Have we ever mentioned how much we love the wines of Ridge Vineyards here at Gang of Pour? No?! I didn’t think so! Haha!!!

So once again, I was ratting around the wine department at Western Market in Ferndale a few weeks ago, and I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw these three. 2016 Zin-types from Ridge?! It was like an alarm or some kind of conditioned response went off in my fevered brain.

Must try!! Must buy!!

And so I did. (Winery prices are listed here. I got these for a little bit less.)

2016 Ridge Vineyards Three Valleys Sonoma County, 68% Zinfandel, 15% Carignane, 12% Petite Sirah, 5% Grenache, 14.3% alc., $30.00: Clean, dark color; a pretty bouquet of black raspberry with a hint of lavender and a kiss of sweet oak echoes and expands on the palate very nicely, with the oak showing a bit more, but by no means to excess. Full bodied, with nice length on the finish; fairly dense, silky smooth in texture, and yet deceptively well structured for 3-5 years in the cellar. Very much in the house style, which translates as de-lish, of course! Find this wine

2016 Ridge Vineyards East Bench Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, 14.9% alc., $32.00: Clean and dark in color, with a lovely perfume that could only come from a Ridge Zin. Pretty flavors and aromas of rich black raspberry and blackberry, with a generous kiss of sweet oak and some lavender, blueberry and subtle earth underneath. Elegant, silky smooth and structured to cellar for at least 3-5 years, but so damned good now, why wait?! This one kicks up a notch or three from the Three Valleys, making for an even bigger “yumm” factor. Find this wine

2016 Ridge Vineyards Geyserville Alexander Valley, 73% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah, 3% Alicante Bouschet, 73% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah, 3% Alicante Bouschet, 14.5% alc., $40.00: Showing clean, dark color, and exuding rich, effusive aromatics that are once again unmistakably Mr. Ridge, all lush dark berry and black cherry, shaded with a little earth and a kiss of oak. A substantial wine, this, full bodied, and typically well-structured for many years of aging and development. Flavors follow through on the promise of the nose, with the earthiness making itself more apparent,and while there’s a ton of fruit here, it will be better with at least 5 years in the cellar, of better yet, 10. It does open nicely in the glass over time, so decant for an hour before drinking now, but it’s better to keep hands off, as patience will certainly be rewarded. Find this wine

These three delights give ample evidence as to why Ridge remains on the very short list of our favorite wineries from anywhere in the world. Period.

Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo

Related posts:

1. Four Zins
2. Mr. Ridge Goes to Mudgies
3. A Ridge Dinner On Super Bowl Sunday
4. Two from Mr. Ridge
5. Three from Mr. Ridge

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