Lytton estate petite sirah 2019 (Ridge)

Cellar for up to 15 years. No need to decant before serving. Ridge Vineyards captured the attention of the wine world following the 1976 "Judgment of Paris" tasting where top French wines were tasted blind alongside leading Californian wines. The Monte Bello Cabernet was placed fifth, ahead of several top-rated French wines, proving the quality and winemaking talent of California’s fledgling wine industry. This elegant Petite Sirah is a perfect combination of rich, ripe dark fruit flavours balanced by freshness, a well-developed structure, and smooth tannins. The estate’s oldest Petite Sirah grapes were planted in 1901 and the youngest in 2008 which gives a tremendous complexity to the finished wine. On the nose there are rich dried fruit, fig and dark plum notes which deepen into cassis and crushed wild berry flavours on the palate. In the winery each of the vineyard’s seven plots are vinified separately and then tasted blind to decide the composition of the final blend. The wine is then aged in oak barrels for 12 months which adds sweet spiced hints and extra character. The result is an intense, multi-layered Petite Sirah which can be cellared for at least a decade or more or enjoyed now paired with hearty meat stews, game dishes, or a prime steak.