WTN: Three Californian faves

The first thing I pulled for the October wine focus was an Edmunds St. John 2002 California "Rocks and Gravel" red blend, but then I realized that this vintage didn't contain any Grenache at all! Instead, it's a blend of Mourvedre, Counoise, and Syrah in unspecified proportions. Tasty, but I think this might be a little past its prime: although the color is good and bright, the ratio of fruit to remaining tannin is a little out of whack, and although there's still a nice push-and-pull combination of slightly cooked purple fruit and leathery orange-zest, the wine flattens out a bit with time. I have one more bottle of this and I'm undecided between opening it right away and leaving it for another 3-5 years to see what happens: the orange-zest says don't wait; the purple fruit says "what have you got to lose?"

On a different note, an Unti Vineyards 2013 Dry Creek Valley Montepulciano shows a little more wood than I remember from the last bottle, but it's not overpowering; ripe and vivid California fruit but with excellent structure, a lip-smacking young wine that we enjoyed with the last pasta all'Amatriciana I'll make this year with fresh, local tomatoes.

Finally, though I've been trying to shed some of our accumulated stock of Ridge ATP bottlings, I've kept all of the Petite Sirah, and here's why: Ridge Vineyards 2003 Spring Mountain District (Napa Valley) Petite Sirah, York Creek Vineyard, Dynamite Hill. We opened one of these young and I was so blown away that I bought several more; this is the first bottle we've opened since then. I feel vindicated. One of the best Petites I think I've ever had: still fresh and bright, the only indication of age is that the tannins have become moderate and silky; a terrific profile that runs from deep black fruit and tar at one end to roses at the other; somehow big and delicate at the same time. Perfectly balanced -- and, I might add, only 13.5% ABV -- and in a really good place now, though given the remaining tannins, I suspect this will hold and maybe continue to develop for at least another 7-10 years.

[David M. Bueker]

Interesting. I have never had the 2002 R&G. That was during the period where availability was quite spotty for me. A few years later I started buying direct from Steve (in quantity), so there's plenty of stock.

It's hard to go wrong with Ridge Petite Sirah, though I much prefer the York Creek bottlings to the Lytton Estate bottlings.

I'm not sure I've ever had a Lytton Estate Petite from Ridge -- everything in my cellar is York Creek.

Relatedly, I recently discovered that Petite Sirah is still being produced from the old Park Muscatine Vineyard on Howell Mountain, from which Ridge used to get grapes -- now under the label Retro Cellars, by Mike and Kara Dunn; I think Randy Dunn owns the vineyard. Actually, I think I saw something that suggested 2015 would be their last vintage of the old vine Petite, because they were having to replant -- in any case, I have some of the 2009-2011 vintages on the way and will post a note before too long, I'm sure.

Another fan of York Creek. I remember tasting it at the Lytton Springs tasting room (it's on an awesome cycling route) but by the time I returned a couple of weeks later, it was long sold out.

Nice wines. I don't think I've had the '02 R&G either (only '02 I remember was lots of the Shadow). Fun notes.

[Jenise]

Count me in as another York Creek fan. I still remember the '91 we opened, the restaurant we took it to and what we ate. It made THAT kind of an impression.

[David M. Bueker]

1971 Ridge York Creek PS was a life changing wine.

1971 Ridge York Creek PS was a life changing wine.

For the better, I assume, David.
I still regard the Ridge YC PS '71 that I had in the mid-'90's as the best Calif RW I've ever had.
But, by then, my life had already changed!!
Tom