Recently, I attended a tasting of 30 different Ridge wines of vintages ranging from the 1970’s thru the 2010’s. There were even a couple of whites in the mix.
For many years, my admiration for this house was unbridled but in my crotchety years I have given up buying the wines. The last bottles I bought, I gave away to those for whom the fire still burns.
While almost all of the sites they use are excellent, the farming impeccable and the choice to pick precise, I do not understand the barrel regimen. New American oak seems to be ubiquitous and it’s influence, significant.
On release, many of the reds have such exuberant fruit that one can ignore the ever present sawn-lumber notes. But as they age, the oak tends to obscure the fruit and become paramount. And in my experience, these wines seldom “soak up the oak” such that it’s presence is not obvious. Rather, I think many of the reds become “misshapen” as a result of their barrel treatment.
This tasting reinforced that notion.
Older Zinfandels that I could not recognize as Zin. Carignane with atypical tannin. Even Cabernets that tasted more of generic red wine than of Cab.
Of course, there are exceptions. A 2019 Falanghina was typical of the variety and good (no oak discerned), a couple Monte Bello, Cabernets were good despite their wood notes and the 1997 Monte Bello, Cabernet was a masterpiece.
Aging gives wine a chance to develop. The barrel program at Ridge seems counter-productive.
Aging in a taster often leads to a change in preferences. And so it has.
Hmm. I tried several different bottles of various Ridge because of the high reputation. None of the wines thrilled me or even encouraged me to buy again. They have great customer services and most posters on this site love them. I prefer fruit to oak and liveliness to structure. I just accept that they are not for me.
Jim, I mostly agree with you. I cut my teeth on the Ridge Zins from about '87 through '95 (and was in ATP for 5 years or so) and noticed that the amount of ripeness and American oak increased for all of the wines between the '95 and '98 vintages, so I stopped buying them years ago.
I’d be interested if you tried things like '91 Geyserville or '92 Lytton Springs Estate in your recent tasting, as those are wines that have always shown beautifully and not really oaky. But it’s been a while, so maybe they show differently now?
There’s a lot of love for Ridge on this board and frankly, many times I thought I must be missing something on the bottles I drank. I bought new releases and older ones on Winebid, but I never “got it.”
This was the Older Ridge offline event George Chadwick organized, with several Berserkers in attendance. Price of admission was bringing an older Ridge wine, so it was mostly Ridge fans. I didn’t hear from anyone else who wasn’t absolutely thrilled with the wines.
My general preference for them is fully mature, which is well past what most here think of as mature. The '76 Paso Zin was doing great.
I’ve had several Bedrock wines over the last few years, including some whites, and they’ve been masterful. But, to me, every Carlisle wine I’ve tried was hot and heavy. Technically well made, with others enjoying them quite a bit, but not enjoyable for me to drink in the least. I doubt Carlisle fans would want to see a big style shift, nor would Ridge fans. There are plenty of options out there from quality producers.
Jim you are 10x the pro to my country bumpkin ass, but it’s as if I just wrote that post. I have incredible admiration for this winery, and at one point it was the most represented in my modest collection, and I’m at the point of no longer buying it. I started with the wonderful 1991 Geyserville. I bought lots of this wine for many years, sometimes by the case. I think I have some 2016 Geyserville as my last vintage. Stopped buying the Cabs around 13, Lytton and others around 12.
And the reason: American Oak.
Ive posted a handful of notes and comments over the last five years on this subject. I think I posted some data even showing a greater use of new oak for a series of vintages. Really became noticeable to me, or I should say overwhelming to me, in some of the 2012-14 bottlings.
I think it is a terrible choice for any wine. It’s the reason I don’t buy Rioja. I cannot get the pungency of that oak out of my nose or palate. At any age.
What a shame, too. The wine would be exceptional otherwise.
Unless I am mistaken, Ridge has always used American oak. If you liked them 20 yrs ago , but don’t now, maybe it isn’t their oak program, but you “matured” palate that’s changed.
I am pretty sure I read a post here that Ridge actually used French oak on some wines just for testing purposes and had a (semi-)public tasting of the respective wines. You might have been able to find it if we had a search function. Can’t remember the details
I used to like Ridge, and still like Ridge.
I used to think Bedrock was too structured, but now adore it.
I used to like Carlisle, but now think its a cocktail wine.
Lucky for me I’m still an omnivore and don’t turn up my nose to any of them. My buying patterns have changed, but I’m still happy to drink what’s in my cellar.
I love Geyserville and Lytton Springs on the young side, when the berry fruit is front and center. And I have no problem with the American oak. I enjoy them less as they age and the oak melds in. When they become claret-like, I miss the zin character. If I wanted claret, I’d drink claret. But I can understand why some people like them with age.
I’ve had some wonderful Bedrocks, but they never quite scratch the same zinfandel itch. I have no experience with them aged, though. Wish I did.
The Montebello ridge has distinctive terroir, so I wouldn’t lump Mount Eden in with the alternatives. But, Arnot-Roberts and I. Brand are the best contemporary producers to compare. I’ve had barrel samples of (single lots of) Ridge Monte Bello in French oak and it does not fit with their other winemaking choices. For whatever reasons, any given vintage of Ridge Monte Bello has more in common with a Mount Eden Pinot Noir of that vintage than a Mount Eden Cab or anyone else’s Montebello ridge Cab.
As others have said things like the percentage of new oak has gone up over time as well. Sure, Jim’s palate and preferences may have shifted over time.
But that’s not all that’s going on here.
