Since 1991, Ridge has made Zinfandel from the Pagani vineyard on the western side of Sonoma Valley near the town of Kenwood. The majority of the vineyard was planted ninety to one hundred years ago by Felice Pagani and has survived as a result of the ongoing attention and care of four generations of his family.

The location is somewhat cooler than Geyserville and Lytton Springs and, as a result, the fruit reaches full maturity slowly resulting in consistent, high quality, rich and complex wines.

Ridge is a minimal-intervention winemaking pioneer. The Pagani Ranch grapes are hand-harvested, de-stemmed and crushed, then fermented on native yeast. Full malolactic fermentation takes place on the naturally occurring bacteria. Barrel aged in American oak. The Pagani Ranch exhibits plenty of jammy blueberry, raspberry, and red cherry fruit with notes of mineral and dark chocolate. The full flavours combined with bright acidity and structure offer a dynamic and full experience.

“The 2022 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch is a blend of 82% Zinfandel, 9% Alicante Bouschet, 5% Petite Sirah and 4% Mataro. It has layered scents of blueberry preserves, yellow peach, toasted coconut and floral perfume. The palate combines generous, layered, fragrant flavours with silky tannins and bursts of mouthwatering acidity, and it has a long, expressive finish.”
94 pts, Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, September 2024