Relic Wine Cellars
Sonoma County region
Husband and wife team Michael Hirby and Schatzi Throckmorton craft “historic” wines in a naturalist fashion from some of the most unique and exciting properties in Northern California.
Relic Wine Cellars was born in 2001 with the mission to make world-class wines with ultimate complexity, aromatics, nuance and personality from some of the best vineyards in Napa Valley and the Sonoma Coast. The winery was founded by husband and wife team Michael Hirby and Schatzi Throckmorton as a small boutique project, and it continues to slowly grow, featuring small-lot, premium quality wines made in a traditional, authentic manner to represent a specific place and time.
It all started in 2000 when Michael and Schatzi met in Napa Valley. Michael had just moved to Calistoga after a two-year stint managing the wine program at Primitivo restaurant in Colorado Springs. He had become interested in wine during his college years and enjoyed honing his palate even further while working at Primitivo and earning his Sommelier certification. Schatzi had arrived in Napa Valley the year before, enjoying a gap year between her studies in African History at Northwestern University and a graduate program at Cambridge. They both ended up working at Behrens & Hitchcock Winery, Michael in the cellar and Schatzi in the office, and soon bonded over their shared passion for wine, the history behind it, and the philosophy of making wines of place, rather than wines of style.
With the help of Behrens & Hitchcock, Michael and Schatzi were able to make their first wines there, and Relic Wine Cellars was born. It was important to Michael and Schatzi to make wines in a “historic” fashion, using traditional methods like native yeast fermentation, whole-cluster fermentation, and extended lees aging, to make their wines distinctive, expressive, and as terroir-driven as possible. The couple married in 2005 and Relic continues to be managed jointly with Schatzi running the business side and Michael serving as the winemaker.
Today, Michael is also the winemaker for the heralded D.R. Stephens Estate Winery in Napa Valley and Schatzi continues to work at Behrens Family Winery as their Business Manager. They have been lucky to grow Relic Wine Cellars slowly and authentically over the years as their passion project, focusing on Pinot Noir and a Rhône varietal program. Their vineyard sources include some of the best and most unique properties in Napa and Sonoma, including Hyde, Kenefick Ranch, Dutton Sullivan, Stagecoach, and Silver Eagle.
Please enjoy one of their latest award-winning releases. Cheers!
