A Visit to Ridge Lytton Springs Estate

The highlight of day one of the trip was our tasting and tour at Ridge's Lytton Springs Estate ($24/person with program discount). We were greeted by Jason, who poured some Chardonnay for us in the main tasting room prior to beginning the tour. He then led us through the winery, followed by a seated tasting upstairs, concluding with a few more pours back downstairs in the main tasting room. Ridge will always be a must-visit due to the friendly staff and consistently excellent lineup of wines.

We were greeted with a glass of the Chardonnay to enjoy at the beginning of the tour. Midway through the tour we were given some samples from the wines currently undergoing fermentation in stainless tanks. The 2011 Buchignani Ranch had nice meaty dark fruit notes and finished quite dry. The 2011 Funston Ranch Zinfandel, which is a component of the East Bench, was grapey, with jammy dark fruit and ended with interesting soily/gravelly qualities.

• 2009 Ridge Chardonnay Mikulaco 90 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Pale yellow color with a greenish tint. Aromas of coconut, tropical fruit and banana. Has a rich texture with flavors of mineral, tropical fruit and coconut. Finishes well with nice weight and balance throughout.

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In the upstairs tasting room, we spent a good hour plus learning about some of the history of the estate and sharing a few laughs with our guide for the afternoon.

• 2007 Ridge Zinfandel Buchignani Ranch 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  A blend of 93% Zinfandel and 3% Carignane. Dark crimson color. Aromas of red berries, pomegranate, white pepper; lush red fruit. Medium- to full-bodied and well-balanced from start to finish, with good underlying acidity and flavors of raspberry, pomegranate, pepper and blue fruit. Medium plus finish. 48 barrels produced. 13.8% abv. $30/bottle at the winery. 90-91 pts.

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• 2009 Ridge Lytton Springs 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

  Inky purple-crimson colors. Aromas of black fruit, pepper, mint and herbs. Turns florally and perfumed with violets, lavender and licorice aromas. Full-bodied with firm, but approachable tannins with terrific dark fruit flavors and good underlying acidity. 14.5% abv and $35/bottle. 93+ pts.

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• 2008 Ridge Lytton Springs 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

  Deep crimson core, lighter at the meniscus. Aromas of cherries, pomegranate, pepper and dark fruits. Very well-balanced with good underlying acidity and lush dark fruit flavors. Long finish. 14.4% abv, $38. 93+ pts

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• 2004 Ridge Lytton Springs 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

  Crimson core, just beginning to show a little age at the meniscus. Aromas of cedar and ripe dark fruit, just slightly raisiny/pruny. Very well-balanced, with nice dark fruit tones and good acidity. 14.5% abv, $43/bottle. 90-91 pts.

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• 2007 Ridge Monte Bello 93 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Inky purple color. Aromas of violets, graphite, black currants, black cherry and dark fruit. Full-bodied with firm but fine-grained and sweet tannins and wonderful balance. Flavors of dark fruit, black cherry and florals, with a long, long balanced finish. 13.1% abv, $158/bottle. 93+ today, and will undoubtedly be a great wine.

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We were treated to a few last sips, including the 2008 Monte Bello, back in the main tasting room prior to heading out.

• 2006 Ridge Syrah Lytton Estate 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

  Crimson color. Lovely dark fruit and smoky red currant notes. Flavors of red fruit and smoke-tinged dark fruit with juicy acidity and a nice floral hint on the back end. 92+ pts.

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• 2008 Ridge Monte Bello 93 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Inky crimson color. Aromas of black cherry, violets, cassis and black fruit. Full-bodied with fine tannins and loads of dark fruit. Very well-balanced despite its power & youth. Will be a very special bottle. 13.3% abv.

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