Ridge Wine Status?

Question

Hmmm, after perusing what I can here, I sense a bit of hinting about potential loss of quality at Ridge. What's the general opinion here? I haven't been able to get my hands on Ridge's wines for a few years, and was thinking of joining their Z List (and possibly the ATP List) based on my old experiences. I still have verticals of Geyserville and Lytton Springs but it's been a few years since Ive been able to buy anything new there. I see Robert Parker hasn't written anything about Ridge in a long time, which seems very strange given he usually gushes over Drapers creations, as do I.

What are people here seeing the past few years?

Thanks,

Darl Helmet

Bi!! · Accepted Answer

Perhaps more of a change in style than in quality.

Lawrence Leichtman · Answer

Some of the better vineyards are still very good. They, like all wineries, produce some poor wines for a cheaper price.

Bi!! · Answer

I think that they are more approachable at a younger age than they used to be. The Monte Bello used to be a wine that required at least ten years before drinking. It was quite tough and hard on release and not really pleasant. While the newer releases are still fairly tight on release compared to many other California Cabs, they are still a lot more supple and ripe than the wines of the 90's and older. The Lytton Springs also seems to have lost a bit of stuffing compared to earlier vintages being almost soft on release compared to what it used to be like.

Ridge Wine Status?

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