A few Ridge wines

After what seemed like 11 months of winter in Reno, we find ourselves this weekend in Los Altos- soccer tournament ! In between two games, we took the time to make the beautiful drive to Ridge winery in Cupertino. The day was gorgeous, the view was spectacular and the wines matched them. Of note, the 2006 Nervo Zinfandel which managed to be elegant without hammering you on the head like Zins sometimes tend to do. It was interesting to taste it alongside the Caboose Zin (2006 also, I seem to remember) which was picked a little more riper than the Nervo was. The latter was definitely fruitier. The 2007 Cab/Merlot blend was very approachable. The 2006 Montebello was a very well crafted wine which shows many good years ahead of it although I wouldn't mind having it tonight with a steak. The finish was endless.
Also, the 2006 East Bench Zin is a great bargain at less than $30. I am not sure if Ridge is known for their Syrah, but the Lytton Syrah they were pouring was more than average. If you happen to be in these parts, the tortuous drive up Montebello road is definitely worth taking.

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks for the notes. Ridge is not known for their Syrah, mainly because they make it in very small quantities and only sell it at the winery or through their ATP Club. What I have tasted I have enjoyed.

That was an interesting range of zins you tried, considering none of the "usual suspects" were included. Or were you less than impressed by the Lytton Springs and Geyserville?

David,
They were neither pouring the Lytton Springs nor the Geyserville yesterday. However, there was a York Creek Zin that we tasted at the very end. It was one of the wines that the pourer had skipped over. It was a case of "Hey, I didn't taste that. Can I have a splash?" After the flight of really good wines we had before that, it did't make much of an impression. So I cannot comment fairly upon it. The pourer started with an '06 Monte Bello Chardonnay which was very well done with pears and citrus and not "big and oaky" as Cali Chardonnays can often be. For someone who don't drink enough Chardonnay, I liked it.
Shaji

Thanks for the notes. Ridge is not known for their Syrah, mainly because they make it in very small quantities and only sell it at the winery or through their ATP Club. What I have tasted I have enjoyed.

David,
They do sell a little of it to their distributors in various states. But, since Ridge is not known for their Syrah, these (not-so-bright) distributors often pass.

The Ridge Syrahs (and Grenache and Syrah/Grenache blend) is a bit of a perplexing wine. When they first started making them (from their newer LyttonWest vnyd),
I did not care for them at all. They spoke loudly of Ridge red winemaking and barely whispered of Syrah. I really gave DonnReisen a raft of $hit about them. And...as he
assured me about them....I've come around. They are not your typical Syrahs (I'm not convinced the DryCreekVlly is a great place to grow Syrah) and they do speak
a lot of Ridge red winemaking (the DraperPerfume), but w/ 3-5 yrs of age, they almost always turn into really interesting wines. Again, not classic Calif Syrah,
but very interesting & complex wines. Jeez...I wish Donn where here so I could tell him "You were right".
Tom