Drink now or cellar for up to 15 years. Decant one hour before serving. The tale of ridge vineyards begins back in 1885 when the italian doctor osea perrone bought 180 acres near the top of the now legendary monte bello ridge. For many years the land fell into disuse until it was purchased by four stanford research institute engineers and the modern winery began to take shape. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the estate first burst onto the global stage following the 1976 judgment of paris tasting where top french wines were tasted blind alongside leading californian wines. Ridge’s monte bello cabernet finished fifth, ahead of several top-rated french wines, proving the incredible quality of california’s fledgling contemporary wine industry. Lytton springs is one of california’s benchmark zinfandel wines and is crafted from its namesake vineyard which was planted at the dawn of the last century. To add extra complexity a small proportion of petite sirah, carignane and mataro is added to the zinfandel base and the young wine is aged in american oak barrels for 14 months. The result is a polished yet powerful red with punchy dark fruit flavours and pronounced tannins which will respond well to extended cellaring. This is a great addition to any collector’s cellar, but it can also be enjoyed now with hearty red meat dishes.
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