2009 Ridge Lytton Springs - what would be a good ($40 or under) old world wine to compare with it? Something reasonably available would be good, since if folks like the wines they usually want to know where they can buy them.
How about a current vintage of Domaine Tempier Bandol? It’s about the same price, pretty easy to find, shows well enough while young, is a legitimate old world wine, and has enough fruit and density to show up alongside the Ridge.
Or how about Passopisciaro? Southern Italy wines tend to have some similarity to California Zinfandels and Zin blends, and the Etna Rosso reds like that one seem to stay more in bounds and have more elegance than a lot of the overripe reds from Southern Italy. Passopisciaro is fairly easy to find and about the same price as Lytton Springs.
Or you could find a CdP at a similar price point from a recent vintage, I guess.
Staying with the same/similar grape, maybe Tormaresca Torcicoda? Runs about $20 and has pretty good distribution.
I’d recommend a Pierre Usseglio CdP (although they tend toward a somewhat more modern style). The Aieul, like the Lytton, is an old vine wine. No idea what the price of that is these days.
The 09 Lytton ($35 or so) is pretty stiff competition for any comparably priced French wine IMO.
Different grape, I might go with Re Manfredi Aglianico del Vulture, from Basilicata. Should run about $25 or so.
Interesting question. I haven’t tasted it but it is a zin field blend with fruit but plenty of acidity, yes? I like the idea of a Southern Rhone blend but was thinking more a higher end CdR. How about the 09 Coudoulet de Beaucastel?
Lots of interesting ideas. I like the idea of the Tempier, as I would love to get a Mourvedre into the tasting, but am not convinced by California renditions.
The Domaine Tempier is a great, old world call. The Cuvee Classique, like Ridge Geyserville, has a small percentage of Carignane. Could make for an interesting comparison.
I would not go with the Usseglio, at least not the base cuvee, which is within your price point. The more recent vintages are very modern. The '07 base cuvee is almost undrinkable to me.
Well, since this event will be for folks significantly less geeky than the average wine web denizen, modern might not be so bad.
But Tempier is seeming more and more like a good choice. I have access to Geyserville as well as Lytton, so could go there.
David, is this a side-by-side tasting or what? How do you want it to ‘match’? Ridge is pretty unique (in their field blend), but try a primitivo for similar brambleberry flavors or go across the Adriatic and pick up a Dingac (plavac mali grape) from Croatia. Similary big and brawny, but with a modicom of polish, like that country cousin who owns the largest house in East Dimwad.
Lytton is showing better than Geyserville (a long ager) at the moment.
Showing my ignorance here, but isn’t Tempier a Rose?
I second the Tempier and CdP recommendations. Both have the ripeness, the fruit and the soft tannins to square off with the Ridge. I think the Tempier is probably closer in fruit profile and structure, though. A big Corbieres might be another idea. Or, of course, the right primitivo. Some do taste like zins.
Ognissole Primitivo.
I’ll be the voice of disagreement and say that I don’t think a Tempier would fit the bill. Too dense and structured when young normally. More secondary in character that in fruit. Not that Ridge is overly fruity but a Zin blend doesn’t seem to have a ton in common with a rustic Bandol like Tempier to me. I would look to S Rhone or Languedoc-Roussillon from riper vintages for some candidates. Possibly some more forward Priorats or other S Spanish wines would fit the bill. Plenty from various regions of Italy, especially from the islands would work.
They make a rose, a white and several reds including the entry level cuvee classique, which can be enjoyed younger and is usually quite good.
The tasting that would interest me would be to match the 09 Ridge Lytton with a CdP “Special Cuvee” old vine GSM blend like the PU Aieul. While this would involve a price differential (the S. Rhone would cost 2-3 times the Ridge), it would compare two of the world’s classic, iconic old vine field blends.
If David is targeting a prototypical “new world” wine, a Ridge “Paso Robles” (or a Turley “Dusi” for that matter) has more of a fruit forward, easily accessable flavor profile than the Lytton or Geyserville.
Since David is simply looking for a fun comparison for non-geeks, the above probably qualifies as “too much information”!
Well I’m happy for the information, but don’t want to bore my audience!
I specifically chose the Lytton (and could change to the Geezer) because it is iconic. It’s also readily available most of the time.
Not to bore you David, the the Lytton is showing much better early than the Geyserville. I wouldn’t switch.
Was figuring Lytton anyway. I like to keep the Geyserville for me!
How about Álvaro Palacios Priorat Les Terrasses, or Can Blau Monsant?
It would be interesting to see if the Ridge would be picked as the old world wine vs. one of these.
P Hickner