In Bond Fine Wine. 2024 Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs, Sonoma County, California, USA. Red usa-california in 12x75cl. Top critic score: 97/100 (VIN). Drinking window: 2027–2044. 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.
Billy Norris (BN) — 97/100 · Vinous, 2026-06-01 · Drink 2027-2044
Now in bottle, the 2024 Geyserville Vineyard (bottled henceforth with "Vineyard" as part of the name due to TTB regulations) has cohered into an even more elegant wine than it was in its late stages of élevage. The 2024 is laden with red/blue-toned fruit, rosewater, exotic spices and overtones of sweet vanilla. It's also characterized by ultra-fine, super-precise tannins and lifted freshness that…
Antonio Galloni (AG) — 94–96/100 · Vinous, 2026-01-01 · Drink 2028 - 2044
Tasted just prior to bottling, the 2024 Lytton Springs is shaping up to be a gem of a wine. It's clearly an infant, but it’s surprisingly light on its feet. Leaning into Syrah-like aromatics of purple flowers, animal musk, white pepper and smoked meat, the 2024 steps with confident and elegance. The chalky tannins are particularly up front today, but that shouldn't be a problem in a few years' ti…