26 Jun Ridge Vineyards Expands to Paso Robles with New Tasting Room

Ridge Vineyards needs little introduction to wine drinkers. It is one of the iconic wineries that helped shape modern California winemaking. Ridge has been celebrated by Food & Wine as “iconic” and innovative across six decades and was featured in Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Top 100 wineries in 2020.

Founded in 1959 by four Stanford-affiliated scientists, Ridge released its first Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon in 1962. Paul Draper joined in 1969, introducing pre-industrial winemaking techniques, such as the use of native yeasts, minimal additives, and little filtration, approaches that stood in stark contrast to the heavily manipulated wines of the time. Ridge was also one of the first wineries to produce single-vineyard bottlings. It also helped champion old-vine Zinfandel as a serious fine wine. In addition, they were among the first to label wines by vineyard and appellation. Since 2011, Ridge Vineyards has included a list of all ingredients on its back label, demonstrating full transparency. In 2022, Shauna Rosenblum was appointed Ridge’s Lytton Springs Winemaker, becoming the first woman in that role. She works alongside head winemaker John Olney (who started in 1996) and assistant winemaker Michael Bairdsmith (who started in 2014).

Ridge Vineyards has two estate vineyards. The Monte Bello estate, a certified organic vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, sits at 2600 feet in elevation. It is the source of Ridge’s iconic Cabernet-based Bordeaux-style blend. The Lytton Springs estate in the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma, the largest grower of organically certified grapes, is where the old-vine Zinfandel field-blends are planted. Lytton Springs is also home to the production facility, and both properties welcome guests to taste the wines.

Ridge Wines can now also be tasted in Paso Robles at their new tasting room located in “Ramada Row” next to Tin City. It may seem surprising that a Santa Cruz- and Sonoma-based winery would open a tasting room in Paso Robles. But Ridge’s deep roots in Paso go back more than half a century.

This new Paso Robles location is not a random expansion, as Ridge has a long history in the region. In addition to the two estate vineyards, Ridge also sources old-vine Zinfandel-based field blends from Geyserville, York Creek, and Paso Robles vineyards. In fact, Ridge has been purchasing head-trained Zinfandel first planted in the 1920s from the Dusi Ranch Vineyard in Paso Robles since 1967. Notably, Ridge was the first winery to list ‘Paso Robles’ as a designated region on a wine label, with its 1976 release.

To celebrate the opening of the new tasting room, I was invited to a special dinner at the nearby Primal House with the Ridge team, including winemakers Shauna Rosenblum and Michael Bairdsmith and SVP of Vineyard Operations David Gates. Other attendees included Mike Dusi of Benito Dusi Ranch, along with Paso legends Jason Haas from Tablas Creek, Gary Eberle of Eberle Wines, and more.

We started with the 2024 Lytton Estate Rose, a blend of 40% Grenache, 29% Zinfandel, 14% Cinsaut, 10% Counoise, and 7% Mataro. The grapes were whole cluster pressed and the wine was fermented and aged in stainless steel. Fresh yet complex, the wine has notes of strawberry, peach, rose petal, and crusted rocks. It was a perfect start to the night and paired with passed hors d’oeuvres of hush puppies with green tomato and grilled peach with mascarpone and jamon.

The next wine was the 2023 Grenache Blanc, which also has 14% Picpoul and 2% Roussanne.

The grapes are from three vineyards in Paso Robles – Adelaida, Halter Ranch, and Fossil Creek (owned by Dusi). The whole cluster grapes were direct pressed and aged in a combination of American oak (one-year-old and two and three-year-old), new French oak, new Acacia oak, concrete amphora, Italian clay amphora, and stainless steel. The wine is beautifully aromatic, with notes of pineapple, stone fruit, citrus, honeysuckle, and delicate minerality. The acidity is vibrant and was a perfect contrast to the Seared Buche de Chevre with honey vinaigrette and local greens.

The real treat of the evening came with a vertical of Ridge Paso Zinfandels: 2011, 2005, and 2002.

The three wines were paired with a plate of lamb three ways. There was braised lamb, a roasted rack of lamb, and braised lamb cannelloni. It was incredible to see how well these wines had aged. Of course, Ridge Zinfandel blends are known for their longevity. And these three wines showed their complexity. Each vintage paired with a different bite. I loved the 2011 with the braised lamb and the 2005 with the cannelloni. But it was the 2002 that shone with its smooth tannins and bright acidity and was a perfect pairing with the roasted rack of lamb.

The final wine of the night was the Ridge 1997 California Zinfandel Paso Robles Lake Picked, a beautiful, rich wine that was enjoyed with a dark chocolate tart.

It was an honor to sit at this table and enjoy these wines in celebration of the new tasting room in Paso Robles. Ridge’s new tasting room is not only a celebration of its long-standing history with Paso Robles, but also a welcome invitation for wine lovers, especially those in Southern California, to enjoy Ridge wines closer to home.