Phil and Eric Titus

It’s California magic, a small dollop of which enhances color and provides the deepest purple brushstroke to Cabernet, Merlot, even Zinfandel. The grape is Petite Sirah, and, when it’s right, it accounts for some of the most hedonistically sumptuous red wines in Napa Valley. Why don’t you see more of it? First, it’s not often right. Second, when it is, it can be hands-off expensive.

We were at Eric and Phil Titus’s place on Silverado Trail. In the midst of St. Helena’s high-rent district, the Tituses remain resolute and modest — the ultimate Napa Valley pragmatists. Eric and Phil’s mom was driving the tractor when the boys were in high school and college, and the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. As we pulled into the tasting room driveway and spotted the ‘76 Cutlass Supreme under Eric’s fig tree — well, that kind of said it all.

The tasting room was modest, but Phil’s fabulous reds were anything but. We had tasted through some beautifully crafted Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel when we came to “The Experiment” — an incredibly rich, compact, luscious 2006 Petite Sirah with perfectly integrated tannins. This is the definition of Napa Valley hedonism in a bottle.

“Yeah,” noted Eric, a marine biologist turned viticulturalist. “We always grew some Petite Sirah for blending purposes, but in 2006 and 2007, we decided to make a pure Petite. It’s great,” he said, shaking his head as the explosively deep cassis-like aromas washed over the room. “Too bad no one buys it!”

The key to this Petite is the superb concentration at the core of the wine — the kind of delicious, tight, ripe-berry middle you only find with highly concentrated small clusters. And it’s something else. Petite is known for its concentration, but also for its often rustic tannins. Here the tannins were ripe and lush, in perfect counterpoint to that opulent kernel. Phil, whose day job is at Chappellet, where he’s the head winemaker, explained why:

“The berries are small and the skin is delicate. But these skins are loaded with pigment and tannin. As soon as you crush the stuff, the color is ink. It took a while to get it right, but by not harvesting overripe berries, pressing early, we’re able to get tons of extraction while maintaining elegance in the finish.”

Tasting Notes from the WineAccess Travel Log

“Deep, deep purple/black color. Explosive aromas of cassis and blueberries, tightly honed. Rich, concentrated and powerful on the palate with a kernel of small cluster purple fruit at the core. Deeply layered and lush. Fine finish with enough firm tannins to balance the opulence, but not more. In perfect balance. Drink now-2014.”