2019 Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley Sonoma 750 ml

Ridge Vineyards stands alone. They’ve been named North America’s #1 Most Admired Wine Brand (and #3 in the world) by Drinks International. They’ve been a Wine & Spirits magazine Top 100 winery 20 times, and they placed fifth at the 1976 Judgement of Paris—and when the wines were tasted again three decades later, they took the crown.

Much of Ridge’s reputation is built upon their highly sought-after Zin blends, and today we’ve got early access to one of their greatest: The 2019 Lytton Springs, which earned a best-ever 95 points from Jeb Dunnuck. A triumph that Dunnuck believes even tops Ridge’s Geyserville bottling, this is California red wine at its vibrant, intense, and age-worthy best, from the winery that collectors and winemakers worldwide hold in the highest esteem. 

We have been ardent collectors and admirers of Ridge for decades. The critics have been heaping praise on the iconic winery for just as long, but Dunnuck has never decorated Lytton Springs with 95 points, the kind of rating that puts it in the company of Ridge’s legendary Monte Bello Bordeaux-style blend. We consider Lytton Springs to be a cellar must-have in every vintage, but when it reaches these heights… well, it’s not to be missed, especially at this price.

Grown on their historic Dry Creek Valley estate, this wine is exactly what makes Lytton so iconic. Showing a ruby center with violet and crimson overtones, it’s got aromas of black plum, dark cherry, resinous herbs, and baking spices, all kissed with a little sweet-toned pipe tobacco. Full in body, it’s polished and assertive, offering so much length after an hour in a decanter, and promising to develop even more astounding character with five to 15 years in the bottle. 

Aging Zinfandel blends—something that’s rarely recommended, unless we’re talking about Ridge. Christie’s auction house called them “equally impressive in terms of structure, length, and age-ability” as the winery’s Bordeaux-style wines, and singled out the Lytton Springs site as “an exceptional piece of ground” that “consistently produce(s) wines that are cellar-worthy, yet understated and sophisticated.” 

The Lytton vineyards are located on the benchlands between Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, where foggy mornings burn off into warm and sunny afternoons before the breezes pick up in the late evening. The older blocks (at Lytton East) are planted with intermixed Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignan, Mataro (Mourvèdre), and Grenache, which are co-fermented. Lytton West features more single-varietal blocks, which are fermented separately before being added to the final blend. 

Ridge is the largest grower of organically certified grapes in Sonoma County, and in the cellar, they rely on what they call “pre-industrial” winemaking techniques. They eschew commercial enzymes and nutrients, allowing the wine to undergo natural malolactic fermentation while aging in American oak. They’re also one of the only wineries in the world to voluntarily label their wines with a comprehensive list of ingredients. 

The result is gorgeous purity, with the vibrant fruit of century-old vines dominating in youth, and the firm acid making for a brightly balanced Zinfandel blend that can age a decade or more. No winery is more iconic, respected, and consistent than Ridge Vineyards, and no collection should be without a few bottles of the 2019 Lytton Springs.