Ridge - Unusual or Rare Bottlings?

[Rich_Brown]

@Larry Stein

Here’s some crazy pricing from a just-closed K&L auction. I was toying with going about $135 max for the lot, but this is nuts!

1 bottle each 1996 Ridge Dry Creek Valley Sangiovese, 1996 Ridge Vineyards “Geyserville” Sonoma County Petite Sirah, and 1997 Ridge Vineyards “Lytton Estate” Dry Creek Valley Syrah.

It went for $363!!

The days of finding solid deals on aged Ridge wines are sadly long, long gone

[Rich_Brown]

@Rich Brown

@Larry Stein

Here’s some crazy pricing from a just-closed K&L auction. I was toying with going about $135 max for the lot, but this is nuts!

1 bottle each 1996 Ridge Dry Creek Valley Sangiovese, 1996 Ridge Vineyards “Geyserville” Sonoma County Petite Sirah, and 1997 Ridge Vineyards “Lytton Estate” Dry Creek Valley Syrah.

It went for $363!!

The days of finding solid deals on aged Ridge wines are sadly long, long gone

Now I’m doing a double take. Is that literally 3 bottles for $363!?!?

[Larry_Stein]

Yep

[Rich_Brown]

@Larry Stein

Yep

What’s the unicorn in that lot? The sangiovese?

[Larry_Stein]

That one makes the most sense. Only 4 vintages, 1992 and 1996-98, according to Cellartracker.

[Wes_Barton]

@Larry Stein

That one makes the most sense. Only 4 vintages, 1992 and 1996-98, according to Cellartracker.

'92 would be (yet another) misentry. They did the 3 vintages because the vines came with the property they’d just bought. Plenty of other projects to do before grafting over suboptimal vines. They were all good, but lesser, not so interesting Ridge wines while young and middle-aged. Around 2010 the '97 was still mediocre and the '98 fairly impressive. Anything over $100 for that lot would be too much, imo.

[Drew_Goin]

Sorry, I realize that this article/interview is not an example of an unusual bottling from the winery, but it is a good interview with Mr Eric Baugher…


Mi Amigo El Vino
“Eric Baugher, Director of Winemaking at Ridge Vineyards: The Winemaker in Charge of the Iconic Winery in Santa Cruz Mountains”
October 10, 2016

Mi Amigo El Vino
“Ridge Vineyards, the Californian iconic winery of Santa Cruz Mountains”
September 22, 2016

[Sean_Devaney]

Thanks for the link Drew, nice article.

[ncostanzo1]

This is a great thread to stumble back upon two years later.

[Sean_S]

K&L just had a Ridge sale, and I managed to pick up some beautiful bottles of the norms and a few unusual bottles that I haven’t had before. Most of these might not precisely be rare, but rare to me…

1998 Ridge Dry Creek Sangiovese 1998 Ridge Dry Creek Sangiovese
2000 Ridge Vineyards ‘Dutcher Creek’ Carignane
2002 Ridge Vineyards “Home Ranch” Santa Cruz Mountains Red Blend

Can’t wait to break em out with Wes and the whole crew. Covid-19 makes me miss our Ridge picnics immensely. The fantastic folks, food, wines, and stories were all always special. (and hopefully will be again soon)

Sean

[Glenn_L_e_v_i_n_e]

Had some lovely wines during this shelter-in-place (if you ever needed palpable evidence supporting why a cellar is important in life…) but this was the very best in my mind.


Top one or two Ridge Zins I’ve enjoyed and top 5 Zin of my life.

[Brad_Kane]

A few I’ve had are the '93 Cabernet Sauvignon- Horseshoe/Foster, which I had with the late great Joe Dougherty. It was a one off from the ATP program. From two blocks on Monte Bello that ripen together, but that Draper didn’t feel was up to snuff for the inclusion in the Monte Bello. Only 17 barrels made. I really enjoyed it.

I also had at least four bottles of 1970 Zinfandel- Jimsomare with Joe. Draper was ahead of the curve with a 15.8% monster in the first vintage it was produced. I think the last time I had it was around 2007 and it was fading then, but in the late '90s it was still delicious. Would’ve loved to have tasted it in its youth.

A couple of other oddities were the '71 Gamay- York Creek and an early '72 Ruby Cabernet- Monte Bello. The Gamay, had in '11, was well past peak, but retained a sense of what it once was. My only recollection of the Ruby Cabernet, had over twenty years ago, was that it was “alright.”

[James_Kennedy]

@H Wallace Jr

I have a 1990 “California” Mataro which is different than the 90 Evangelho bottling.

From the Ridge website, describing the 1993 “Evangelho Vineyard” Mataro:

"We have used the Evangelo Vineyard’s hunded-year-old mataro vines for the 1990 Advance Tasting Program release and all subsequent national ones. In the 1993 vintage, the national release comes from the Bridgehead vineyards, a quarter-mile to the east; all the Evangelo[sic] was set aside for this, our second ATP mataro."

https://www.ridgewine.com/wines/1993-evangelo-mataro/

I dunno…

I’ve consumed two of these over the last three years after finding some at an OC wine shop. Expected nothing but they were quite good. Fresher than you’d expect and tremendously complex with a long finish. Put one in a world mataro/mourvedre survey tasting and it was hands down the best. The back label says to drink within 8 years yet it is on the plateau now and should have some years left to live.

[Marshall_Manning]

I’ve consumed two of these over the last three years after finding some at an OC wine shop. Expected nothing but they were quite good. Fresher than you’d expect and tremendously complex with a long finish. Put one in a world mataro/mourvedre survey tasting and it was hands down the best. The back label says to drink within 8 years yet it is on the plateau now and should have some years left to live.

I remember that wine from the ATP release. Yes, that shows my age. I drank it in 1998 and said that it was the best Mourvedre I’d had from CA up to that time. I think I tried getting more from Ridge, but it was too late.

[James_Kennedy]

I’ve consumed two of these over the last three years after finding some at an OC wine shop. Expected nothing but they were quite good. Fresher than you’d expect and tremendously complex with a long finish. Put one in a world mataro/mourvedre survey tasting and it was hands down the best. The back label says to drink within 8 years yet it is on the plateau now and should have some years left to live.

I remember that wine from the ATP release. Yes, that shows my age. I drank it in 1998 and said that it was the best Mourvedre I’d had from CA up to that time. I think I tried getting more from Ridge, but it was too late.

Very nice. Wish they still made it to compare. The Lytton is a completely different spectrum for the grape.

[AD_Northup]

Some awesome stuff out here. I check Winebid every week for one of Ridge’s, lots of random ATP stuff (though rarely with significant age)

[Marshall_Manning]

Some awesome stuff out here. I check Winebid every week for one of Ridge’s, lots of random ATP stuff (though rarely with significant age)

I was in ATP for a while, but after the 1995 vintage or so the wines just seemed to get oakier, so I dropped out around 2000, I think.

[Bob_Davis]

Hearts Delight Zinfandel. A long time ago. It showed up in Maryland at a Total Wine store. I bought them all.

[AD_Northup]

New Ridge Pinot coming out?

[Larry_Stein]

!!!

Has Ridge ever made a Pinot? Off the top of my head, I don’t think so.