2022 Ridge - Petite Sirah Sonoma Lytton Estate (750ml)

Ridge Vineyards traces back to 1885, when Osea Perrone planted vines and built a stone winery near the top of Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Three Stanford Research Institute engineers, Dave Bennion, Hew Crane, and Charlie Rosen, bought the abandoned property in 1959 and re-bonded the winery for the 1962 vintage. Paul Draper joined as winemaker in 1969 and spent nearly five decades shaping Ridge's hands-off, terroir-focused philosophy, one that helped the winery's 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet place among the top wines at the famed Judgment of Paris. Lytton Springs, in Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley, became part of the Ridge estate in 1991.

This Petite Sirah is sourced entirely from the western blocks of the Lytton Estate, planted with vines dating as far back as 1901. Ridge farms the site organically, among the largest certified organic vineyard holdings in Sonoma County, and the 2022 fruit was hand-harvested following an early September heat spike that pushed temperatures past 115 degrees. The grapes were fermented whole-berry with native yeasts, underwent natural malolactic fermentation, and aged sixteen months in air-dried American oak.

The wine is deep and structured, with aromas of black raspberry, plum, and dried rose petal layered over signature oak spice. On the palate it's rich and mouth-filling, showing ripe purple fruit and firm, well-coated tannins that lead into a peppery, lingering finish. Its power suits braised short ribs, grilled venison, or a rustic lamb stew.