The End of Crane Lake Petite Sirah?

If there is a Wine Thrift Hall of Fame, Crane Lake's Petite Sirah might well be the first wine enshrined.

I have experience with the 2003 and 2004 Crane Lake Petite Sirah. Upon cursory investigation, however, I regret to inform you that it seems Crane Lake has not put out a petite sirah for 2005, much less 2006. This is a real shame.

I could pick up my Crane Lake petite sirah for $3.99/bottle here in St. Louis. Either at Schnuck's or the Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton.

Crane Lake's petite sirah was my go-to wine. It was a good value. A dark, inky wine that was highly versatile. Mostly, I liked to open a bottle late at night and drink out of the bottle while reading. I figured, "Hey, it's only $3.99. I'll go pick up another bottle tomorrow. No big deal."

And, too, I found I could age the Crane Lake petite sirah a little bit. I'm not talking about ten years here. But I opened a Crane Lake petite sirah 2003 last week and there's wasn't a single thing wrong with it. I thought I detected just a bit more depth, grit, dirt. I remarked that the Crane Lake petite sirah could probably be consumed five years past label. And who knows: maybe six or seven? I have aged some other petite sirah (Clay Station, Lodi, 2002) and wow was that stuff good.

Well, the infamous Crane days have drawn to a close, it seems. Now the search begins for "The Next Crane Lake." Sure, Crane Lake puts out a merlot, a cabernet sauvignon, a chardonnay, a sauvignon blanc. But that petite sirah was special.