Shelley continue Barra’s legacy, farming more than 300 acres of organically grown grapes.

As for the winning petite sirah, Meyer said it might surprise you.

“Petite sirahs can make your lips stick to your teeth because of the dense tannins, but ours doesn’t fall into this category,” he said. “We strive for a balance of fruit, a small amount of toasty oak, velvety tannins and a squid-ink color. It will improve over time and can be cellared for 10 to 15 years.”

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.