Owen Bargreen Reviews our Spring Releases
OwenBargreen.com
March 2022
Owen Bargreen, founder of OwenBargreen.com recently released his review of our spring wines, giving a special nod to our 2020 Estate Chardonnay and 2020 Geyserville, stating:
“I love the new Ridge wines which are simply stunning across the board. Do not miss out on the sensational 2020 Ridge ‘Estate’ Chardonnay (OB, 94) which is fresh, vibrant and shows sensational flavor density, improving after several hours of air. Look for their 2020 Ridge ‘Geyserville’ Red Wine (OB, 94) which deftly captures the art of blending and comes off velvety and soft, with some great cellaring potential.”
— Owen Bargreen
Featured Wines
2019 Monte Bello | 97 Points
A masterpiece by the Ridge winemaking team. This really needs an hour or two in the decanter prior to enjoying, as it is very tightly-wound like most new release Monte Bellos. Once aroused this shows incredible nuance aromatically from wintergreen and dried herbs to cassis and creme de violette notes, with scorched earth undertones. The palate is very fresh and vibrant with a seamless texture and wonderful length. Try not to touch this beauty for at least two more years, as this has both the weight and finesse to cellar well past two decades. Drink 2024-2045
2020 Estate Chardonnay | 94 Points
The 2020 ‘Estate’ Chardonnay by Ridge was entirely sourced form the Monte Bello Estate Vineyard and definitely improves in terms of flavor density and flavor range after two hours of air. This Chardonnay exudes class with great aromatic range from buttered popcorn and ripe banana tones alongside Challah bread and suggestions of nectarine rind. The palate is very elegant and shows a Burgundian sense of finesse, with lovely salty undertones and a ripe core of melon and citrus fruits. Finishing very long, this outstanding new Chardonnay will be sure to cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2022-2032.
2020 Geyserville | 94 Points
The 2020 ‘Geyserville’ blends mostly Zinfandel (69%) with the remainder Carignane and Petite Sirah, with a splash of Alicante Boushet and Mataro added. Needing an hour in the decanter to be fully expressive, the nose comes off very pretty with red roses and ripe raspberry with bramble undercurrents and shades of black plum that all dazzle in the glass. Silky tannins frame a core of bright red fruits with baking spices bergamot and suggestions of persimmon. Finishing long, this a truly outstanding effort that is already showing beautifully and will be sure to satisfy over the next ten to twelve years. Drink 2022-2034.
2020 Paso Robles Zinfandel | 94 Points
Originally farmed by Benito Dusi, today Mike Dusi farms this old vine site that is well-known for high quality Zinfandel. This wine gets even better following a one hour decant. Bramble and red raspberry cordial mark the nose alongside suggestions of bay leaf and cherry tomato. The palate is fresh and energetic with a seamless texture and wonderful length. The concentration and finesse here is lovely. A complete wine, this is already beautifully evolved and will surely cellar well over the next twelve plus years. Drink 2022-2034.
2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon | 93 Points
Entirely sourced from the famed Monte Bello Vineyard, the 2019 Ridge ‘Estate’ Cabernet Sauvignon is an outstanding value from this vintage that saw near ideal growing conditions. Graphite and wild blackberry compote mark the nose alongside shades of dark chocolate shavings and pipe tobacco. The palate is very fresh and refined with a soft mouthfeel and soft tannins. Ripe dark currants parade with espresso bean, and shades of chocolate cake on the palate. This is seriously good stuff to enjoy young but the 2019 ‘Estate’ has both the structure and stuffing to go fo another fifteen plus years. Drink 2022-2037.
2020 East Bench Zinfandel | 92 Points
This 100% varietal bottling came from an exceedingly small crop and was harvested the first week of September. The nose is very appealing with its blood orange zest and wild strawberry tones alongside shades of wintergreen. The palate is very soft and approachable with bright acidity and red raspberry, pomegranate seed and sour red cherry flavors alongside this brilliant vein of tension. Just an infant now, this medium-bodied, well-structured Zin will surely cellar well for another ten years or more. Drink 2022-2032.
2020 Three Valleys | 90 Points
The outstanding 2020 Ridge ‘Three Valleys’ Red Wine blends 74% Zinfandel with smaller parts Petite Syrah, Alicante Bouschet and Carignane. Medium-bodied red fruits collide with smoke and bramble with Mandarin orange zest flavors on the palate. Enjoy over the next five years. Drink 2022-2027
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