On the Ridge Lytton Springs estate, Zinfandel grows atop seven different hills with rows of Petite Syrah surrounding the Zinfandel on six of the hills and a few rows of Grenache on the seventh hill. The vines are tended by the legendary California winemaker Paul Draper as they have been for decades. After a slow start to the growing season and dropping half of the vineyard’s fruit due to poor weather in the summer, Draper harvested the remaining grapes at their maximum ripeness in the early fall. The wine was cold soaked, which lent the finished wine its dark, midnight-ruby color. After fermentation, the wine was aged in American oak before being bottled.

The ’05 Lytton is lush, supple and highly sensuous, with beautiful scents of briar, plum, and forest floor. It is easily the finest wine Draper has made from these hills since the outstanding ’97 vintage. The wine’s gorgeous black cherry flavor is accented by a generous touch of creamy cassis and a deft kiss of sweet oak. The long, rich finish is marked by cedar nuances and silky tannins.

—Donald