Ridge Vineyards Spring 2023 Releases

 

Following on the releases last year that I found so promising, these wines, while still good, are not to my taste on the same level, showing much more overt oak influence. (Continue reading here.)

RIDGE VINEYARDS: Spring 2022 National Releases

 As I mentioned in my reviews of the Ridge Spring 2021 national releases, Ridge’s wines had in recent years been moving in the direction of more power and oak. But in March 2021, Ridge announced that Ed Baugher, Monte Bello Winemaker and COO, was leaving Ridge and that John Olney, longtime Winemaker and COO at the Lytton Springs Winery, was being promoted to Head Winemaker and COO of the whole Ridge operation. As such, the 2020 wines, at least those from the Monte Bello Winery, can be regarded as transitional, begun under Baugher, but finished under Olney.

In comparing these wines to the previous few vintages, I do overall find more finesse and better balance here than I had in recent vintages. But it will take a few more vintages to sort out what is due to vintage variation (remember, 2019 was a very challenging vintage) and what is due to a change in approach under Olney. That said, Olney’s background includes internships with Gérard Chave in the Rhône Valley, Lucien Peyraud at Domaine Tempier, and Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, so one would not be surprised to see a shift in balance in the wines.

At any rate, this is a marvelous set of wines and I encourage you to seek them out. (Continue reading here.)

Ridge Vineyards: Spring 2021 National Releases

 I have found Ridge in recent years to have moved more in the direction of wines of oak and power, which is not my preferred style and not consistent with Ridge wines I’ve known from further back. I cannot say whether this is a result of climate change, winemaker preferences, or both. As mentioned below, John Olney, who has long been in charge of the wines at Ridge’s Lytton Springs facility, is now taking over as head winemaker and chief operating officer at Ridge, so we’ll see in the future if there is any change in direction for the wines.

The assessments below are “objective" in the sense that I have tried to eliminate as much as possible my personal preferences in judging the wines. (Continue reading here.)

Ridge Vineyards -- Spring 2020 National Release

These are ripe wines with quite a bit of alcohol and oak, but they are not over the top.

(Continue reading here.)

RIDGE VINEYARDS -- Spring 2018 National Releases

(Originally published 6 May 2018.)

These are the spring 2018 national releases from Ridge. (Continue reading here.)