This is a petite sirah that I seem to have made in 2001, 20 years ago. The bin had that year on it, but I didn’t start keeping more careful records until a few years later, so I don’t know.
Petite Sirah is a hearty grape when younger–thick and assertive, and nearly black. This one became lighter over the years, in appearance and taste. It kept the dark fruit, and a slight oxidation made it sherry-like, and the bricking color did as well. This is a bottle for sipping and contemplation. Only one left…
This was an excellent pinot made with grapes from Weir vineyard in Mendocino County. Williams Selyem also makes a pinot from the same grapes. It is more of a cooler climate pinot, so it is more structured and less ripe/extracted but complex. Really nice.
Following up on the 2001 petit sirah, I opened a 2000 Lodi zinfandel. There was no trace of oxidation in this, just slightly muted fruit. No picture, because it looks just about like the petit, the same color and texture. But I did find a post from 2000 when I made it, on The Well:
drinks.155.141: (ernie) Wed 4 Oct 00 06:38
Just got back from ten days in Paris, where the wine prices
spoiled me rotten ($12 in a restaurant for a bottle of nice
Languedoc, $20 for a Morgon). But since I didn’t know when
this year’s grapes would come in, I didn’t order any in
advance. I was driving by the Oak Barrel and on a whim stopped
in and asked whether they had any red-wine grapes, any
variety, still available.
Bingo–the organic Zin had just come in, there was extra to be
had, and so, still exhausted from my 2AM arrival at SFO, at 5PM
I was wheeling 100 pounds of grapes through the streets of Berkeley
to my garage where they are beginning their merry ferment. These
grapes are from Lodi and are lighter in flavor and higher in acid
than the Amadors I have gotten in the past, so it will be an
interesting experience. But heck, I was disappointed that I wouldn’t
have the aroma of pressed grapes in the fine autumn air this
year, and now I do.
Yes, I think their styles similar to WS, but honestly it’s been a few years since I’ve had WS. Mainly because, as you note, their prices have gotten pretty steep. Talismans are similarly priced.
The WS Antonio’s field blend was shared by a friend who has access to these small batch experiments. Completely unknown mix of varietals, I’m guessing some Zin or Primitivo in the blend. Drinks well despite its relative youth, juicy yet shows some of the restraint WS is known for.
Ridge Pagani Ranch has become a reliable favorite, a consistent performer from a winemaker that does pretty darn well overall. A stellar value too.
Our introduction (last Millennium) to Ridge was Zin because cabernet wasn’t in the budget back then, So, after reading about the winery in the fishwrap, we found the Zin and were sold; and years later and slightly better informed, we sought out and then considered our Lytton Springs bottles trophies for taking the Zin leap.
OK, so it’s a marketing gimmick, but it was just $10 at my local Trader Joe’s, so why not? I hadn’t tried it in many years.
It wasn’t like the nouveaux I remember, no yeasty aromas, no slightly-sludgy texture, just a harmless fruit-forward wine. It went well with my traditional Thanksgiving spaghetti carbonara.
Have you tried Ridge’s estate cab? Grapes from Monte Bello vineyard but significantly cheaper. They’re quite good, I think they just save the choicest parcels/grapes for the Monte Bello bottling but all from the same vineyard.
