In Bond Fine Wine. 2018 Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs, Sonoma County, California, USA. Red usa-california in 12x75cl. Top critic score: 96/100 (EB). Drinking window: 2020–2048. Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
Ridge Vineyards is a pioneering California estate, founded in the 1960s with the limestone-rich slopes of Monte Bello Ridge in Santa Cruz Mountains (AVA). Its legacy was cemented when the 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon was ranked 3rd in the historic 'Judgement of Paris'. Renowned for its elegant Cabernet Sauvignon and also its old vine Zinfandels and traditional fields blends from historic sites across Sonoma County, Ridge crafts some of the most ageworthy and authentic wines in the United States. These are great terroir-driven wines, from a winemaking philosophy of minimal intervention, native yeasts and transparent winemaking to express the site, vintage and varietal character. Ridge remains, without question, one of America’s greatest wine producers.
Erin Brooks (EB) — 96/100 · Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com, 04/02/2021 · Drink 2020 - 2030
The 2018 Lytton Springs is a blend of 72% Zinfandel, 18% Petite Sirah, 8% Carignane and 2% Mataro. The nose is lush and open, with aromas of aniseed, red and blue berries, blood orange and earth plus touches of tobacco leaf and dried flowers. The medium-bodied palate combines intense, powerful flavors with a more ethereal, silty structure, and it finishes with loads of juicy layers. It's stunning…
Antonio Galloni (AG) — 96/100 · Vinous, 01/09/2020 · Drink 2026 - 2048
The 2018 Lytton Springs is magnificent. Elegant, layered and so complete, the 2018 has a lot to offer, but it needs time to fully come together. Sweet red cherry, red plum, blood orange, spice, mint and rose petal open up in the glass. Bright acids and beams of tannin give the wine its vibrant energy. Readers should plan on cellaring the 2018 for at least a few years. Wow!