Ridge Vineyards: An American Icon

I suppose that me writing about Ridge Vineyards is a bit like your average sophmore doing a book report on The Catcher in the Rye. Any praise I may have for my experience with Ridge only serves to highlight my late arrival to this game, and much criticism (of which I don't have any) would be akin to uninformed attention seeking. Instead I can only hope to put some of California's finest wines back on reader's radar, and possibly introduce a few of you to something you must experience.

Ridge began in the Santa Cruz Mountains with some cabernet sauvignon vines planted originally in 1885. Changing hands a few times (with a period of abandonment during Prohibition) this property eventually found its way into the hands of three partners from Stanford University's Research Institute who rebonded the winery and produced Ridge's first Monte Bello cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay. This Monte Bello was one of the wines that competed in the Judgement of Paris and its continued and consistent quality has cemented its reputation as one of America's finest examples of cabernet sauvignon.

We tasted the 2006 Monte Bello and found it to offer comlex layers of dried black cherries, plum, bits of tar and suede and strong tannins. This was a young wine, but showed me why Monte Bello is one of America's wine treasures.

In 1966 Ridge produced its first zinfandel from Geyserville, followed eight years later by a zinfandel from Sonoma fruit, Lytton Springs. These wines still make up the backbone of Ridge's ubiquitous zinfandel program. It was these zinfandels that first made me take notice of Ridge, and these wines that continue to make me such a huge fan. Ridge produces eight different zinfandels for their zinfandel program (a few more special ones for their ATP club) each of which is a distinct blend from a distinct region. If you like a bit more fruit expression you can drink their Paso Robles zin, or if you prefer the minerality and depth that some field blended carignane provides you can have the Geyserville. Each is distinct, and yet each has balance. All of the zinfandel goes through fermentation in yeast that occurs naturally in the vineyard and winery, and goes through complete secondary fermentation in American oak. The lots are fermented separately, in small batches, to allow for blending for the best possible expression of that vintage's fruit. This similarity in vinification allows a Ridge drinker to really get a sense of how the blend and terroir influences the wines they enjoy drinking.

We tasted the 2007 York Creek Zinfandel, finding lots of raspberry and strawberry, a touch of spice, and some great minerality. This was provided with a very rich yet soft mouthfeel.

Also the 2007 Pagani Ranch stood out with a very expressive nose of cherry and vanilla. This wine had great complexity with hints of cigar and an almost briny minerality mingling with loads of bright red fruit.

All of the zinfandels were excellent, with the Geyserville (both 2007 and 2008) stealing the show for my palette.

Finally Ridge experiments with much smaller lots of zinfandel and a few Rhone varietals in a wine club program they call the Advanced Tasting Program. This program offers a wider diversity of wines that are still produced with the same care and winemaking philosophy as the more well known Monte Bello and zinfandels. Common varietals include carignane, syrah, mourvedre, and of course other zinfandels.

We tasted the 2004 Lytton Estate Syrah, which was 82% syrah, 10% viognier, and 8% grenache. This wine had an awesome nose of plum skin, violets, and some obvious peach influence from the viognier. The wine was earthy up front, a bit of fruit (integrating well with age), and a delicious herbal savory finish with mild hints of cherry and a backbone of acidity.

So while I walked into Ridge expecting great things, I walked out somewhat enamored. For my money the Advanced Tasting Program is an exciting way to experience a wide array of what Ridge winemaking can offer. Whether the wines are something you collect (the Monte Bello is VERY cellar worthy), rely on at restaurants (the carignane and zinfandels are frequently found at discerning restaurants and go beautifully with food), or experiment with surprise shipments (ATP) I encourage you to include Ridge in your domestic wine experience. This is certainly one of the most consistently outstanding wineries America has to offer.