Tasting through the 2022 Vintage

Blog Post

December 2022

This year, we welcomed Shauna Rosenblum as our Lytton Springs Winemaker, working under the leadership of Head Winemaker John Olney. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in crafting exceptional single-vineyard zinfandels. After a fast and furious harvest, the winemaking team visited both winery locations to taste the wines of the 2022 vintage.

Why taste the wines as a team?

John Olney discusses the importance of this exercise:

“We are fortunate at Ridge to have two wineries, one at Monte Bello and one at Lytton Springs, where each winemaking team can focus on our estate-grown wines. Though separate, winemaking at both facilities is guided by the long-held belief at Ridge that site, above all, determines wine quality.

“Gathering as a group to taste each other’s wines reaffirms our commitment to this philosophy and to the collaborative effort as a whole.”

What are some foundational characteristics that make Ridge wines stand apart?

Michael Bairdsmith, Assistant Winemaker and veteran at Lytton Springs, offers his experience:

“There’s plenty that’s unique to the Ridge winemaking philosophy. At its core, it’s quality grapes and a hands-off approach, but what I think has been the key to our quality and consistency over decades is the fact that we make every winemaking decision based on taste. We’re making picking, fermentation, maceration, pressing, blending, and aging decisions based purely on taste. We’re out in the vineyards tasting grapes, and in the cellar tasting new wine.

“Tasting and assessing ‘new’ wine for quality can be a difficult task, and that’s where the years of experience from John and Paul comes into play. I’ve had 8 vintages here at Ridge. John and Paul have had quite a few more. Over the years we’ve all spent countless hours in rooms, and in the cellar, tasting sample after sample and talking about textures, flavors, tannins, color, and aromas. We look at wines when they’re new and tricky to assess, wines that were bottled in the ’60s that had developed character only time can attain, and everything in between. I feel my role in these tastings is to keep immersing myself in the process and honing my palate to better understand and recognize our wine’s style and character, so that going forward I can help to keep the tradition alive and pass on what I can to new members of the team.”

What is our newest winemaker looking for while tasting the wines?

Shauna Rosenblum on her contributions to the vintage:

“Ridge has been a consistent producer of fine wine for more than half a century. Paul Draper bestowed upon John Olney his philosophy of winemaking, and the two of them have turned out some of the best wines in the world.

“I have the utmost respect for the established protocol Ridge espouses regarding winemaking. Our native fermentations, use of American oak, and decisions not to use additives are the core of what makes Ridge wines so great and recognizable.

“During my first harvest here, John taught me the ‘Ridge way’ and it was important to me to stick closely with said established protocols to produce a consistent product that our consumer knows and loves. John is an excellent teacher, and along the way I asked a lot of questions. My stamp that I feel I added to the 2022 vintage is great care and a lot of love. My hope is that when our customers taste the 2022 vintage they say, ‘Wow. This must have been a great growing year because these wines are premium.’ Nothing different that anyone can put their finger on, just really well-made wine in the traditional Ridge style.”

Related Links

• Our Winemaking Team
• Shop RIDGE Wines
• Pre-Industrial Winemaking
• The History of Ridge Vineyards