WINEMAKER'S NOTES:
Dark opaque black color, briary blackberry fruit nose with a hint of pepper, full bodied, well coated tannins on the palate, vanilla mint and floral notes with a long finish.
Blend: 100% Petite Sirah
TASTING NOTES:
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.
- Jeb Dunnuck, 95 pts.
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.
- Decanter, 94 pts.
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.
- James Suckling, 92 pts.
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.
- Vinous, 92 pts.
