This has to be the lightest, highest-acid vintage of Lytton I can remember trying. Tart red berries and sweet cherries with the barest edge of herbs and oak. Good mid-palate density, buried structure, a hint of gravel and nice earthiness, with a nicely tart edge and good freshness. So different from the 2013, but still very good.
Compared to the Lytton, this is much more obviously Zin-ish with its sweet black/blue berry fruit. It shows more overt oak, too, and is rounder, riper, and more alcoholic. It's a friendly, easier wine, if ultimately less complex and interesting.
Powerful cassisy black fruit with a blast of mint and a hint of vanilla that shows more austere and herbal in the mouth with prominent tannins and plenty of sleek, streamlined acid. This is slightly lean and lacks flesh in the midpalate, with a nice earthy bite to the finish. I'm not sure if this will round out with age as the tannins mellow, of if there's ultimately not quite enough fruit relative to the structure. A nice win that suffers in comparison to the Monte Bello.
Holy cow, this is absolutely stacked. A clearly darker, richer color than the other wines. At first it shows lots of oak and cedar on the nose and is not very expressive, but with air it begins to open up. Backward and extremely tannic but the tannins are ripe and fine and the dusty, brambly cassis fruit shows super midpalate concentration, leading to a powerful ripe fruit finish. Great power and weight but with wonderful poise, it makes the Torre Cab seem wimpy and childish. Right now this is mostly just showing potential but given the track record here I would bet on this improving for 25+ years.
2014 Ridge Lytton Springs 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
This has to be the lightest, highest-acid vintage of Lytton I can remember trying. Tart red berries and sweet cherries with the barest edge of herbs and oak. Good mid-palate density, buried structure, a hint of gravel and nice earthiness, with a nicely tart edge and good freshness. So different from the 2013, but still very good.
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2014 Ridge Zinfandel Pagani Ranch 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Compared to the Lytton, this is much more obviously Zin-ish with its sweet black/blue berry fruit. It shows more overt oak, too, and is rounder, riper, and more alcoholic. It's a friendly, easier wine, if ultimately less complex and interesting.
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2013 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Torre Ranch 89 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Powerful cassisy black fruit with a blast of mint and a hint of vanilla that shows more austere and herbal in the mouth with prominent tannins and plenty of sleek, streamlined acid. This is slightly lean and lacks flesh in the midpalate, with a nice earthy bite to the finish. I'm not sure if this will round out with age as the tannins mellow, of if there's ultimately not quite enough fruit relative to the structure. A nice win that suffers in comparison to the Monte Bello.
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2013 Ridge Monte Bello 92 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Holy cow, this is absolutely stacked. A clearly darker, richer color than the other wines. At first it shows lots of oak and cedar on the nose and is not very expressive, but with air it begins to open up. Backward and extremely tannic but the tannins are ripe and fine and the dusty, brambly cassis fruit shows super midpalate concentration, leading to a powerful ripe fruit finish. Great power and weight but with wonderful poise, it makes the Torre Cab seem wimpy and childish. Right now this is mostly just showing potential but given the track record here I would bet on this improving for 25+ years.
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