Still very much in a Petite Sirah place, and a nuanced wine like this makes me glad that I am. This 2013 offering from Shannon Ridge is made using sustainable farming practices, and it tastes even better than my predispositions thought it would. Never heard of this delicious red wine before, but it’s one that I will definitely know when I see it again.

2013 High Elevation Petite Sirah, Shannon Ridge, California, USA.

The tasting notes, with apologies for cribbing these (I do hope they help you get up to speed quickly) from the Shannon Ridge website, are as follows: “This rustic varietal shows off dark fruits of blackberry, blueberry, and hints of cranberry. Black pepper, cedar, warm spices and toasty vanilla notes come out after aging this wine on a combination of French and America oak.” This bottle sounds good, right? Tell me you don’t want at least a flight for yourself after reading about all the berries and spices in the mix?

We had ours with a couple of different meals, finishing it tonight with juicy T-bone steaks and a mixture of green and wax beans…the former came off the grill right on time and the latter I seasoned with fresh crushed black pepper and butter. The spices of the steak come alive in the 2013 High Elevation Petite Sirah from Shannon Ridge; the earth tones of the Sirah really flourish in the glass and on the nose. The wine is aged for 9 months in both French and American oak, and the grapes are grown on the mountains sides (i.e., the “High Elevation Collection”) of Lake County, California. A couple of non-sequitors, perhaps, but good information for you as a reader and fan of good wine all the same. Enjoy the read and the Shannon Ridge!