This wine is what Relic is all about! In almost every other corner of the Valley, the once prolific Petite Sirah has been pulled out systematically to plant Cabernet Sauvignon. The Frediani family, who protects this varietal and farms these grapes, has been in Calistoga for four generations, and Al, of the 2nd generation, continues to farm them in this famous corner of the Napa Valley. These 70+ year-old vines, which Al planted with his father in the 1940's, produce a wine with a blast of rich dark fruit and spice, as well as a copious array of floral aromatics. The lush, palate-staining mouthfeel and exceptionally long finish, make this wine one for the ages.
Petite Sirah thrives in the heat and rocky soils of Calistoga, where Al Frediani planted these vines with his father in the 1940s. This 2009 is the first vintage Mike Hirby made from the vineyard at Relic. It starts off with the purple berry richness of petite, the fruit gliding alongside substantial tannins without giving ground to them. Air supercharges the fruit and it shifts into overdrive, rushing past the black rock tannins at speeds that turn it into silk. A dynamic young wine, this has a decade or more of development ahead.
Muscular yet still graceful, this dense, tannic and dark wine delivers dried lavender, charcoal and chicory aromatics. This shows plenty of richness to the deep huckleberry and blackberry pie flavors, with spice, mineral and loam details. Drink now through 2019.
