Ridge Lytton Springs Red Blend 2016
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69% Zinfandel, 23% Petite Sirah, 6% Carignane, 2% Mataro (Mourvedre)
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This blend of 69 per cent zinfandel, 23 per cent petite sirah, six per cent carignane and two per cent mataro has an x-factor attraction, in that all components are elevating each other to greater heights. The sum is more than the parts. Attractive red berries with blackberries, blackcurrants and red plums, too. This is assertively structured and will deliver best from 2022.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Another winner is the 2016 Lytton Springs, a Zinfandel-dominated blend that includes 23% Petite Sirah, 6% Carignan, and 2% Mourvèdre. This medium to full-bodied effort has wonderful purity of fruit as well as slightly more density in its black and blue fruits, earth, and dried spices. With bright acidity and ripe tannins, it will be better with another year or three of bottle age and keep for 15-20.
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Wine Spectator
Recalls the tasty red field blends of yore, showing briary cherry, grilled anise and cracked pepper flavors that finish with slightly rustic tannins. Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, Carignane and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2025.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Lytton Springs is also excellent, offering up aromas of crushed currants, plums, candied violets and baked clay. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, rich and youthfully chewy, with a crunchy core of fruit and fine-grained but firm structuring tannins. It's a bit more burly and rustic than the satiny, sumptuous Geyserville this year—no surprise, given that the blend contains fully 23% Petite Sirah (alongside 69% Zinfandel, 6% Carignane and 2% Mataro).
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Wine & Spirits
Fleshy and rich, this classic blend of mixed blacks offers a lot of flavor volume within a lean frame. It’s mostly zinfandel (69 percent), along with petite sirah, carignane and mataro in the blend. Bright red fruit bursts out of its dark, savory structure, feeling both austere and dense as a young wine. This is concentrated, fresh and built to age.
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2021- Vinous
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Ridge's history begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor and prominent member of San Francisco's Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He planted vineyards and constructed a winery of redwood and native limestone in time to produce the first vintage of Monte Bello in 1892. The historic building now serves as the Ridge production facility.
Though Ridge began as a Cabernet winery, by the mid-60s, it had produced several Zinfandels including the Geyserville. In 1972, Lytton Springs joined the line-up and the two came to represent an important part of Ridge production. Known primarily for its red wines, Ridge has also made limited amounts of Chardonnay since 1962.
The Ridge approach is straightforward: find the most intense and flavorful grapes, guide the natural process, draw all the fruit's richness into the wine. Decisions on when to pick, when to press, when to rack, what varietals and what parcels to include and when to bottle, are based on taste. To retain the nuances that increase complexity, Ridge winemakers handle the grapes and wine as gently as possible. There are no recipes, only attention and sensitivity.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
A multifaceted and highly reputable sub-region of Sonoma, Dry Creek Valley is responsible for a wide range of wine styles—both red and white. One of the smallest AVAs in California, Dry Creek Valley has a winning combination of ideal geography and climate. Fertile, well-drained soils create concentrated varietal character while long, warm days, bookended by cool nights, allow grapes to reach full phenolic ripeness and balance. The warm and welcoming appellation is home to a number of family-owned vineyards and wineries that place a strong emphasis on sustainable farming practices.
Zinfandel reigns supreme here and still produces in a great number of very old vineyards—often 100 years old or older. These old vines create a powerful, voluptuous and sultry wine unlike those of any other region. Sauvignon Blanc, the valley’s signature white grape, also performs exceptionally well. Many other varieties grow comfortably here, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Syrah. Petite Sirah is often found in blends with Zinfandel.