1996 Lytton Estate Syrah

Pursuing an interest in varietals that have played a major role in California’s viticultural history, Ridge has worked for twenty-eight years with petite sirah, a natural cross of syrah and peloursin, originally found in the south of France and planted here extensively since the 1870s. Syrah, petite sirah’s far more famous progenitor, did not appear on the California scene until the second decade of the twentieth century, and then only at one or two sites. In 1995 Ridge purchased the vineyards just west of the first Lytton Springs plantings. The property, now Lytton West, included two tiny parcels of syrah and a few viognier vines. For added spice and complexity, the syrah and a small amount of viognier were fermented together. To date, we think the soils and climate at Lytton West may be ideally suited to syrah. Intense and wellstructured, this superb wine will soften and open further with one year of bottle age, developing fully over the next ten to twelve years. PD (1/98)

The Wine Advocate: 93 Points “The 1996 Syrah Lytton Estate includes 5% Viognier. It’s resting on a pleasurable plateau and will hold a further 10 years in the cellar. Deep garnet in color, it opens slowly on the nose to reveal a core of boysenberry accented by tones of dark chocolate, cigars, charcuterie and truffle. The palate is soft and rounded at the edges, balancing a concentrated core of dried berry fruit with chocolate-textured tannins, and it has a long, nuanced finish.” -Erin Brooks (September 2024)

Average Rating: 88.7

No. of Tasting Notes: 5

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