2022 Frediani Ranch

Nose of milk chocolate, mint, cherry liqueur and baking spice. Hits the front, middle and back of the palate with well-coated tannin and expressive acidity. Flavors of blueberry muffin and Calistoga minerality with a long finish. SR (2/25)

This once-common blend pays homage to the side-by-side plantings of these three varietals at the Frediani Ranch. The valdiguié was picked the morning before the Labor Day heat wave. The other two heartier varieties were left on the vine for sixteen days longer before reaching optimal ripeness. Incredible concentration, structure, and bright acidity make this unique wine enjoyable over the next decade. SR (2/24)

Since the 1970s, Jim Frediani (pronounced with a hard “a”) has been farming his family’s vineyard that spans the Silverado Trail. The vineyard is comprised of volcanic, gravelly loam soils with many different varieties planted in the ranch. They grow valdiguié, charbono, petite sirah, cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, syrah, zinfandel, grenache, cabernet franc, merlot and carignane. The oldest block on the ranch dates to the mid-1930s. Valdiguié was once widely planted in California but now Frediani is home to some of the only vines that remain. The Frediani family should be lauded for keeping these viticultural antiquities in the ground. So many ranches on the Silverado Trail tore out their heritage vines and planted cabernet sauvignon, which dominates this area in Napa Valley.

Rainfall: 26 inches (below normal)
Bloom: Mid-May
Weather: A warm summer followed a cold, wet spring. Hot days and cool nights helped retain acidity and hastended ripening.

Harvest Dates: 5 September – valdiguié, 21 September – charbono and petite sirah
Grapes: Average Brix 24.9˚
TA: 6.12 g/L
pH: 3.91
Fermentation: 100% whole cluster pressed; natural primary and secondary
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (12% new, 10% one year old, 20% two years old, 8% three years old, and 50% neutral).
Aging: 4 months in barrel

Sustainably farmed, hand-harvested, grapes; whole-cluster pressed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by a full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 122 ppm over the course of aging); pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.

VinePair: 90 Points “Ridge was a leader in sustainable farming before it was cool. They were also a leader in the famous Judgement of Paris in 1976. So drinking a bottle of Ridge Cellars is drinking American wine history. Ridge is renowned for its red blends, but this unique bottling is a little more out-of-the-box than the well-known classics. Coming from the Frediani Ranch vineyard, this wine is composed of Valdiguié, Petite Sirah, and Charbono. Another very American wine that smells and tastes like Thanksgiving. The nose has cranberries with a hint of spiced meat and herbs. The palate offers more red fruit and spice notes with the added verve of prominent tannins and acidity.” -Keith Beavers (March 2025)