What’s The Story, Morning Glory?

​I feel that most of us wine nerds have a place reserved in our hearts and souls for the wines of Ridge Vineyard, the venerable winery nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California, founded by legendary winemaker Paul Draper.  Yeah, I am getting busy with my flowery words, but they just don’t do Ridge justice.

You could trace the roots of Ridge back to 1885, when a prominent Italian doctor named Oseo Perrone purchased just shy of 200 acres atop the Santa Cruz Mountains, what would eventually be the Monte Bello Vineyard.  In the 1960s, a group of Stanford engineers led by Dave Bennion, would take the reins, with the first Ridge Zinfandels released in 1964 – and my favorite part, the first Ridge Geyserville released in 1966 (my birth year).

Paul Draper joined the Ridge Army in 1969 and under his guidance, they have evolved into the tour-de-force they are today, under the current winemakers Eric Baugh and John Olney.

So this past Tuesday morning, Christina Donley, the regional sales rep from Ridge dropped in on us to taste through the latest releases:

1. Ridge Chardonnay Estate 2014
2. Ridge Zinfandel Ponzo 2014
3. Ridge Zinfandel East Bench 2014
4. Ridge Zinfandel Pagani Ranch 2013
5. Ridge Lytton Springs 2014
6. Ridge Petite Sirah Lytton Estate 2014

More than just the token white wine, the Ridge Chardonnay Estate 2014 is an amazement.  While there is hints of the Meyer lemon buttercream and slow-toasted vanillin oak notes you come to expect from California Chardonnay, there are bright white spicy notes, a tropical fruit extravaganza, and touches of mineral notes swimming in the background, a complex beauty that could stand a bit of time before opening.  Patience is a virtue here.

Yet the big claim to fame – aside from making one of the best damn Cabernets from anywhere on the planet – is their Zinfandel, and a great introduction to their Fall releases is the Ridge Zinfandel Ponzo 2014.  From the Russian River Valley, this medium-bodied joy gives you loads of candied cherries, raspberries and mineral notes, tethered by subtle vanilla and light spices.  A bit of elegance with just the right amount of sultry.

I have to say though, the hit for us was the Ridge Zinfandel East Bench 2014, a stunning effort with a whole lot going on in the glass.  Generous with its delivery of red fruits, crushed violets and a hint of brown sugar, in the category of crowd pleasing, this is a touchdown, a grand slam and a hat trick, all rolled into one.

The Ridge Zinfandel Pagani Ranch 2013 is all Sonoma County fruit, what Christina reminded us was the genesis of the old Ridge Sonoma Station release.  Dried fruits, cocoa, graham cracker and spices abound in this juicy, jammy effort.  Blended with Alicante Bouschet and Petite Sirah.

One of the wineries’ two flagship wines is the Ridge Lytton Springs 2014 (the other being the Geyserville).  Blended with Petite Sirah, Carignane and Mataro (that’s Australian for Mourvedre), this sexy beast smolders with its passionate rendering of black fruits, chocolate, mint and sage.

Winding up the flight is the Ridge Petite Sirah Lytton Estate 2014, a more elegant portrayal of this dark and gothic grape.  Smoky plum and blackberries, firm grip of tannins, and dark, exotic spices rule the day (or more aptly, night) in this glass, something to truly behold.

As someone who has been a huge Ridge fan most of his career, I have to say this was most definitely the right kind of breakfast to start the morning.  Now if we only had had some goetta omelets…