Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel 2021

Waterford commentary:

Standing at Ridge Lytton Springs you face a piece of history.  For it is here that Zinfandel first found a home in California, and it is here that Lytton’s century old vines continue to make great Zinfandel.

Lytton is named for sea captain William Lytton who purchased the property in the 1870s.  Originally the property was much larger – from the lanai of the tasting room all that surrounds you was Lytton’s.

Directly off the lanai is perhaps one of the first and oldest blocks of Zinfandel planted in California.  The vines are now crusted and cankerous with old age: many are cracking due to their own weight, revealing an inner heart-wood that will eventually be scabbed over, leaving very little nutrients to flow through to the grapes – hence, their concentration.  Others suffer from “die-back”, one arm eerily stubby and stout, the other sinewy from made up production.

This first block is the heart of Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel - but it’s not all Zinfandel.  It’s planted on a 6 x 6 vine formation, with every sixth vine being Carignane.  Imagine rolling “6” on a die.  The top corner dot is the Carignane plant.  And in the vineyard this pattern is repeated over and over again.  Why?  Whomever loved this Carignane is now dead for over a 100 years – and he (or she) took their secret with them.

Looking left, or towards the highway, is a small rise.  This is Lytton’s Petite Sirah.  These vines, like all of the old vines at Lytton, are ugly.  But the fruit is beautiful.  Sadly, in all of Lytton the Petite’s life has been the hardest.  The soil is poor and the slope is steep.  If the first block of Lytton’s Zinfandel looks like a healthy, hearty centenarian then the Petite looks ready to be boarded up in a casket and laid to rest.  Yet someone, many years ago, changed the entire pattern of Zinfandel plantings across Lytton (and maybe California) by making this hill all Petite Sirah.  Why?  Vines don’t speak but the wines they make do.

Critical Acclaim:

"96 points.

"Revealing a translucent ruby/plum hue as well as beautiful cassis and red plum fruits supported by lots of savory herbs, orange blossom, cigar, and spice-driven aromas and flavors, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless texture, moderate yet present tannins, and a great finish. While the Geyserville Cuvee has eclipsed the Lytton Spring in most vintages in the past decade, that’s not the case in 2019." - Jeb Dunnuck