Jammy black raspberry, orange zest and garrigue on the nose. Silky tannins and firm acidity. Flavours of blackberry, honeycomb and white pepper linger on the finish.

Early flowering and mild summer weather provided excellent growing conditions. This vineyard in the cool Sonoma Valley is always the last picked, but this year it ripened early. It came in over five days in mid-September. Selected blocks of old vines planted between 1896 and 1922 give depth of flavour and texture. The younger vines add intense fruit and racy acidity. This fine wine will be most enjoyable over the next ten years.

82% Zinfandel, 9% Alicante Bouschet, 5% Petite Sirah, 4% Mataro.

Harvest Dates: 13 - 17 September. Fermentation: Grapes destemmed and crushed. Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap. Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (15% new, 10% one year old, 20% two years old, 5% three years old, and 50% neutral oak). Ageing: Fourteen months in barrel.

Pagani Ranch grapes; hand-harvested; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; oak from barrel ageing; minimum effective sulphur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 140 ppm over the course of ageing); pad filtered at bottling.

95 Points - Owen Bargreen, owenbargreen.com
94 Points - Tom Capo, Wine Enthusiast
94 Points - Clive Pursehouse, Decanter
93 Points - jamessuckling.com
93 Points - Billy Norris, Vinous Media
93 Points - Tim Fish, Wine Spectator
92 Points - Wilfred Wong

"79% Zinfandel, 10% Alicante Bouschet, 9% Petite Sirah and 2% Mataro.
Bright crimson. Rich and sweet, and a little bit heavier than the Three Valleys blend. Drink to 2040."
16.5 points.
Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com (March 2026)

"Stunning nose of red fruits, citrus and baking spices. Medium to full bodied with exquisite acidity. Amazing purity of fruits. Cherry, raspberry liqueur, blood orange and a hint of earth on the palate. Always one of my favorite Zins in the Ridge lineup and the 2022 is stellar. Best over the next 4-6 years."
96 points.
Tom Lee, Zinfandel Chronicles (August 2024)

"The 2023 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch is a blend of 79% Zinfandel, 10% Alicante Bouschet, 9% Petite Sirah and 2% Mataro that matured for 14 months in 3% new air-dried American oak. It has kaleidoscopic aromas of wild berry fruit, tobacco, aniseed, sage and lavender. The full-bodied palate is just as generous, flooding the mouth with concentrated, complex flavors. It’s structured by fine, chalky tannins and vibrant acidity and has a long, layered finish. Drink to 2040."
94 points.
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate (September 2025)