I think I'm one of the last people to taste this wine--it was used for a local online tasting, I've seen dozens of reviews of it by fellow winebloggers, but I'm just getting around to it. The Roommate is terrified of clowns, so perhaps subconsciously I was concerned about bringing a circus-themed wine into the house. The 2007 Michael David Petite Petit, $18, 14.5% abv, hails from Lodi in California and is comprised of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot. Obviously a cute idea to pair two small, powerful grapes with similar names, but this wine isn't a gimmick. Paul and I sat down to a couple of big, well-marbled ribeyes and opened up this bottle.
Leather and bacon fat, deep stewed plum aroma. Full blackberry flavor with a touch of black pepper. Vibrant magenta-purple, the big berry juice lasts for a long time afterward.
Design-wise this label is something of a jumbled mess with too much going on, but if you tell somebody to pick up the circus wine with elephants on the front there's not going to be much confusion. Still, it reminds me of a MAD Magazine fold-in by Al Jaffee. Perhaps the sides of the elephants turn into the middle of a plum, with the title "PIT".
8 comments:
HA! Al Jaffee fold-ins...always entertaining in my youth (although I probably didn't get some of the humor).
Like you, one I've seen but never pounced on. I like PS and PV, and I imagine one from Lodi is a real sh*tkicker. I'm programmed to stay away from cute labels, but more and more are plastered to a bottle full of real juice.
Joe,
It's worth checking out. Very fruity but not a fruit bomb, if that makes sense. I'm surprised it's still this bright and vibrant after a few years.
Side note on Mad: William Gaines, who started the magazine in 1952 and ran it until his death in 1992, was a big wine collector and would occasionally fill up the office water cooler with serious vintage wine.
Cheers,
Benito
I was pleasantly surprised with this wine, too, when I blogged about it. Like Joe, I assume the worst about wines with brands/labels like this, but this one delivers.
Great call on the Al Jaffee fold-ins, BTW.
Jim,
I'm still waiting on an authentic Boris Vallejo or Frank Frazetta wine label. A California red blend called "The Blood of Conquered Enemies" would be perfect. I'm talking about a wine label so awesome it deserves to be airbrushed on the side of a 1983 Ford Custom Van.
Cheers,
Benito
Ha! Nice review. It is really good wine :D I am the graphic artist that designed the label. Anyone who spends any amount of time at the winery or knows the owners would see how fitting this label is. It really is like a circus and the owners are like rock stars. Anywho, glad you liked the wine. A Jaffe fold-in label would be awesome!
Ben
Ben,
Thanks for dropping by, and congratulations on a very memorable label!
Cheers,
Benito
Hi Ben. I work at a small package store and want to put names with the label art. Would you be okay with that? I hope that is not a rude question, but I feel as though label artists are never credited for their work.
Well 14 years later and Further on Up the Road my wife found this morning an empty bottle of Petite Petit in the wine cabinet. Seems she found it in the Women's bathroom of the World's Largest County Fair LA County Fair here in my hometown Pomona CA. It has a gold label #268 from probably the wine tasting contest. I see it still around here in 2024 so going to the local wine store to purchase it. Thanks for the information and comments on a Elephant of a Wine
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