Ridge Vineyards Lytton Estate Petite Sirah 2021

Ridge calls its approach pre-industrial winemaking, and it is no marketing pose: organically farmed estate vineyards, native yeast fermentations, minimal handling, and long aging in American rather than French oak, overseen at Lytton Springs by head winemaker John Olney. This 100 percent Petite Sirah comes from the Lytton Estate in Dry Creek Valley, where the oldest of the gnarled, head-trained vines date to 1901. The 2021 was fermented whole-berry on indigenous yeasts, completed malolactic on naturally occurring bacteria, and spent sixteen months in air-dried American oak barrels, just 15 percent new. Cracked black pepper, blackberry, violets, and cocoa up front; the palate is a deep well of blue and black fruit with substantial, well-coated tannins. A brooding counterpoint to the estate's celebrated Zinfandel blend, and built to cellar.