Found primarily in California, Petite Sirah makes big, rich wines showing lots of pepper and spice overlaid by dense black fruit with plenty of tannin. Its opaque, inky purple and black color makes it a useful blending agent to increase depth of color in Zinfandel. Petite Sirah’s high tannin and sometimes inert nature allows it to age easily, in some cases for a couple of decades. That said, many producers are learning how to temper the chewy tannins and are making more approachable wine for near term drinking. Its identity is still somewhat a mystery with DNA tests showing similarities between the southern French varietal Durif, Syrah, Peloursin, an obscure Rhone varietal, and a Peloursin Durif crossing.