WINERIES

Ridge Vineyards / Lytton Springs

650 Lytton Springs Road
Healdsburg., CA. 95448
Phone: 707. 433.7721
Fax: 707.473.9461

Over 40 years ago, Ridge made its first Monte Bello, and two years later, its first zinfandel. Since this time, Ridge has championed single-vineyard winemaking, searching California for those rare vineyards where climate, soil, and varietal are ideally matched. After nearly three years of construction at Lytton Springs, Ridge Vineyards has opened its new tasting room in Healdsburg. Ridge has built a sustainable winery, made of compacted rice straw bales. The walls covering the bales are made from a simple mixture of clay from the vineyard, sand, and straw. The new tasting room looks out on the old vines to the south, and into the new barrel room to the east.

Zinfandel accounts for most of the production; cabernet sauvignon, syrah, grenache, and carignane and chardonnay constitute the balance. Known primarily for its red wines, Ridge has also made limited amounts of chardonnay since 1962.

Open daily from 11:00-4:00 for sales and tasting. Known for our old-vine Zinfandel. Located just north of the town of Healdsburg. Take Highway 101 to Lytton Springs Road, proceed west 1/2 mile to Chiquita Road.

Tasting is FREE to members.  Non-members, enjoy 2 free tastes, $5 for 4 more tastes.  Groups of 8 or more will be charged $5 per person

Credit Cards Accepted:
American Express, Discover Card, Master Card, Visa

Wine Type:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Chardonnay, Grenache, Mataro, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Zinfandel

New Wine Releases:
2006 Carignane Buchignani (06/23/2008)
2006 Carignane Buchignani bottled December 2007 100% Hillside Grown Old Vine Carignane This year, cool spring weather and late rains delayed budbreak on Buchignani's seventy-year-old head-trained vines. The late start, coupled with mild summer temperatures, ripened the grapes more slowly than usual; we harvested in late September. The five carignane blocks were picked and vinified separately. After natural-yeast fermentations, we tasted the wines to determine which best exemplified the flavors and character typical of this distinctive site. The two blocks we chose surround the family homestead from which three generations of Buchignanis have tended their sixteen-acre vineyard. The wine aged for twelve months in air-dried American oak barrels, of which twenty percent were new. The resulting spice complements the cherry flavors of this delightful old-vine carignane. Enjoyable now, it will develop fully over the next four to five years. ATP members only until July 1, 2008

2003 Petite Sirah Lytton Estate (06/23/2008)
2003 Petite Sirah Lytton Estate bottled November 2005 77% Petite Sirah, 23% Zinfandel Warm fall temperatures brought intensity and ripeness to the Lytton Springs petite sirah by late September. Most of the grapes go into the main Lytton Springs bottling, but we now have enough mature vines for an Advance Tasting Program release in which the varietal dominates. Particularly firm tannins were moderated during six days of fermentation; we fined with fresh egg whites as the wine aged in barrel. A soft, fragrant zinfandel from Lytton East was added in January, marrying beautifully with the more forthright, deeply-colored petite sirah. The combination of varietals and site is close to ideal, resulting in a wine whose aroma, texture, and flavor are uniquely "true to place." Balanced and only beginning to soften, this Lytton Estate will clearly benefit from bottle age. It will develop fully over the next ten to fifteen years.

2003 Petite Sirah Dynamite Hill (06/23/2008)
2003 Petite Sirah Dynamite Hill bottled December 2005 100% Petite Sirah This is our thirty-fourth vintage of petite sirah from Napa's York Creek Vineyard. In recent years, the wine has come principally from the Dynamite Hill block -- now the oldest, and our favorite. Cool spring weather and May rains delayed bloom; a mild summer and unusually warm autumn ripened the crop fully. The grapes were destemmed, but not crushed, and fermented to dryness on their natural yeasts in eight days. To moderate tannin extraction, we limited circulation of juice over the floating skins and seeds. The 2003 has intense, earthy black fruit and appealingly exotic spice; tannins remain firm. This is a classic, old-style York Creek Petite Sirah. As such, it will need four or five years in bottle to begin to soften, and will age for fifteen or twenty more.

Facilities:
Tasting Fee Complimentary

Visit the website at: http://www.ridgewine.com

E-mail: wine@ridgewine.com