RIDGE - The Insider's Guide
from Wine Blast with Susie and Peter Hosted by Susie and Peter, Masters of Wine
Ridge is an iconic wine producer - not just in its homeland California, but in global terms too. But how and why did it attain this status in just 70 years? Is it really true their policy has been never to hire a trained winemaker? What is this 'pre-industrial winemaking' they champion? How have they managed to successfully buck the trend for opulence in California Cabernet? Which of their wines (whisper it) don't we like? And can you really be great at both Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, two grapes seemingly at opposite ends of the red wine spectrum? Answers to all these questions and more feature in this treat of a show to mark Wine Blast's fifth birthday (yay!) We hear fascinating insights and stories from Ridge Chairman Paul Draper as well as head winemaker John Olney before diving into Ridge's wines, including a vertical tasting of Lytton Springs Zinfandel back to 1976. (A Monte Bello Cab from 1977 pops up too...) These are wines that make you smile - then make you think. We hope Wine Blast performs a similar kind of magic! Thanks for tuning in. We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe. Or you can find contact info, together with all details from this episode, on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S6 E15 - RIDGE: The Insider's Guide Instagram: @susieandpeter
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What this episode covers
Ridge is an iconic wine producer - not just in its homeland California, but in global terms too. But how and why did it attain this status in just 70 years? Is it really true their policy has been never to hire a trained winemaker? What is this 'pre-industrial winemaking' they champion? How have they managed to successfully buck the trend for opulence in California Cabernet? Which of their wines (whisper it) don't we like? And can you really be great at both Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, ...
Chapters
- 0:39 Hello and welcome
- 0:47 This one's all about...RIDGE
- 1:12 Taster quotes
- 1:56 A special treat - for Wine Blast's 5th birthday!
- 2:36 The searching questions we'll be asking in this episode
- 3:58 Setting the scene
- 4:21 Ridge's unique magic trick...
- 5:19 A short history of Ridge
- 5:44 High Touch and High Tech from 1959
- 6:45 In 1969 winemaker Paul Draper joined the team
- 7:27 Draper's wine education? Tasting and reading the classics
- 8:17 And a key bit of practical experience in Itata, Chile
- 9:02 Draper learns that a winemaking degree can be limiting
- 9:44 The Judgement of Paris
- 10:20 Ridge is a rare example of successful corporate ownership in wine
- 11:14 On 1864 Lafite...
- 11:30 Paul Draper interview
- 26:01 Our analysis of the Draper interview
- 26:38 On 'pre-industrial winemaking'
- 27:22 On over-ripeness in California wine inc Napa
- 29:51 A great American wine owes a bit to serendipity...and Chile
- 30:25 MID-EPISODE RECAP
- 30:56 John Olney interview
- 48:37 Our analysis of the Olney interview
- 49:19 Ridge's famous ingredient lists
- 50:50 On Trump: 'We're headed for a constitutional crisis'
- 52:39 Tasting and recommending Ridge wines
- 53:27 Geyserville vs Lytton Springs
- 57:19 Grenache Blanc 2023
- 58:24 Ridge Estate Cabernet 2022
- 59:04 Monte Bello
- 1:01:04 On freshness
- 1:01:49 FINAL SUMMARY
- 1:02:33 Outro
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