Wine Spectator

If only most Petite Sirahs were as delicious and refined, rich and graceful as the 2009 Relic Napa Valley Old Vines Petite Sirah ($52, 198 cases made). Maybe then people would have a different take on this old-time underdog grape, and Napa Valley for that matter. Petite Sirah is one of wine's unsung heroes, almost always an afterthought grape. That's not the case at Frediani Vineyard, where Relic's old-vine Petite Sirah grapes come from. Petite Sirah is a vine that owes its heritage to the mix of grapes that hail from France's Southern Rhône Valley. Most of the praise goes to the better-known and more popular Syrahs, Grenaches and blends thereof. That won't change, but one sip of this wine will give you a new appreciation for Petite Sirah presented in a supple, fleshy, deeply fruited style. This wine hardly fits Petite's reputation of being chewy, hearty or rustic. Its texture is more akin to a smooth Merlot or Pinot Noir. The 2009 was one of the gems uncovered by MaryAnn Worobiec in one of her blind tastings of Petite Sirah for Wine Spectator's March California Rhône report; you can check out the forthcoming Dec. 21 edition of the Insider for the official score and tasting note. Relic, a Napa winery owned by the husband-and-wife team of Michael Hirby and Schatzi Throckmorton, is one of California's promising new Rhône grape specialists. Relic's wines have been nothing short of fantastic of late, with the Relic Ritual 2009 (94 points, $48) another Rhône-style blend that shouldn't be missed. Alfred Frediani's vineyard has been the source for many excellent wines over the years, yet Hirby and Throckmorton have taken it to a higher level of quality. The soils are composed of very deep layers of alluvial rocks and gravel that are volcanic in origin.

Wine Spectator

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.