Wine Article
2020 Ridge Syrah/Grenache/Mataro Lytton Estate
Last edited on 4/11/2023 by ancientvines
This is the only version of this article / View version history
Wine Information
79% Syrah, 14% Grenache, 7% Mataro
94 Points – Owen Bargreen, OwenBargreen.com
*Members-only release. Learn more about our ATP membership program.
Vintage
2020
Vineyard
Lytton Springs
Appellation
Dry Creek Valley
Alcohol By Volume
14.1%
Winemaker Tasting Notes
Generous aromas of blackberry, pepper, bacon fat, rose petal, and licorice followed by black raspberry, black tea, orange zest, Madagascar vanilla and sage on the palate. Excellent mid-palate weight with a lingering finish. SR (1/23)
Vintage Notes
Ridge first made Syrah from Lytton Estate in 1996. Recognizing that the site is well suited to the variety, we planted more syrah as well as smaller amounts of grenache and mataro. In 2014 we combined these three varieties to make our first Syrah Grenache Mataro, appealing for its spicy aroma and sensuous fruit. Lower yields in 2020 resulted in a wine with greater structure that will evolve over the next eight years. JO (4/22)
History
This wine comes from two hillside parcels at Lytton West. One is planted entirely to syrah while the other is planted to half grenache and half mataro. Mataro, a late ripening variety synonymous with mourvedre, does not always mature before the onset of fall rains.
Growing Season
Rainfall: 21 inches (below normal)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Rains in March and April helped the vines get through the summer.
Winemaking
Harvest Dates: 22 August – 24 September
Grapes: Average Brix 25.7˚
TA: 5.03 g/L
pH: 3.85
Fermentation: Natural primary and secondary; daily pump-overs.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (15% new, 15% one year old, 25% two years old, and 45% four and five years old).
Aging: Sixteen months in barrel
Hand-harvested, sustainably grown, estate grapes; de-stemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by a full malolactic on the naturally occurring malolactic bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush and 90 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.
79% Syrah, 14% Grenache, 7% Mataro
94 Points – Owen Bargreen, OwenBargreen.com
*Members-only release. Learn more about our ATP membership program.
Vintage
2020
Vineyard
Lytton Springs
Appellation
Dry Creek Valley
Alcohol By Volume
14.1%
Winemaker Tasting Notes
Generous aromas of blackberry, pepper, bacon fat, rose petal, and licorice followed by black raspberry, black tea, orange zest, Madagascar vanilla and sage on the palate. Excellent mid-palate weight with a lingering finish. SR (1/23)
Vintage Notes
Ridge first made Syrah from Lytton Estate in 1996. Recognizing that the site is well suited to the variety, we planted more syrah as well as smaller amounts of grenache and mataro. In 2014 we combined these three varieties to make our first Syrah Grenache Mataro, appealing for its spicy aroma and sensuous fruit. Lower yields in 2020 resulted in a wine with greater structure that will evolve over the next eight years. JO (4/22)
History
This wine comes from two hillside parcels at Lytton West. One is planted entirely to syrah while the other is planted to half grenache and half mataro. Mataro, a late ripening variety synonymous with mourvedre, does not always mature before the onset of fall rains.
Growing Season
Rainfall: 21 inches (below normal)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Rains in March and April helped the vines get through the summer.
Winemaking
Harvest Dates: 22 August – 24 September
Grapes: Average Brix 25.7˚
TA: 5.03 g/L
pH: 3.85
Fermentation: Natural primary and secondary; daily pump-overs.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (15% new, 15% one year old, 25% two years old, and 45% four and five years old).
Aging: Sixteen months in barrel
Hand-harvested, sustainably grown, estate grapes; de-stemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by a full malolactic on the naturally occurring malolactic bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush and 90 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.