Sure, the wine is otherworldly, but unless you're willing to sell property, you probably won't be sipping through a case of the stuff anytime soon.

Many other Ridge wines, though, are much closer to reasonable (if still Splurge Wines* by WoW's standards. If you look at all their bottlings (www.ridgewine.com is a good place to do that) you'll see that there are a few under $20 and all of their zinfandels are $30 or less.

I know that sounds steep compared to most of the juice we recommend, but you need some special occasion bottles on hand, too. Consider Ridge wines solidly in the birthday-anniversary-arbor day category.

Oh, and if you thought zinfandel couldn't be a special occasion wine, you need to get over the cabernet-elitism thing. Ridge makes zinfandel that rivals some of the best cabs in terms of quality and age-worthiness.

What??? This guy's on crack! You can't age zinfandel!

Wrong. One of the greatest wines I've ever had was Ridge zinfandel from (get this) 1977. Oh, and no, I didn't have it in 1979 (smart ass). Just a couple years ago it still had loads of fruit and acidity (along with earth and oak and probably opium), and is likely running a small country by now (because it rules).
Don't hold onto the Three Valleys for that long. This is a wine to have in days, not decades. Besides, how many of us have that kind of willpower? (It's not like I aged that '77 zin for all that time!)

Cheers,
TSW

WoW
…really excited about wine

This isn't so much a review on just this wine (which does, by the way, rule completely) as it is on Ridge's wines in general.

I mean, if you do see this red, grab it. It's a great blend of zinfandel, petite sirah, carignane, mourvedre and grenache. It's not the easiest bottle in the world to find, but for $18, it's a steal. It has all the spiciness and BBQ-friendly berry fruit you could hope for, but also has a smoothness and richness that your run-of-the-mill zin never will.

Lots of zinfandel is great for whatever comes off the grill, but if you happen to have anything else along with your seared savories, a high-octane zin may be a bit much. This wine, on the other hand, will play just as nicely with beans and potato salad.

But, if you don't happen to find this winner at your favorite local jug shop, fear not. If they have any Ridge, you'll probably be OK. Ridge really doesn't make bad wine. They make amazing wine, very good wine and wine that is at least very interesting.

True, most of Ridge's offerings are a bit above "impulse buy" prices. The 2000 Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon is a terrifying $120 per bottle (and you don't even get a free T-shirt).