Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Petite Sirah
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Petite Sirah Lytton Estate is made from 100% Petite Sirah from Lytton Estate. The small berries make for a classic, peppery varietal wine that smells like cotton candy and pepper, tart red fruit more than blue, and has great acidity retention. Spicy, broad-shouldered, and softly tannic, it will do well with cellaring. Aged in 15-20% new oak, all American, it presents as quite floral and is supremely balanced and focused. Medium-bodied, the texture stands out, rich and complex in purple fruit. It should drink best from 2028 through 2032.
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Decanter
The Petite Sirah comes from the western blocks of Ridge’s Lytton Springs estate in Dry Creek Valley. The 2022 grapes were picked just after an early September heat spike, with temps soaring past 115°F. The Ridge team credits both the site and the variety’s resilience for holding steady in the heat. The result is a dense, concentrated wine, inky in the glass, as you’d expect from Petite Sirah, but not overly heavy. There’s a mix of black raspberry, plum, and earthy-toned dried flowers on the nose, with that signature Ridge oak spice layered in. The palate is lush and mouth-filling, showcasing deep fruit that leans just a touch toward candied notes, with a peppery, spicy finish that lends the wine lift. Still very young - give it a couple of years in bottle.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2022 Ridge Lytton Estate Petite Sirah displays a vivid ruby-purple color and opens with inviting aromas of freshly crushed berries layered with subtle hints of dried spice. On the palate, it offers a rich interplay of ripe, grapey fruit and gentle oak nuances, creating depth and texture. Bold yet polished, this wine pairs beautifully with a Rhône-style lamb stew simmered with rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and a touch of smoked paprika — a dish whose savory, herb-laced flavors and slow-cooked richness echo the wine’s dark fruit and spice-driven character. (Tasted: September 19, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Deeply brooding aromas of black olives, black cherry compote, baking spices, cured meats and earth. The palate is full-bodied with a viscous mouthfeel and firmly framed tannins balanced by a bright, focused acidity. Ripe with some restraint.
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Vinous
The 2022 Petite Sirah Lytton Estate is dark, brooding and unapologetically wild. A musky, slightly feral note runs through layers of dense blackberry and plum. It’s tight and compact through the mid-palate, then slams into a wall of prickly, chewy tannins. Even so, the fruit is plush and opulent, hinting at the textural smoothness that will emerge with time. Right now, the 2022 is still finding its footing.
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.