2019 Monte Bello

Ridge manages to pull off the impossible, which is to excel in both larger-volume, commercial bottlings while also offering a number of small production, niche wines that will appeal to the nerdiest of wine lovers. The range continues to expand, which makes it a challenge to keep up, but a very fun challenge. “Over the last few years we have gotten more comfortable with smaller volume wines than in the past,” said John Olney, a Ridge veteran who spent more than twenty years running the Lytton Springs Estate before being promoted to his current role as Head Winemaker and COO.

There are a ton of compelling wines in this range beyond the obvious Geyserville, Lytton Springs and Monte Bello. The 2019 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch, Syrah Grenache Mataro Lytton Estate and Carignane Buchignani Ranch are all wines I would love to own. I do have concerns about some of the 2020s, including the Monte Bello, which has been problematic in two separate tastings from barrel. I would approach the 2020s with caution.

I tasted more wines than ever at Ridge this year. Not that I am complaining, as this collection is jam-packed with fabulous wines that will delight Ridge fans. Mild weather with no heat spikes created conditions for even ripening in 2018. As I have already written previously, 2018 is an absolutely magical vintage for Sonoma County. The 2018 Zinfandel and Zinfandel-based wines are off the charts gorgeous, with a level of purity I am not sure I have seen before. In the Santa Cruz Mountains, 2018 yielded wines that are gracious and silky, but also a bit restrained. Ridge’s 2017s are shaping up to be magnificent. It was a cold, wet year for much of the growing season. Whereas some regions in California struggled under the Labor Day heat spikes, Ridge really needed that final burst of heat to get ripe. The 2017s, the reds in particular, are breathtaking. Lastly, the 2019 Monte Bello is a wonderfully suggestive wine. Will all the 2019s be as compelling?