Vinous Reviews Sonoma’s 2023s & 2024s

Vinous

January 2026

With the new year comes the excitement of pulling some corks and tasting the wines soon to be released. We invited Billy Norris of Vinous to join our winemakers for a preview of what’s to come. Read what he had to say about the wines coming to the market in 2026:

“I tasted with Ridge’s CEO, John Olney, and Lytton Springs Winemaker Shauna Rosenblum at the Lytton Springs winery. The tasting spanned the remainder of the 2023s (including the Monte Bello and Estate Cabernet, which will be added to my Santa Cruz Mountains report) and a range of newly bottled or soon-to-be-bottled 2024s. Suffice it to say, Ridge is firing on all cylinders.”

“The 2024 Geyserville and 2024 Lytton Springs are shaping up to be two of the very finest editions of those wines I’ve ever encountered. It’s a greatest-hits album at Ridge in 2023 and 2024.”

– Billy Norris

2024 Geyserville Vineyard – 95-97 points (Barrel Sample)

“Tasted from tank just prior to bottling, the 2024 Geyserville is one of the very best Geyservilles I’ve ever tasted. It’s weightless and elegant but supremely concentrated and packed to the gills with intense flavor. Rich blue fruit, incense, crushed rocks and deeply pitched spice tones march with gravitas from open to close. What a sensational edition of this wine. I can’t wait to taste it from bottle.”

2024 Paso Robles Zinfandel – 93 points

“The 2024 Zinfandel Paso Robles leads the charge with a rich, oak-driven personality, but it’s impressively fresh and bright for such a broad-shouldered wine. Milk chocolate, wild blueberries, fresh orange zest and pretty violet tones sizzle through the long finish, leaving behind a nip of cocoa powder tannin to pull it all together.”

2024 Three Valleys – 93 points

“The 2024 Three Valleys is darker and richer than its typical self. Mocha, wild blackberry, lavender and chalk settle in with real density and breadth. It’s a wine that overdelivers at every turn, impressing with ample freshness and a sense of quiet gravitas. Just beautiful.”

2025 Heringer Chenin Blanc – 92 points

“The 2025 Chenin Blanc Heringer is the second edition of this bottling for Ridge, sourced from a vineyard in Clarksburg. It’s nicely rounded, tropical and lightly grippy. Ripe golden mango, chamomile, orange peel, white flowers and fresh ginger saturate the tongue, echoing with an enticing perception of fruit sweetness and a kick of gentle tannin. Stylish.”

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A Preview of What’s Ahead…

The following wines will be released in the fall, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start dreaming…

2023 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah – 96 points

“The 2023 Petite Sirah Lytton Estate is exceptional. Shockingly approachable and expressive in spite of its powerful concentration, the 2023 lifts from the glass, vibrating with gorgeous purple florals, wild blueberry, lavender, blood orange and a brooding undercurrent of game and mineral undertones. Ultra-fine white-pepper-like tannins dust the finish, wrapping things up in supremely fine style. I’ve never tasted a young Lytton Petite that’s this yielding. This is a truly special wine.”

2024 Lytton Springs – 94-96 points (Barrel Sample)

“Tasted just prior to bottling, the 2024 Lytton Springs is shaping up to be a gem of a wine. It’s clearly an infant, but it’s surprisingly light on its feet. Leaning into Syrah-like aromatics of purple flowers, animal musk, white pepper and smoked meat, the 2024 steps with confident and elegance. The chalky tannins are particularly up front today, but that shouldn’t be a problem in a few years’ time.”