Ridge is about as close as America comes to wine royalty, and while Monte Bello gets the headlines, Lytton Springs is the bottle that makes the case week in and week out. It is a genuine field blend from old Dry Creek Valley vines Zinfandel out front, with Petite Sirah, Carignane and Alicante Bouschet planted right alongside and picked together, the way it was done a century ago. That co-planting is exactly what keeps it from turning into a big, jammy Zin: the Petite Sirah brings spine, the Carignane brings acid, and the whole thing lands savory instead of sweet. 2023 was a long, cool year in Sonoma, and the wine came in unusually elegant dark-fruited and peppery, with tannins that want a few years to settle. Open one now with something off the grill and put another one away.