50 Years at Lytton Springs

Celebrating 50 Years at Lytton Springs

Paul Draper first saw the vineyard in 1972 and, based on its age (then already 80 years old), purchased grapes and produced Ridge’s first Lytton Springs bottling that year. In 1991, on the 20th anniversary of our first vintage, Ridge Vineyards purchased the Lytton Springs winery and the old vines surrounding it, making it a true estate vineyard. It was clear from the consistency of character and quality that this was one of those sites where soil, climate, and varietal were perfectly matched. Now, 50 years later, we are proud to be celebrating the golden anniversary of this time-honored site.

Join us!

The release of the 2022 vintage of Lytton Springs this fall marks our 50th Anniversary of working with the grapes from the incredible century-old vineyard at our Lytton Springs Estate. There are many ways to celebrate with us: visit our tasting rooms, join the club, or connect with us on social. No matter how you participate, we hope you take this opportunity to strengthen your bond with the vines, the wine, and the people here at Ridge Vineyards.

Z List Club Shipment (Including the 50th Anniversary Bottling!)

The Legacy of Lytton Springs

For the Zin Lover

Lytton Springs is home to 100-plus-year-old zinfandel vines interplanted with petite sirah, carignane, a small amount of mataro (mourvèdre), and grenache. For decades, the field blend from this site has produced the quintessential example of Dry Creek Valley zinfandel. Lytton Springs is a prime example of Ridge’s commitment to championing Heritage varietals – varietals planted more than a century ago and surviving in numerous locations.

Lytton Springs is released each year as part of our Z List membership, a wine club designed specifically for the zinfandel lover.

Join the Club

Classic Dry Creek Zinfandel

Our Lytton Springs wine has become synonymous with classic Dry Creek zinfandel. It shows potent, ripe boysenberry and blackberry, but also a pronounced rusticity and earthiness often attributed to its blending varietals; petite sirah and carignane. Acid and tannin are firm, yet not overwhelming; in youth, at least, fruit predominates. This balanced, powerful wine becomes more nuanced with age, and it often holds for more than a decade.

Check out our Lytton Springs Vintage Tracker, your vintage by vintage resource to track how your Lytton Springs is developing through the years.

Lytton Springs Vintage Tracker

Organic & Sustainable

We have always believed that wine is far more interesting and meaningful when it reflects a single place and a natural process. Our commitment to farming our vineyards responsibly means that we maintain certain principles in the vineyard, including biodiversity, ecological balance, sustainability, natural pest management, and soil integrity.

As of harvest 2022, 100% of Ridge Vineyards' estate vineyards have been certified organic, including Monte Bello, Lytton Springs, Geyserville, and East Bench. All of the vineyards that we farm are certified by the Fish Friendly Farming Environmental Certification Program, which acknowledges agricultural properties working to restore fish and wildlife habitats and improve water quality. As a result, the Sonoma County Winegrowers have recognized our Sonoma County vineyards as Certified Sustainable.

Explore the Lytton Springs Winery

An Ideal Zinfandel Site

Lying just north of Healdsburg on the benchland and gently rolling hills separating Dry Creek from Alexander Valley, Lytton Springs has proven to be an ideal site for zinfandel. Here, foggy mornings are eclipsed by warm, sunny afternoons and breezy late evenings. As a single-vineyard producer, Ridge Vineyards practices a non-interventionist set of values in both the vineyard and the winery. It’s our belief that these natural practices help to capture all the qualities that make up the full expression of our vineyard.

Lytton Springs Vineyard

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