Vinous Reviews Sonoma’s 2024s & 2023s

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 your door 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 2023 Frediani Ranch, a unique blend of Valdiguié, Petite Sirah and Charbono, is one of the most singular California heritage wines out there. There’s just nothing else like it.”

“Additionally, 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

2023 Frediani Ranch – 96 points

“From a site just south of Calistoga, the 2023 Frediani Ranch is utterly singular. A blend of 40% Valdiguié, 37% Petite Sirah and 23% Charbono, the 2023 oozes old-school California charm in such a unique package. Juicy watermelon, a range of wild herb tones, muscular dark chocolate tannins, savory earthy elements and a touch of floral harmonize in a broad, resonant wine that just sings in the glass. There’s such personality here. Such is the unimpeachable charm of heritage sites in California. Don’t miss it.”

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 Green & Red Zinfandel – 94 points

“The 2024 Zinfandel Green & Red is one of the most immediately charming wines in this range. The purity of fruit is remarkable, just as it is with all of the 2024s here. Intense and mouth-coating, the Green & Red is almost Cabernet-like in its chocolatey richness. Wild blackberry, exotic spice tones and chaparral herbs resonate from top to bottom in a wine of superb mouthfeel and impeccable balance.”

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.”

2023 Mancini Ranch – 92 points

“The 2023 Mancini Ranch is a blend of 66% Carignane, 26% Zinfandel and 8% Alicante Bouschet from a site in the Russian River Valley. It’s all about texture here, as there’s not a ton of delineation, but that doesn’t really matter. A plush, velvety mouthfeel saps up the oak treatment so deftly. Juicy black cherry fruit, a sweet, creamy mid-palate, and a gently spiced finish meld together in style.”

2023 Lytton Estate Syrah Grenache Mataro – 92 points

“The 2023 Syrah Grenache Mataro Lytton Estate is primarily Syrah in this release. Floral tones and pretty, juicy dark cherry fruit lead to a creamy mid-palate that saturates nicely. Big-boned but fresh and lifted, the 2023 is another fabulous wine here.”

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A Preview of What’s Ahead…

Fall Z List

• 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.”
• 2024 Ponzo Zinfandel – 91 points “There’s real structure here to brace the exuberant flavor profile. The Ponzo is long on character.”

Fall ATP

• 2024 Sandy Lane Carignane – 94 points “The 2024 vibrates in technicolor, leaving behind a wash of saline-drenched acidity that keeps the mouth watering. Fabulous.“
• 2023 San Lorenzo – 90 points “The 2023 San Lorenzo is slightly rustic and gamey, but it’s also powerfully ripe and concentrated. It’s a big, hedonistic wine in this range.”

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.”

*This wine will be released in the fall. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of upcoming releases.