Relic Wine Cellars: Worthy of Your Time
Michael Hirby, Winemaker and Proprietor
This past week, I had the pleasure to visit Relic Wine Cellars. The winery is located in Napa, CA, up Soda Canyon Road. It is well worth the drive. While it is only 20 minutes off the Silverado Trail, it narrows and winds up the mountain side. Once you arrive, the scenery is truly beautiful. Quite frankly, one could just sit and look out at the valley and feel the relaxing mood settle in. I loved the views.
What we came for, though, was the wine. That was truly the value of the trip. We were greeted by Maddy, who is an educated professional who shared the wine and the story behind the wine with us. Our first taste, as we took in the lovely views, was a 2023 Vermentino that was grown in the Rutherford AVA. It is a light-skinned white grape, predominately found in Italy. It was a refreshing welcome to our tasting due to its high acidity and stone fruit flavors.
We moved into the cellar to dive into a tasting. The setting was relaxing and very chill. Our host, Maddy, was a resource and engaging, allowing us to explore the wines ourselves without a lot of “direction” that you get from some who lead your visit. We were free to taste and enjoy, yet Maddy was there to offer information as we would like. The tasting itself unfolded as a relaxed stroll through the wines.
There were five wines in the line-up with one surprise at the end. This included the wine we were greeted with, the Vermentino. We then moved on to a Pinot Noir – 2019 Silver Eagle from the Sonoma Coast that, on the entry, was full of bright red fruit. What followed was the 2019 Merlot from the Hyde Vineyard that was a rush of deep red and black fruit and finished soft and very smooth. For me, this was the star of the tasting with solid structure and a long finish. Wine Spectator awarded the wine 94 points. We also enjoyed the 2019 Cabernet Franc which was fruit forward and ripe with blueberries. Finishing off the line-up was the 2021 La Place Cabernet, the grapes coming from Calistoga. Another well-crafted wine, Jeb Dunnick awarded this luscious Cabernet 95 points.
This is a winery that is worth your attention. The owner and winemaker, Michael Hirby, was the winemaker at Realm until 2008 where he continued to hone his craft and pallet. Prior to that, he worked at Behrens & Hitchcock which truly set his wife (co-proprietor and general manager Schatzi Throckmorton) and him on the path to creating Relic.
Please look for their wines locally or simply go on-line to sample a few bottles for yourself. If you can, a visit is well worth your time.
Enjoy!
