Freddy R. Troya

8.9

Ridge Three Valleys 2023
Sonoma County, California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
A classic Sonoma field blend composed of 71% Zinfandel, 16% Carignane, 9% Petite Sirah, 2% Mataro, and 2% Alicante Bouschet. Crafted in Ridge’s signature transparent style, this vintage leans toward a riper and more fruit-driven expression than many of the winery’s other bottlings.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackberry preserves, ripe plum, black cherry, and raspberry compote dominate, supported by touches of black pepper and baking spice.

Mouthfeel
Medium to full-bodied with polished tannins and a broad, generous texture. The fruit lingers across the palate with a warm, persistent finish.

Food Pairings
A natural companion for barbecue, smoked meats, burgers, and hearty pizza.

Verdict
While impeccably made, this is one of the few Ridge wines that didn’t quite resonate with my palate. It leans a bit too jammy and overripe for my preference, though lovers of rich, fruit-forward California reds will likely find plenty to enjoy.

Did You Know?
Ridge has long been one of California’s pioneers of ingredient transparency, listing the exact grape composition directly on the label.

🍷 Personal Pick
I truly love Ridge wines, but I’d still reach for Lytton Springs or Geyserville before this bottling. If bold, juicy Zinfandel blends are your style, however, this one could easily become a favorite. — a month ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.3

1L. Not my style. Ok over all. Juicy and big, chocolate overtures. Dark berries, mostly sweet blackberries, tastes pretty stemy but i assume this has no stems. Chassis. 14.2%. — 7 months ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.1

Aromatic and so pure.
Honeysuckle, peach pie, a touch of lanolin and mandarin peel. And yet - this is retrained & quite cool. Warm slate emerges.
On the palate this is impeccably balanced, so poised. Juicy, just ripe, with purity of fruit and amazing tension. Finishes off with a slightly creamy mouthfeel (very Burgundian!) and a beautiful long mineral finish.
Drinking perfectly right now. Simply delish!
— 2 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

10

Blend of 84% Cab Sauv, 10% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec and 3% Cab Franc sourced from estate-owned vineyards, aged 24 months in 100% new French oak. Deep Ruby, dark fruits, spice, complex nose. On the palate flavors of rich berry fruits, spice and vanilla oak, well structured harmonious wine. Fine soft rich tannins, long finish ending with fruit, tobacco and sweet earthy tones. Tasting great, young and juicy, should easily last another couple of decades+ in the bottle. Wow! — 4 years ago

Benjamin Gifford

9.0

Big red fruit, juicy and surprisingly sweet. — 5 years ago

Chris B.

9.1

Strawberry jam flavors aside, I agree that this isn’t a jammy Zinfandel like others have noted. Plum skins, juicy raspberry sauce and a leading edge of semisweet chocolate add up to a wine that’s easy to drink but still tastes like quality. The price is great and it paired wonderfully with a sweet, garlicky BBQ chicken. — 6 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

One of the good bottles, and a beautiful reminder of why old Alto Piemonte is magic. Gorgeous mature nose of moss, seaweed, red roses, desiccated cherry, loam, chestnut, dried leaves and bark, with that old Nebbiolo road-tar thing hovering underneath. Palate still has real charge and life, with surprisingly youthful fruit, juicy cherry on the finish, and big 1989 structure, but the tannins are integrated and carrying the wine beautifully. Not refined like great Barolo or Barbaresco, but soulful, wild, alive, and deeply compelling. With air, the wine is getting more integrated and more beautiful. The nose has moved into that old Nebbiolo caramelized/seared register, with the desiccated cherry, roses, loam, moss, bark and chestnut now feeling deeper and more fused. The palate is gaining finesse, but this is not polished or refined in a Barolo/Barbaresco way. It is old Alto Piemonte: high-acid 1989 structure, big but integrated tannins, gorgeous fruit, and that wild, soulful mountain Nebbiolo charge still running through it. Still 9.4, maybe nudging higher if it keeps knitting together. — a month ago

Matthew Cohen

9.6

Wow. An insane wine.

Nose: sick elegant spice. Almost elegantly oily.

Palate: so dense. Candied pink grapefruit. Mineral. Expansive. Long. Saline. Juicy. Clingy.

Fass selections — 5 months ago

Shelby Johnson

8.9

Great pizza wine. Juicy red fruit. — 2 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Haunting and ethereal aromas of roses, tar, leather and so much more. Classic old school pedal to the medal Neb. Smokey and hickory aromas as well. Stunning. Palate is mega juicy and mega structured with amazing purity and depth and just exquisite fruit and lovely length. This has many decades ahead of it and is really a value when compared to what $40 gets you in the Langhe. As this airs i’ll be back. — 4 years ago

Paul Damaske

9.3

Juicy. Nice balance. — 4 years ago

Kathryn Dirks

9.3

Drank over ice, wasn’t mad. Good structure. Juicy mouthfeel. — 6 years ago

Laura Zeee

9.2

Nice with a chill. Drinkable & juicy — 6 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Nose is stunning, baby Chassagne 1er Cru all the way: green apple skin, green apple flesh, white flowers, lime zest, lime flesh, and that clean Burgundian mineral snap. Palate is unreal: concentrated, savory, juicy, nimble, elegant, pure, bright, and mouthwatering. A little savory pull on the finish, with terrific length and energy. This is Chassagne Premier Cru quality, and I will die on that hill. After a few hours the finesse is off the charts. Stunning wine. 9.5 to 9.6. — 2 months ago

Galen Hasler

9.0

Juicy “blue raspberry” fruit. Perennial favorite — 4 months ago

Ann Elizabeth Mekala

9.5

This is everything I want in a red- juicy, fruity, earthy, peppery. Yum yum yum — 8 months ago

Aaron Tan

9.1

Happy New Year to all! Still catching up on my notes from the holiday season. I was pretty spot on in this blind - basically pointed to the wine on the display shelves. Lucky guess? The wine itself was delicious. To me, it was showed true varietal typicity and was rather pure. Juicy red fruits, floral, melange of herbs, and some pepper. High acidity and tannins, yet has a suppleness that made it highly approachable at this stage. Best red of the night for me. — 2 years ago

Diane Is Moving To CellarTracker

9.5

Now this is more like it! Overripe berries, roast-y but still light, maybe caramel? Dry and juicy at the same time. 🍷 — 4 years ago

Gor

9.3

Medium garnet. Pronounced developing nose of spiced plum, bramble, cherries, white pepper, kirsch, hint of chocolate. Dry on the palate with medium acidity, medium+ tannin, medium alcohol and a medium+ body. Pronounced flavors and a long finish. Outstanding and likely lasts for a while longer given structure, body and complex juicy fruit character (and even higher than expected acidity) — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Had a bottle 6 mos ago. Blend of 95% Cab Sauv, 4% Merlot, rest Petit Verdot, Malbec & Cab Franc, blended then aged for 24 mos in 50% new & 50% once-used American oak. Deep Ruby, youthful aromas of black fruit, sweet cacao & complex spice. Palate shows flavors of rich ripe juicy berries & cherries, core of sweet fruit with oak & vanilla notes. Nicely integrated firm, graceful tannins, long finish, displays primary fruits on ending, just beginning to develop some secondary aging, approachable now. Excellent. — 6 years ago