Decanter Reviews New RIDGE Releases

Decanter

September 2024

We are pleased to report the latest reviews from Decanter, which include wines from our Monte Bello and Lytton Springs Estates. In addition to the following reviews, Decanter magazine printed an article by Marisa Finetti highlighting Ridge Vineyards’ field blends. In the article, Finetti includes the 2022 Lytton Springs in her ‘Field Blend Four’ and emphasizes the importance of diversity in a vineyard:

“These wines tell the story of a unique vineyard,
through a kaleidoscope of different grapes.
This diversity can offer a wine of unexpected thrill
and complexity, balance and regional character.”

2021 Monte Bello

Santa Cruz Mountains | 98 Points

“It’s a journey. This wine offers high mountain pine bough, petrichor, and floral predominance of violet, high mountain lavender, and scrub. The palate is crisp and taut, with bright berries, blood orange and savoury mint. A true mountain wine with alpine herbs and wildflowers that lift deep fruit tones of blackberries, figs and muddled mint leaves. Leather, crushed stone and smoked cedar plank come together in America’s most singular and iconic Cabernet Sauvignon.”

2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

Santa Cruz Mountains | 96 Points

“From the legendary Monte Bello estate vineyard, most of this 2021 Cabernet comes from the Klein Ranch portion of the famed Santa Cruz Mountains estate. An American Cabernet (blended with 16% Merlot) evocative of first-growth Bordeaux nuance and complexity. Freshly turned soils, bay leaf and sweet tobacco aromas segue into notes of pure black fruits. Sweet, ripe black plums open the palate with perfectly tart blackberries, muddled mint leaves, pencil shavings, and soaring acidity brighten this wine into a mineral-driven finish. This is a wine that, in 8-10 years, will surely be at its apex.”

2022 Lytton Springs

Dry Creek Valley | 95 Points

“This bottling marks the 50th Lytton Springs from Ridge, and appropriately, the wine is beguiling and intense—pure Americana and emblematic of Ridge’s commitment to the heritage varieties and vines in California. Lytton Springs is home to 100-plus-year-old Zinfandel vines interplanted with Petite Sirah and Carignane, among a few other varieties. This bottling has become a standard bearer for the notion of California Zinfandel: smoky clove spices, toasted cinnamon sticks, bramble fruits and spicy black plums. The palate shows intense concentration, red and black plums, black pepper, muddled mint leaves and an undertone of dried anise and thyme. Delicious and built to age.”

2022 Estate Chardonnay

Santa Cruz Mountains | 94 Points

“A ripe, opulent Chardonnay from the legendary Montebello grounds in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Aromatics of lemon curd and nutmeg-dusted pear flesh converge alongside honeyed florals. A full and fleshy palate with a throughline of salinity frames smoky grilled pineapple, honeycomb and concentrated lemon oils. A note of nutmeg and spicy vanilla tones carries a core of ripe pomme fruit to the finish. Delicious and rich.”

2022 Geyserville

Alexander Valley | 94 Points

“Ridge has been making the Geyserville since 1966, a true Zinfandel icon with a readiness to drink now and classic Ridge ageability. This wine is made as a field blend, spending 16 months in American oak, and only 28% is new. Rich fruit aromas, with pungent spices, ripe red and black plums, Christmas spices and notes of smoked cinnamon. The palate offers a fresh acidity which buoys the ripe blackberries and spicy black plums. There’s plenty of structure for this wine to go the distance, typical of the house style (at least a decade).”

2022 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel

Sonoma Valley | 94 Points

“Alluring spice aromatics tip off this classically California Zinfandel from this cooler site in the Sonoma Valley appellation, always Ridge’s last pick. The Pagani Ranch Zinfandel comes from selected blocks of vines planted between 1896 and 1922, this bottling is a bit of American wine history. Clove, frankincense, spiced blood orange, and black liquorice aromas meld with black fruits, sugar plums, and crushed ripe figs. The palate is buoyant, with ripe black raspberries, plump blackberries, dusty mineral tones, and a mixture of exotic spices, which finish this wine with a sense of grace amid its ripe fruit profile.”

2022 Three Valleys

Sonoma County | 94 Points

“It is a departure for Ridge, as it’s not a single vineyard wine but instead a blend of 10 different sites from throughout Sonoma County. Bright and delightful with savoury herbs, tart early-season blackberries, and muddled mint leaves, all vie for attention in this wine’s generous aromatic show. A melange of wild mountain berries, mouthfuls of dried savoury garrigue and lavender, dashes of white pepper and an incredible lift to the finish which lingers for an eternity. Concentrated and refined.”

2021 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah

Dry Creek Valley | 93 Points

“The Ridge Petite Syrah from 115-year-old, gnarly, bush-trained vines at the Lytton Springs estate. Farmed organically and with a deference to the site’s tremendous history. The tannins are undeniable in this variety, known for its prominent structure, but Ridge manages to coax elegance from this burly big grape. That said, it is a wine meant to be drunk in time and is likely best after 2030. Big violet aromatics, boysenberries and dashes of white pepper leap forward. The palate shows a depth of fruit, a black peppery character aided by the tannins, with black tea, ripe, juicy fig flesh and notes of tart early-season blackberries finishing long and fresh.”