A tannic wine so dark it can stain your teeth purple, Petite Sirah has traditionally contributed color and structure to field blends made with Zinfandel and other red wine grapes. Like Zin, Petite Sirah had humble origins in Europe—in this case, France, as an obscure grape known as Durif—though it didn’t really come into its own until it took root in California. Giovanni Foppiano’s founding of his namesake winery in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley in the late 19th century coincided with extensive planting of Petite Sirah in the region on the heels of the devastating phylloxera epidemic. Now in its fifth generation of family ownership and management, Foppiano has made Petite Sirah its flagship wine since first bottling it as a single varietal in 1967. Although often cast in a supporting role, Petite Sirah can be profoundly satisfying when given the spotlight, as Foppiano has so convincingly demonstrated for more than half a century. In the latest vintage of this estate-grown wine, ripe black fruit and spice aromas and flavors lead off, leaving a coating of fine-grained tannins and a faint hint of vanilla on the finish. The tannins melt into something magical when paired with hearty winter fare like short ribs (though this wine shines with grilled burgers and barbecue in the summer, too).