Lytton Springs

Exhilarating, beautiful fruit, ruby/purple colour with a nose of sweet strawberry jam. Full-bodied, robust and well-structured, this 100% Zinfandel with multi-dimensional flavours should be drunk within 5-7 years.

The history of the Ridge vineyard dates back to 1885 when Osea Perrone, a practicing physician, purchased 70 hectares near the top of Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains at 850 metres above sea level and planted terraced vineyards. In 1940, the vineyard, then abandoned, was bought by William Short, a theologian who planted several plots of Cabernet Sauvignon. However, it was not until 1959 that the first vintage of Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon was produced under the supervision of Dave Bennion and his three partners, all of whom were researchers at Stanford University. In 1967 Ridge Vineyards became a private company with a production of 3000 cases per year. In 1989, Paul Draper, a graduate in Philosophy from Stanford University, joined the company on his return from Chile where he had been running a winery. Paul Draper is not an oenologist and has a very pragmatic approach that compliments the winery's philosophy of expertise gained over the years. Paul Draper's philosophy is simple, find the grapes with the greatest aromatic intensity and extract these aromas in the most natural way possible. He succeeded in bringing Ridge to the pinnacle of Californian winemaking and was named Decanter's Man of the Year in 2000. All of the estate's wines were fermented with natural yeasts, the reds in small vats to increase the intensity of the extractions and the Chardonnays, unstemmed, in naturally dried French (65%) and American (35%) oak barrels. The Zinfandel is vinified with the cap submerged, while the other varieties are vinified by gently pumping the grape juice over the cap at regular intervals. The thirty parcels that make up the Monte Bello vineyard are fermented separately and aged for 85% in American oak barrels and 15% in French oak barrels. The blending is done after the malolactic fermentations and is based on blind tasting of the different vintages. All important decisions (harvesting, pressing, sub-strapping, bottling) are based on sensory analysis, with laboratory analysis used only to confirm sensory decisions. The best Cabernet Sauvignon vintages are selected for the estate's flagship wine, Ridge Monte Bello, with the others blended for Ridge Santa Cruz.

Its grape variety: Zinfandel

The origin of Zinfandel has long been a mystery. Only recently has it been proven that its DNA structure is exactly the same as that of Primitivo, an indigenous Italian grape from Puglia. It is also thought to be related to Plavac Mali from Croatia.
However, the path followed by this orphan variety to arrive in its adopted country, California, where it became the emblematic grape variety favoured by many winemakers, is still unknown. When Zinfandel was introduced in California around 1850, it was blended with Mission, a very productive variety of dubious quality, to provide structure and colour. Unnoticed at the beginning of its career, its popularity grew as winemakers realised its quality as an enhancing element in a blend. Wines made exclusively from Zinfandel are also beginning to be appreciated, and it is attributed a certain temperament: velvety on the palate, fruity, rich and straightforward with spicy notes, especially black pepper. A true chameleon, it is capable of taking on different forms: from small mass consumption wines to the great powerful and silky wines found in the best producers, through to light and fruity rosés, called 'White' or 'Blush' Zinfandel.
Sensitive to soil and climate, this is not the easiest grape to grow. Uneven phenolic ripeness of the berries, susceptibility to disease and frost, and if the grapes are overripe they may lack acidity. Many growers see Zinfandel as a challenge, which they often overcome successfully.