Wine & Spirits Reviews RIDGE Wines

Wine & Spirits

March 2024

This spring, we welcome new reviews from Wine & Spirits. The verdict? Your patience in opening these wines will be rewarded! Read on to explore 90+ point scores from Editor Joshua Greene.

2021 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel | 94 points

“Felice Pagani began planting vines at an old dairy farm in the 1890s, then added more blocks in 1914. His great-grandchildren continue to farm 30 acres of centenarian vines on the property near Kenwood, having replanted some of the blocks between 2013 and 2018. Mostly zinfandel and petite sirah with a little mataro and alicante bouschet, the varied blocks provide fruit for John Olney’s team at Ridge to transform into mixed-black riches. In 2021, it’s a wine of powerful concentration and supple elasticity to its spicy tannins. Bright and complete, this is a wine that will age for a decade or more.” —J.G.

2021 Three Valleys | 93 points

“Drawing on fruit from ten Sonoma County vineyards, in 2021 Three Valleys presents a cornucopia of fruit in a classical blend that feels like an exuberant family relation to Geyserville. It’s ripe, and rich in structure under all that fruit energy—black mineral tannins in the service of the fruit combining in dark chocolate and mushroom notes. All of it needs time to integrate, but, even now, the tannins keep opening like a door to the land.” —J.G.

2020 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah | 90 points

“The generations of petite sirah vines sharing the ground at Lytton were planted from 1901 up through 2008. They are stalwart vines making a stalwart wine, with a concentrated depth of flavor that does not budge from its tannic cave. For now, those tannins dry all the moisture out of the mouth, though they can’t completely hide the richness of the wine. Good petite usually takes a decade or two to show its best. This one demands it.” —J.G.