Angelo Casagrande

9.4

This drank beautifully. Loads of cherry and blackberry, some spice and leather, soft mouthfeel, fully integrated tannins. Loved it. Grilled rib eyes. Awesome dinner! — 2 days ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Dark ruby/ inky in color with a short purple rim.

Red and black fruits on the nose with cedar, chocolates, spices, tobacco, coffee and black pepper.

Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, cherries, black currants, black plums, cedar, licorice, chocolates, herbs, coffee, light earth, spices, tobacco leaf and light pencil lead.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This young Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley is starting to drink beautifully now. Rich and easy drinking.

Fruit forward and complex, soft and smooth. Spicy and entertaining, powerful yet refined. Showing good balance albeit a little hot at the back of the throat, at this point.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 to 20 years and shows good potential to become a 94+ point wine.

A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with food.

A blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Petit Verdot.

15% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$250. — 17 days ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

This was showing beautifully with good richness, balance, red & black fruits, earth, spice box, cedar, leather & tobacco notes — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2016 vintage. Decanted and tasted after 15 minutes and one hour. Mostly front and mid-palate push. Medium body. Some spice. Some chunk. Some fruit. Fairly balanced. Needs to sort out some issues and will likely show better in 3-5 years. 6.12.26. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Poured into a decanter to remove sediment prior to service; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 1986 pours a garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of cassis, dried blackberries, green bell pepper, tobacco, dried purple flowers, earth and fine cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium (integrated) tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium. A solid but somewhat demure showing, particularly in the midpalate. Drink now. — 2 months ago

romo

9.4

Anti-roast, all tart cherry and white pepper, gentle tannin, faint horse hair. Wow. — 4 months ago

Austin Hohnke

9.3

Such a beautiful wine leading with a zesty charge of cracked pepper, grilled citrus, and barnyard, while not shying away from fruitiness. Gains weight with air and a darker, more serious stewed intensity of fruit leather and earth. Drank with a friend who really appreciated it, and we both returned to our glasses repeatedly waxing poetic with our expressions. Purchased at Astor. — 5 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Drinking well with beautiful aromatics showing red & mostly black fruits, graphite, licorice, spice box, dried herbs, leather & tobacco notes. — 11 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

I recently had a conversation with a few Joseph Phelps Ambassador’s at Pebble Beach Food & Wine in April. I said, I had every vintage of Insignia back to 2006 in storage. They said, “you should really drink up the 2006.” So, I coravined an 06 last weekend, a taste. I agreed then. But tonight not the case, it shows it still has a fair amount of life. Another 5-8 yrs and perhaps plus.

My Ribcap, a definition of Medium Rare Plus.

The nose reveals floral; blackberries, black raspberries, both plums, poached strawberries, dark cherries and blue fruit notes. Melted dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, softly layered baking spices, very underrated graphite, steeped tea, mid berry cola, red licorice, limestone powder, dry top soil, dry twig, red, dark candied to slightly withering florals w/ liquid violet cola.

The palate shows well resolved, rounded, velvety M+ tannins. Nicely ripe fruits that are floral; blackberries, black raspberries, both plums, poached strawberries, dark cherries and blue fruit notes. Melted dark chocolate, mocha, caramel river, softly layered baking spices-clove, nutmeg, cinnamon stick & vanillin, warm caramel, dark Asian spices with palate burrowing heat, dry tobacco/ leather, cedar, grilled meats, very underrated graphite, sweet tarriness, black licorice, steeped tea, mid berry cola, red licorice, limestone powder, dry top soil, dry twig, red, dark candied to slightly withering florals w/ liquid violet cola, candied to withering; dark, red, blue florals wrapped in liquid violets, epic rainfall acidity, well balanced-structured-toned, elegant finish that lasts minutes and falls on earth & heated spice.

95-96 peaking. — 11 days ago

Jay Kline

9.6

Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a deep garnet/purple with an opaque core and some moderate rim variation; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with beautiful notes of ripe and slightly dried black and blue fruits: dark brambles, plum, fig, purple flowers, leather ball glove, something spicy and green that has me debating between rotundone or pyrazines (but which?), rocky earth and fine baking warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Alcohol is medium. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. What a beautifully made wine.

Initial conclusions: this could be Cabernet Sauvignon (or a blend with associated Bordeaux varieties), Cabernet Franc, Merlot (blended with associated Bordeaux varieties) or Syrah from France, the US or Australia. This is older; probably 20+ years of age based on the secondary characteristics or dried fruit and old leather. While the fruit plays a starring role here, the alcohol seems almost modest so I can’t place this in Australia or the US. The problem I’m having, are there pyrazines or rotundone? I don’t get a lot of black pepper or animale, or olive for that matter…so I’m leaning towards this being Bordeaux. Final conclusion: this is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine with a blend of Bordeaux varieties, from France, Bordeaux, Pulliac, from a classified growth, 2004. Whoa!!! 2005 Clape?! What a treat! I feel like I should have nailed this wine. Alas…I still have to get better at differentiating between pyrazines and rotundone with age. Drink now with a decant, through 2045+ — a month ago

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Deep, dark Ruby red color with a fruit forward nose, lots of ripe berries with oaky notes. Jammy big and bold blackberry flavors with some spice, cacao, cedar and leather notes with nice mouthfeel. Big fine tannins with berry fruit carried over to the finish with oak and sweet spice. — 2 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

vintage 2015 | spicy, pepper, morelcherries, strict, good acidity — 3 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.5

This had amazing aromatics showing black cherry, meat, graphite, licorice, savory spice, violets & tobacco — 5 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Always a treat to drink this with notes of dark cherry, berry, meat, iron, spice, licorice, graphite, tobacco & violets. — 10 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Opened three days earlier. The 2023 pours a deep ruby/purple color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe brambles, lavender pastilles, bacon fat, black pepper, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Young but showing its potential. Drink now through 2043. — 2 days ago

Brandon Boesch

9.7

2009 at Caruso’s in Montecito. So freaking good. Well balanced. Dark fruit, some hints of pepper, cedar, more fruit, there’s also a freshness of herbs and lighter fruit that was lovely. Had with steak and beets in like 6 different preparations. Perfect pairing. — a month ago

Chris MacLean

9.0

Oak still not integrated. Good grapes though. — 2 months ago

with Sarah

Ron Siegel

9.3

This was showing well with its red & black fruits, spice, orange peel, earth, mineral & floral notes — 2 months ago

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. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

4th wine . medium deep ruby garnet , thinner garnet rim . Quite deep and serious again , spicy with more cassis , touch smoky , mineral with touches of dry spice and cool sea breeze . On the palate this again has more grip a touch more mid palate , quite masculine in style, cassis , tobacco , grafite and resonable length. Polished and quite suave in style , more intensity and density than the others , more generous too. Probably better in 5 years and will last well a further 10. Guessed Mouton on this one . — 4 months ago