Parducci True Grit Reserve Petite Sirah 2019
Let's just get a few concepts clear. Parducci wines in their True Grit series have very little to do with John Wayne. Sorry, all you movieaholics, cinephiles, or devotes to the silver screen, Marion Robert Morrison (John Wayne's actual name), in not getting paid by Parducci for endorsements. Fun fact, Marion got the nickname Duke from the local firemen at a station he walked by daily on his way to high school. Marion never went anywhere without his dog, a huge Airedale Terrier named Duke, so they called the boy Little Duke. He liked Duke a whole lot better than Marion, and the nickname stuck through college football, 175 movies, and an Oskar for a movie called True Grit. But I digress. Don't get me started on how after college, Duke was hired by a friend of his football coach, Tom Mix, who was good friends with Wyatt Earp. Wayne later credited much of his walk, talk, and persona to his acquaintance and time spent with Wyatt Earp.
The term "True Grit" refers to a type of toughness or courage or someone or something that perseveres in the face of frictions. The term is also a homage to Parducci's founding father, Adolpho Parducci, and his sons when they started Mendocino's oldest winery. A time when vineyards were tilled by horse and plow before tractors were invented. The winery was built by their own hands in 1932, and when it was time to bottle, it was done by gravity with hoses, and corks were driven home in the bottle by mallets. The grape that Adolpho and his son used to make their first wine was Petite Sirah, the most popular planted grape in 1930's California.
Californian growers began planting the Petite Sirah grape as far back as 1884. The grape started appearing in Australia in 1908. Originally of French origin, known as Durif in Southern France and today hard to find except in one small appellation in Provence. In the grapes heyday, 7,285 acres were planted to Petite Sirah in the 1930s. Petite Sirah was immensely popular with home winemakers during Prohibition because its thick skins let it travel well. The wines it creates are surprisingly modern in that big boozy way when you don't really want to know what you are waking up to tomorrow. I saw one description of Petite Sirah wine as "so big, rich, and dumb it should be a contestant on The Bachelorette." It's also the wine that nourished a generation of Northern California gold miners. Parducci has earned its reputation for making top-tier Petite Sirah. In the 1960s, they were one of the first in California to bottle the grape as a single-varietal wine. All the more impressive since the grape Petite Sirah was only recognized as a single varietal via DNA in 1997. Currently, close to 10,000 acres of vines are planted to Petite Sirah in California, with 170 wineries bottling the varietal and the sixth most popular red grape grown in California today. Although this may sound impressive at its face value, it is still small compared to other grapes. California has 620,000 acres planted to wine grapevines as of 2020.
"There's nothing petite about Petite Sirah" is the common refrain for this robust red grape with a one-two punch of complex tannins and searing acidity, making it an excellent candidate for aging in the cellar. "Petite" here refers to the small, intensely colored berries that make Petite Sirah such a distinctive variety. A hybrid of Peloursin and Syrah developed by French botanist François Durif in the 1800s; it never caught on much in the Old World. A history of as a mixer grape to add body, color, alcohol, and tannins to a wine blend. No wonder it is popular in California and Australia and not found everywhere else, including France.
Petite Sirah drinkers are passionate about their wine. In 2002 a Petite Sirah symposium was sponsored and held at Foppiano Vineyards. Primary industry Petite Sirah growers, producers, and winemakers were present. This group also included Dr. Carole Meredith, the University of California at Davis geneticist, who has successfully proven and declared that Petite Sirah is a synonym for Durif to settle all conflicting stories about the grape's origin. At the symposium, all aspects of Petite Sirah were addressed, from soil to vineyards, winemaking, and marketing. Following the event, an evaluation was distributed, then collected. A resounding 90 percent of respondents were of a single mind: form a Petite Sirah group whose sole function and focus is to support a marketing/public relations effort for Petite Sirah. This group of 100 major wine producers and Petite Sirah lovers is known as "P.S. I Love You." Chase Thornhill, Owner of Mendocino Wine Company/Parducci Wines, is on the board of directors. Other members are Stags Leap, Trentadue, Vina Robles, Michael-David Vineyards, Ridge Vineyards, Foppiano, and many more.
In 2004, A joint venture between local Mendocino entrepreneur Paul Dolan (former owner of Fetzer and Bonterra wines) and the Thornhill family from Texas gave new life to Parducci Family Cellars. Today Mr. Dolan is no longer a partner on the winery, but three generations of the Thornhill family have given new life to the property through significant investments. Tim Thornhill, Chief Operating Officer, along with brother Tom and father Tommy, are working hard to take this landmark winery back to its roots. You might say they are showing 'True Grit.'
Tim's background as a landscape designer, arborist, and horticulturist expert made a statement on the property. Since the Thornhill family took over the estate, quality and production improved while reducing the consumption of natural resources. A once smelly purple retention pond, after the addition of waterfalls and bubbly streams, is a thriving habitat for frogs, turtles, fish, insects, and birds that now flock to the cleaned-up pond. The winery can recycle 100% of the water usage using 20% less water, saving 30 million gallons annually. In 2008 they became the very first carbon-neutral winery in the United States to operate on 100% green power, equipped with an extensive array of solar panels and windmills. The accolades received by the Mendocino Wine Company are many. From the certified wildlife habitat to being certified biodynamic, organic, fish-friendly, and California sustainable.
In an effort to be self-sufficient, Parducci turned a 15-acre unproductive plot of land into a thriving garden with approximately a thousand varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruit, and other crops. Additionally, there are twelve acres of pasture and wild forage land where eighty sheep and six pigs graze. Parducci Wine Cellars also has 200 chickens. The winery's 70 employees can take home the produce grown at the garden twice a week and a dozen eggs weekly.

Parducci's True Grit Petite Sirah is that type of wine that reminds you of Hollywood's U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, "indomitable of spirit, enduring and steadfast, rugged and appealing." A character in the movie True Grit played by Best Actor nominee Jeff Bridges in 2010 and Best Actor Oskar award-winning actor John Wayne in 1969. Truthfully, I believe the title True Grit had to do with the strength and resolve of the main character, 14-year-old miss Mattie Ross, but there I go again, digressing. 
Certainly fair to say this wine is big, brutish, and powerful with very little subtlety. If you are a fan of big monster wines like Bogle Phantom, The Prisoner, Earthquake, Machete, Conundrum, you should know Petite Sirah is a significant component of these wines. Why? Because it can be a big brutish wine that evolves in the glass and the bottle. If pictures can say a thousand words, the label of True Grit bears a line-drawing of a pair of boots with spurs and the words "indomitable of spirit, enduring and steadfast, rugged and appealing." Saddle up, boys and girls; it's gonna be a fun ride.
Winemaker Notes
The True Grit Petite Sirah has heady aromas of oak, nutmeg, and black pepper, followed by a lively rush of fresh blackberry, anise, plum, and vanilla flavors. This bold wine boasts soft tannins and a broad, rich texture.
Vegan. Produced in a "California Certified Sustainable Winery" (CCSW)
Accolades
2019 True Grit Reserve Petite Sirah (Mendocino). The deep, dark, inky color of this full-bodied and tannic wine is a good indicator of how intense and concentrated its blackberry, blueberry, and charcoal flavors are. Quite firm and gripping in texture, this impressive beast will age almost indefinitely. Wine Enthusiast, Top 100 Wine 92 pts
This Week's Wine Insider Offer
Parducci True Grit Reserve Petite Sirah 2019

I have always liked Parducci's Petite Sirah. A long time ago, as a wine salesperson for a local distributor, I drove John Parducci around in the market. Although he makes excellent Chardonnay and Cabernet, much of his passion was in this true Californian grape Petite Sirah. Perhaps it was because it reflected a lot about him. At the time, he was in his late 60's, but he had that primal power, clarity, and wisdom that only time can give you. I see that in Petite Sirah, big, pure, and very impressive. The staff thought this also when we tasted it, big dark fruit flavors, with complex flavors of licorice, black pepper, and spice, with noticeable tannins and acid to make all those flavors bright on the palate and a short finish that leaves you wanting the next sip. It surprised us that it has 15% alcohol; monster fruit and weight of the wine seemed to balance it out; still, this wine should not be drunk near open flames. This wine is a true experience now and will probably keep you entertained for years to come. Quantities are limited.
Regular Price: $17.99
*Sale price is on 6 or more bottles, wine is packed in a 12 bottle case.
$3 a bottle Mail-In-Rebate. MIR is good for up to 12 bottles
Final cost after MIR $9 a bottle
How To Place Your Order
To order, simply send an email to your preferred Yankee Spirits superstore with one of the addresses to the right, along with:

Your Name
So we know who to hold the order for and your name is not always obvious by your email.

Desired Quantity
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How'd you like to pay
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  • Unpaid Hold: We can hold orders as unpaid for the duration of this promotion, but cannot guarantee fulfillment on them.
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All request are processed during business hours and in the order they are received. We'll confirm your order via email within 48 hours and when it is ready for pickup. Unless otherwise specified, promotional pricing ends two weeks from email send date.
YANKEE SPIRITS
STORE LOCATIONS
James Taylor
Don Ackerman
John Hannum
Barbara Holt
Pricing is subject to change without notice once this promotion ends in two weeks or when we run out of product. Whichever comes first.
Place your order now with the store contacts above, while you've got all the information at your fingertips.

Cheers!

John Hannum, Fine & Rare Wine Specialist
Attleboro
628 Washington St.
Norwood
942 Providence Hgwy.
Sturbridge
376 Main Street.
Swansea
207 Swansea Mall Dr.
Monday-Thursday
9AM to 9PM
Friday-Saturday
9AM to 10PM
Sunday
10AM to 6PM
We reserve the right to limit quantities. You must be at least 21 years of age to purchase/consume alcohol. Please drink responsibly. Not responsible for typographical errors. Rebate quantities are subject to limitation by the manufacturer. These alcoholic beverages may be subject to payment of Connecticut or Rhode Island Alcoholic Beverage Tax and Connecticut Use Tax, and may be subject to seizure as contraband.