New Reviews from Owen Bargreen
OwenBargreen.com
August 2022
We are delighted to share the news that Owen Bargreen has published excellent new reviews for our fall release wines. Bargreen is the founder of OwenBargreen.com and has been writing about wine for more than ten years, having reviewed thousands of wines from around the world. He also writes part-time for Decanter Magazine and recently joined the Vinous Media team.
“I have long admired the wines of Ridge Vineyards, fondly revisiting some wines in my personal collection back to the 1970s. The new wines were truly outstanding. These will all be released in Fall 2022.”
— Owen Bargreen, OwenBargreen.com
Featured Wines:
2019 Monte Bello Chardonnay
Santa Cruz Mountains | 96 points
This is a seamless and elegant wine that shows great depth, weight and poise. Sweet corn, pineapple, creme brûlée and toasty oak notes combine seamlessly on the palate. This comes off as very weightless and just wait for the near minute long finish. Give this an hour of air and this will get better and better.
2017 Buchignani Ranch Zinfandel
Alexander Valley | 95 points
A knockout wine to consume now, the 2017 Ridge Vineyards ‘Buchignani Ranch’ Zinfandel has 25% Carignane blended in. The palate is silky and elegant with a seamless mouthfeel. A light dusting of black pepper falls upon layers of allspice dusted charcuterie, cigar ash, and very pretty red fruits. Everything is just marvelously in balance here.
2020 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel
Sonoma Valley | 94 points
Very juicy and bright, this shows ripe strawberry and bing cherry with prosciutto and green olive notes on the palate. Complex and delicious, this has a long way to go in the cellar. Vibrant, with a terrific mineral backbone, this weighs in at only 13.8% alcohol.
2019 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah
Dry Creek Valley | 94 points
A gorgeous effort that is 100% varietal. Once on the nose this takes on layers of toasty oak with ripe blueberries and dark cherry cordial. This is loaded with minerality, which holds in place a massive core of black and blue fruits with espresso grounds and dark chocolate shavings. Delicious now, enjoy this beauty over the next fifteen years.
2020 Benito Dusi Zinfandel
Paso Robles | 94 points
This 100% varietal, single vineyard bottling, offers very fragrant red fruits and red florals on the nose, with dried herbs and green bell pepper notes. The palate is very vibrant and fresh, with a pretty core of red fruits, with green peppercorns, cigar box and bright acidity holding everything in place. Enjoy this beauty over the next decade.
2020 Evangelho
Contra Costa County | 94 points
The nose is just sensational with violets, white pepper dusted bacon and brandy soaked dark cherry. The palate is soft and refined, making this exceedingly easy to drink even now. Bright acidity holds in place a ripe core of red fruits that combine with rose water, kumquat zest and creosote notes. Highly novel and complex, this is gorgeous wine that will cellar well for another decade or more.
2020 Lytton Springs
Dry Creek Valley | 93 points
The outstanding 2020 ‘Lytton Springs’ is a blend of 79% Zinfandel with 11% Petite Sirah and 10% Carignane. The beautiful red florals on the nose with potpourri, white pepper and ripe red fruits that mingle with shades of smoked brisket. The palate is plush and soft with a seamless mouthfeel and very lengthy finish. This has both the stuffing and finesse to cellar well for at least another decade.
2020 Ponzo Zinfandel
Russian River Valley | 93 points
The 2020 ‘Ponzo Vineyard’ Zinfandel comes from this Sonoma County site. Red cherry cordial and tobacco leaf combine with strawberry Starburst candy on the nose. The palate is soft and refined with bright acidity and citrus zest accents. Very sexy and refined, drink this elegant Zinfandel over the next decade.
2021 Grenache Blanc
Paso Robles | 93 points
The 2021 Ridge Vineyards Grenache Blanc has a small portion of Roussanne and Picpoul blended in. The nose shows beautiful star jasmine tones alongside Japanese pear and salted brioche notes. The palate is incredibly fresh and vibrant with a seamless texture. Very juicy and bright, this is drinking beautifully now and will continue to evolve nutty and earthy tones over the next six plus years.
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