Ridge Lytton Springs

Spacious tasting room with plenty of room outside on the patio for a nice day (we came on a rainy day so the indoor tasting room was a bit crowded). I LOVE their labels-​so chic and simplistic and the wine is very good as well. They label each with the vintage and vineyard, so it gives the bottles a bit of personality ;) We tried both of the tastings (one pure zins, the other a mix) and enjoyed them both. The staff were generous and offered to pour additional tastings when we were selecting a bottle to purchase. They clearly have a following and some excellent wines– I would love to come back on a sunny day :)

Best tasting of the day. Ted poured great Zinfandel wines with a story for each vineyard. I wish I could have taken home a case, but settled for the Lytton springs zin. Views, fairly priced great wine, YES please.

We set as a destination this winery for a supper rainy day adventure, boy were we sadly surprised with the terrible customer service by a younger man with glasses, mustache/​beard «sorry» would have got his name but we were practically russhed away quickly all 3 of us were so shocked we were unsure how to act a nd were at a loss for words so we left as quick as we could. To many other beautiful wineries to visit that would love to offer their wines with quality service like the many we visited the entire day. Good luck with your visit should you give them a try.

I have a couple friends who are wine club members here, so I have been able to enjoy free/​discount tastings twice now. When we went in the Spring there were tables and chairs outside to enjoy the spectacular view.
I was just there in late winter (February) and no tables outside — Apparently they get wet and mold with the showers.
Funny/​so Cali that they have 1 parking spot where you can charge up your electric car — go there just for that electricity freebie!
The bathrooms are pretty nice! But not much in the way of gift-​tables to purchase/​peruse.

If you are a fan of great Zinfandels, or just quality wines, you must try Ridge. We had a fabulous tasting with Joany. She was informative, had great stories and clearly loves her job. The views from the tasting room are simply fantastic. This is a must do.

I was very impressed on my first visit to this iconic winery. We did the ‘Estate’ tour ($ 30), which took about 2 hours. Our host was very knowledgeable and passionate, and responded to my questions in a very amicable way. The facility is beautiful, the tasting room just plain gorgeous. We tasted 5 wines, including the Monte Bello, which was the highlight of the day. Overall a fantastic experience and an absolute value. Recommended. A+.

Gorgeous grounds with a great outdoor seating area for taking in the view. We had our tasting indoors and the gentleman guiding us through the tasting list that day was superbly knowledgeable. I especially appreciated how straightforward he was in pointing out which wines are winery-​only and which are distributed nationwide (he even knew we would probably find some of these wines at Spec’s, a popular liquor store in Texas). We splurged and added on the $ 10 Monte Bello tasting, which was a treat but nothing I would purchase at that grand price point. I think the Zins were the stars of the tasting list that day, each one was very impressive. We’ll definitely visit again!

the view sitting outside on the comfy seats is great, the service was not spectacular though and we were not very impressed with the actual tasting.

If you know fine wine, then you must know Ridge!
My friend is a member so I have been countless times. Service is always top notch and the wine/zin’s can’t be beat. It’s all about Quality vs. Quantity at Ridge!
I came up this past weekend with a friend who was experiencing wine country for the first time. We signed up for the $ 30 tour guided by Elliot and it was worth every penny. From the tram ride around the Vineyard, smelling the great scent of the barrel room, seeing the tanks filled with just harvested wine and a tasting in a private room of their 5 best wines with a cheese plate. This tour is great for beginner wine drinkers like my friend or for me, the advanced wine drinker. ;)
Elliot was so knowledgeable and a home wine maker himself! Thanks for a great tour and I can’t wait to come back.
PS. Thank you for being dog friendly!

One of my favorite wineries I had to come and visit. I was less impressed than I thought I would be, but the wine was great. The tasting and the grounds weren’t as cool as I expected them to be. Still I like my ridge!

Wow, the wines here are great. But some of the staff is terrible. Namely the people managing the place. I have never been treated so rudely. Lucky for them I rate based on the quality of wine and nothing else.
Environment: amazing. Come for the outdoor tasting.
Wines: 4 stars. The wines were really great. We highly recommend it.
Pourer: 5 stars. She was very well educated and sweet.
Manager of the outdoor area: 1 star — a major bitch. She was so rude and unfriendly I was floored.

Great place to sit on the patio and enjoy a beautiful view as their vineyards meet the mountains. We sat comfortably after a long bike ride and drank some red and whites. Make time for Ridge if you’re in the area.

I have been to lots of wineries, and I don’t think that I’ve ever been to a tasting room where the staff was this jaw-​dropping-​ly rude.
To be fair, we moved to the outside tasting area (wines were more expensive) and had a very lovely tasting with Nathaniel, a different winery staff person.
The setting outside is beautiful and the wines are quite good if you like spicier Zins, but really, there is no wine that is worth being treated that way.

The main reason to go here are the amazing wines! Probably the best I had all weekend. The building, made of hay and mud, is cool and the scenery is beautiful, but not a lot of atmosphere.

Having just done a private tasting at the Ridge «Mother Ship» in Cupertino a few months prior, I wasn’t planning on stopping here, but we got ahead of schedule after our 2^nd stop of the day, and decided to check out the home of some of my favorite Zinfandels.
While I didn’t know quite what to expect, I found the grounds stunning.
Having tasted at Ridge in Cupertino several times previously, I wasn’t at all surprised that the Sommeliers here are experts. Their passion for the wine is both obvious and well justified — Ridge is the winery that helped put California on the World’s wine map at the 1^st and 2^nd Judgment of Paris.
My all-​time favorite Ridge Zinfandel is the 2006 Ridge Geyserville, and I had been hearing really good things about the 2012 vintage, so I was torn about which flight to taste — the Single Vineyard or the Estate Vineyard flight with Monte Bello. I decided to go with the latter after our Sommelier assured me that she’d be happy to it would be no problem substituting the 2012 Geyersville for the 2012 Estate Chardonney. After I tried it, I became more convinced than ever that 2012 was «The Golden Year» for wine in Northern California, and I added that amazing Ridge Geyserville to my wine cellaring wish list :-)
I really enjoyed all the pours that day, but without question the pièce de résistance was the 2011 Monte Bello. Generally, the Ridge Monte Bellos are what I think of when I think of wine! They’re made in the classic Bordeaux style, with intense flavors, multiple layers of complexity, and usually require at ten or twenty years of cellaring before they starting coming into their prime. Obviously this 2011 was nowhere near it’s prime, but the word that sprang to mine when I tried it is: «Balance». It’s got black currant which does not overpower; spice and earth which compliment, and very smooth tannins for a Monte Bello. I had the 2010 when I was at the Cupertino vineyard a few months prior because this one hadn’t been released yet. While I wouldn’t suggest drinking either vintage for quite a long while, I was delighted to note that Paul Draper (the chief winemaker at Ridge Vineyards since 1969) had produced another exceptional Monte Bello in a year that many winemakers would like to have forgotten…
All the many complex factors required to produce exceptional wines came together for Northern California in a spectacular fashion during 2012. It was apparently so easy to produce good wine that year, I have no doubt that even a monkey (and maybe even George W. Bush) could probably have done it. However, doing it in 2011 is what separates the Men from the Boys among winemakers.
Defying my expectations, the featured wines and the grounds of this Ridge property are not at all redundant when compared to those at Ridge Cupertino. They are extremely complimentary to one another; I could easily have come here the day after having gone to Cupertino and still been an incredibly happy camper.
Whether you’ve been to the Ridge «Mother Ship» or not, if you find yourself in the area, make a point of stopping here!

I’d say that Ridge was among my least favorite of the wineries that we visited on our trip to Sonoma last weekend. What I loved was the beautiful outdoor seating overlooking the winery. The wine itself was good, not great, but we didn’t think the $ 10 surcharge for the Monte Bello was worth it (perhaps our wine palate isn’t sophisticated enough). The pourer was plenty friendly, but we felt rushed. We were in an out in 30 minutes.
This was the only winery that we visited that wouldn’t waive the wine tasting fee if we purchased wine. I hope Sonoma isn’t headed in this Napa direction.

Ridge is by far my favorite winemaker of all time. They have never disappointed — regardless of wine type… their merlot and chardonnay is as good in their categories as their Montebello Cabernets… and everything in between! One of my personal faves (besides the Montebello!) is the Lytton Springs Zinfandel. I’ve been drinking Ridge for decades and really find their winemaking consistently excellent while also having the ability to change with the times and improve upon itself… which is a tricky thing to do and keep up quality of wine. If you ever get a chance to visit the Lytton Springs location, it is pristine and conveniently located (right off 101 near Healdsburg). The wine tasting compliments the beautiful surroundings and provides an overall amazing wine country experience and brings together the best of the famous Dry Creek area. This is a «not miss» for any wine aficionado.

Look, taste is a personal thing, so I don’t know that my review of this winery will help you out that much. That said, I am madly in love with Ridge Lytton Springs. I love their Zins, they are creamy smooth not harsh and they are reasonably priced.
I’m a Sonoma County native but have never been all that «into» the wine industry and I certainly don’t claim to have a sophisticated wine palate. However, I recently discovered that I am a Zin girl. Before that, I was actually off red wines almost entirely. After realizing that maybe I was just ordering the wrong varietals for my taste, I looked into wineries known for their Zins, and discovered Ridge, a winery I had a passing familiarity with.
So I booked my friends and I a winery tour and tasting to make it more interesting that a regular tasting experience. We were very impressed. What was supposed to be a 90 min tour and tasting lasted 3 hours. We had excellent customer service through the whole experience, including rescheduling several times and a major traffic issue that almost made us late.
It was very educational for me as a wine novice — we were able to taste different vintages of the same wine and tried a few out of the barrel, which helped me learn that I prefer young wines (unsophisticated, I know, but it’s all about what tastes good to you). I left feeling like I can now confidently order wine at restaurants that will fit my particular tastes and that’s actually useful! I don’t think I’ve ever gained useful information wine tasting in the past.
I’ve been wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma Counties and I usually encounter a few wines that I think are ok. This was different for me. There were about 3 – 4 that were so good I actually crave them.
It is a beautiful location and I can’t wait to go back and enjoy a bottle out on their patio taking in the views.
I will agree with other reviews in that I think if you purchase over a certain amount of wine, your tasting fee should be waived (maybe depending on which tasting you do, and how much you spend). But, the wine was so damn good, and I was so excited about my purchase I didn’t really care.
My only regret was that I didn’t join the club right then and get a discount on the wine I purchased — I should have realized that when you find your wine fit it’s inevitable and I ended up joining later anyway!

Nice setup and view of vineyards. The wines were ok but a little underwhelming. The staff explained the wines well. The Zins were underwhelming and the 2010 Monte Bello didn’t taste like a $ 160 bottle of wine.

I usually go to vineyards, seeking the extra perks, which is when the servers can tell a story or history about the origins of the wine or of the vineyard, itself and the view is fabulous!
This vineyard, was more of a passerby for wine tasting. More to say, it was the ideal. One drops in, taste test, linger leisurely and then nothing more. The ambiance to this wine venue, was made of spacious, wooden décor and the norm of the vineyard view outside.
The server that we had, lacked depth and just poured us the wines of our choosing with nothing more to personally say.
We had the 2010 Paso Robles — nice, light and a little bit rough on the aftertaste. As for the 2007 Dynamite Hill Petite Sirah, it was smooth.
It was a good spot to drop by, but with the competition of vineyards in this county, it is hard to recommend this one as a must-​go.