“I open one every few weeks, because I like it so much.”

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Gang of Pour was known for (among other things) our devotion to all things Ridge. Canadian Zinfan, califusa, Madame l’Pour and this taster had all been enjoying Geyserville, Lytton Springs and Monte Bello for years before we all hooked up in the late ‘90s, and we filed many a report on their wines and their events under the Gang banner. We coined phrases like “Mr. Ridge” and “Draper perfume” that became commonly used by wine geeks around the turn of the century and well into the 2000s.

These days, I don’t buy nearly as much Ridge as I used to. For the longest time, they were able to hold the line on prices, but now, the going rate for the two flagship Zin blends mentioned above is around $45 in the Detroit market. I still buy them, just not in the quantities I used to. Monte Bello, on the other hand, is simply priced right out of our range, at $245 for the current vintage listed on the Ridge website.

So, while we’re waiting for the Geezers and Lyttons to age and mature (they’re almost always 10-year wines and more), what do we drink? Ridge makes a wine for that, and it’s called Three Valleys.
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