2019 Relic 'Ritual' Red Wine

Ritual is a wine near and dear to our hearts: an ode to the early pioneers of Napa. Beginning in 2007, Ritual was comprised of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah. Then in 2009 we met Alfred Frediani, and began working with his old vines of Carignane and Petite Sirah, which were blended in with the Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache to create a complex old school Napa Valley blend. Central to our philosophy is the belief that we are stewards of the land and varietals that are historically significant to Napa Valley, but under-represented today as Cabernet Sauvignon makes them economically unviable. This wine was our original effort toward that end. In 2016, the Mourvedre was pulled out to plant Cabernet Sauvignon despite our best efforts. However, we were offered some rare Charbono that same year from Jim Frediani to enhance the blend. Typically we age our Rhone and Heritage varietals in neutral French Oak barrels and larger puncheons (450, 500L) in order to leave their gutsy personalities undisturbed, as is the case with Ritual.