Winemaker Notes
Deep, dark, inky purple in color. Nose of freshly cracked pepper, ripe blackberry, violets, cocoa and minerality. Juicy blue and black fruit on the palate with well coated tannins and a lengthy finish.
Blend: 100% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The Ridge Petite Syrah from 115-year-old, gnarly, bush-trained vines at the Lytton Springs estate. Farmed organically and with a deference to the site's tremendous history. The tannins are undeniable in this variety, known for its prominent structure, but Ridge manages to coax elegance from this burly big grape. That said, it is a wine meant to be drunk in time and is likely best after 2030. Big violet aromatics, boysenberries and dashes of white pepper leap forward. The palate shows a depth of fruit, a black peppery character aided by the tannins, with black tea, ripe, juicy fig flesh and notes of tart early-season blackberries finishing long and fresh.
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Vinous
Comprising 100% Petite Sirah from Ridge’s Lytton Estate in the Dry Creek Valley, the 2021 Petite Sirah Estate is a brooding, savory, forbiddingly tannic red that clubs you over the head with power and intensity. Leather, oil-cured olive, lavender and sappy blackberry fruit run through this particularly rustic, animalistic edition of Lytton Petite. The fruit is plush and velvety beneath the monstrous structure, but it’s going to take a while to settle this beast down.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
2021 Lytton Estate is one of their top efforts. This wine offers aromas and flavors of fragrant spice box, compelling gamey notes, and stones-in-the-desert. Pair this wine with a slow-cooked pot roast. (Tasted: September 22, 2024, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
A 100% petite sirah that showcases the variety’s intensity without totally overwhelming your senses. A deep, inky color with potent blueberry syrup and black pepper aromas, then a flood of dark chocolate and blackberry jam that a firm layer of tannins keeps from being sweet. Full-bodied. It will truly benefit from aging. Best after 2029.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Petite Sirah Lytton Estate opens with initial touches of tar and struck flint that give way to black cherries and currants, wild thyme, pencil shavings, coffee grounds and earth. The full-bodied palate is elegantly styled, its chalky tannins nestled into concentrated, perfumed flavors. Its vibrant acidity adds to its elegance, and it has a long, latent finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This dense Petite Sirah highlights the varietal’s earthier, more savory elements, showcasing blackberry, cinnamon and black pepper on the nose. The palate is firmly structured with tons of tannin and acid that should soften nicely over time.
RIDGE's history begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor and prominent member of San Francisco's Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He planted vineyards and constructed a winery of redwood and native limestone in time to produce the first vintage of Monte Bello in 1892. The historic building now serves as the RIDGE production facility.
In 1962, Ridge Vineyards made its first Monte Bello, and two years later its first zinfandel. The RIDGE approach is straightforward: find the most intense and flavorful grapes, guide the natural process, draw all the fruit's richness into the wine. Decisions on when to pick, when to press, when to rack, what varietals and what parcels to include and when to bottle, are based on taste. To retain the nuances that increase complexity, Ridge winemakers handle the grapes and wine as gently as possible. There are no recipes, only attention and sensitivity.
In August 2021, Ridge Vineyards joined International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), a group of like-minded wineries that are dedicated to decarbonizing the global wine industry. RIDGE is committed to achieving Net Zero by 2050 and completes a biannual greenhouse gas audit utilizing the World Resources Institute Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol methodology and be verified by an internationally accredited, third-party auditor.
With its deep color, firm tannins and bold flavors, there is nothing petite about Petite Sirah. The variety, originally known as Durif in the Rhône, took on its more popular moniker after being imported to California in the early 1880s. Quintessentially recognized today as a grape of the Golden State, Petite Sirah works well blended with Zinfandel and finds success as a single varietal wine in the state’s warmer districts. Somm Secret—Petite Sirah is not a smaller version of Syrah but it is an offspring of Syrah and the now nearly extinct French Alpine variety called Peloursin.
A multifaceted and highly reputable sub-region of Sonoma, Dry Creek Valley is responsible for a wide range of wine styles—both red and white. One of the smallest AVAs in California, Dry Creek Valley has a winning combination of ideal geography and climate. Fertile, well-drained soils create concentrated varietal character while long, warm days, bookended by cool nights, allow grapes to reach full phenolic ripeness and balance. The warm and welcoming appellation is home to a number of family-owned vineyards and wineries that place a strong emphasis on sustainable farming practices.
Zinfandel reigns supreme here and still produces in a great number of very old vineyards—often 100 years old or older. These old vines create a powerful, voluptuous and sultry wine unlike those of any other region. Sauvignon Blanc, the valley’s signature white grape, also performs exceptionally well. Many other varieties grow comfortably here, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Syrah. Petite Sirah is often found in blends with Zinfandel.