1998 Ridge Zinfandel Lytton Springs
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Tasting notes
77% Zin, 16% Petit Sirah; the 1998 Ridge Lytton Springs is a medium bodied and balanced wine with subtle cherry, spice, leather and ever a little horse aromatics. Not a blockbuster but shows nice complexity and is easy drinking.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A Ridge classic, the deep ruby/purple-colored 1998 Lytton Springs (14.3% alcohol; 77% Zinfandel, 16% Petite Sirah, 4% Matero, 2% Carignan, and 1% Alicante) boasts a sweet nose of briery fruit intermixed with red and black currants, minerals, pepper, and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, with dried Provencal herb characteristics that emerge with airing, this fleshy, beautifully pure, and stunningly proportioned Zinfandel can be drunk now as well as over the next 5-6 years. Tel. (408) 867-3233
Bright ruby-red. Complex, deeply pitched aromas of sappy blackberry, dark chocolate, game, leather and earth. Very full and ripe in the mouth, but with a captivating sappy quality. Flavors of dark berries, violet and spice are lifted by a peppery nuance. In a distinctly sweeter style, and more harmonious than usual at this stage of its evolution. Big, deep and impressively structured; finishes with substantial but ripe tannins. A superb showing.
About the producer
Best known for its iconic Monte Bello, Ridge Vineyards makes some of California’s finest wines – particularly Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Long a pioneer of sustainable farming and minimal-intervention winemaking, Ridge makes an extensive range from Sonoma County and the Santa Cruz Mountains.