Ridge Vineyards’ Lytton Springs at 50 Years
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
September 2024
This fall, we release the 2022 vintage of Lytton Springs, which marks 50 years since our first bottling in 1972. To kick off the celebration, we invited a group of journalists and sommeliers to the winery to taste vintages of Lytton Springs dating back to 1974.
Erin Brooks, who has been with Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate since 2017, attended this event and shared her thoughts in a recent article published online. In this piece, Brooks not only covers the history of Ridge Vineyards’ Lytton Springs but also provides ratings for this year’s Sonoma County wines, including those tasted during the 50th Anniversary Tasting at Lytton Springs on August 8th.
Planted in the early 1900s to Zinfandel and significant portions of Petite Sirah and Carignane, Lytton Springs is often cited as one of California’s most age-worthy Zinfandel-based field blends. The 2022 Lytton Springs represents Ridge’s 50th bottling from the site—Paul Draper crafted the first vintage in 1972, and Ridge purchased the vineyard in 1990.
To celebrate, the winery recently held a historic library tasting that included a Lytton Springs bottling from each decade: the current 2022 vintage plus the 2013, 2009, 1999, 1984 and 1974 vintages. The wines have aged gracefully, and even the 1974 offered pleasure. “When these wines get on a plateau, they tend to stay there a long time,” longtime winemaker John Olney says.
Summary of Wine Ratings
2024 Releases
- 2022 Lytton Springs (50th Anniversary Bottling) – 94 Points
- 2022 Geyserville – 94 Points
- 2022 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel – 94 Points
- 2022 East Bench Zinfandel– 93 Points
- 2021 Syrah Grenache Mataro – 93 Points
- 2019 Lytton Estate Syrah– 93 Points
- 2021 Boatman Zinfandel – 92 Points
- 2021 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah – 92 Points
- 2022 Rockpile – 92 Points
- 2022 Mancini Ranch – 91 Points
- 2022 Pagani Ranch Norma’s Block – 91 Points
- 2022 Blasi Zinfandel – 91 Points
- 2023 Lytton Estate Rosé – 90 Points
- 2021 Evangelho – 90 Points
- 2020 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah – 90 Points
Anniversary Tasting Wines
- 2009 Lytton Springs – 95 Points
- 1996 Lytton Estate Syrah– 93 Points
- 2013 Lytton Springs – 92+ Points
- 1999 Lytton Springs – 92 Points
- 1984 Lytton Springs – 92 Points
RIDGE Club Members enjoy exclusive access to library vintages. Explore ATP, Z List, and Monte Bello Collector and find the perfect club for you.
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