I have met the owners of Ridge....and had the pleasure of drinking more than a few bottles of various varieties.....and never met one that wasn't wonderful.
My vote is for the Ridge.
Linda C

My husband is a wine expert and he thinks the first one you listed is best.

Wonderful! Two votes for Ridge! That is the one I was leaning towards since it is the earliest. I know you want to let them age for a while, I wasn't sure how long though!
Thankyou both!

Joanne

When it comes to wine, it all depends on what you like. If you don't like Chardonnay in the first place (as I don't) a $500 bottle won't impress you anymore than a $10 bottle!

I don't care for Grenache at all personally, so I automatically eliminated the Ridge Grenache/Syrah. But that's just my preference, not meaning that it's not a good wine. Alexander Valley Cabernet is much more "powerful" than Napa Valley Cabernet, so again, it depends on whether you want a mellower wine, or one that you might have to let sit and get some air into it before it's at its best.

But all three are probably fine so unless your friend has either a strong preference or dislike for certain wines, any of them will do.

Lisa

Lisa, I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I detest Chardonnay too!! Glad to hear there are others out there...

Maybe there should be a support group for people who don't like what we're 'supposed' to like. (While I'm at it, to h*ll with Brie as well...)

There is a wine forum. You should post it there!

I like Chardonnay. I like Sauvignon Blanc better.

I'd have chosen the Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. But what do I know, I drink white wine! ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Château Souverain 2003 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon review

Here is a link to a review of the Grenache/Syrah.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ridge Lytton Estate 2002 California Grenache/ Syrah review

Saying you don't like a Chardonnay be it a $5 bottle or a $500 bottle shows a huge lack of experience in tasting wines. I can line up 3 or 4 Charconnays, carefully chosen and you would not believe they were from the same variety of grape.
And what is a "powerful" wine??? More alcohol? More tannin? Higher price?

Sorry - I detest Chardonnay. I've tried them all, the French Burgundies included. There's an undertaste I simply don't care for. Same with Grenache - I don't like any wines that have Grenache in the mix. Those are pretty much the only two varieties I've ever tried that I don't like.

As a rule - and rules are always broken - Alexander Valley cabernets have stronger, more intense tannins. They can age longer, and sometimes need to breathe a lot longer before they're at their optimum. Napa and Sonoma Valley cabernets don't usually have as strong tannins. I'm sure there are Napa's out there that will clean an Alexanders' clock - as I said, these are "generalities". The person initiating the thread said they didn't know much about wine, so I was speaking generally.

I feel I have vast experience with wine. I'm by no means Robert Parker, but I have a small cellar and over the years have developed my own tastes. And I still say, whatever you like is a good wine for you. I've had $250 bottles of wine that were no better than $15 dollar bottles. I just bought a case of French Bordeaux from a small appelation that cost me about $13 a bottle. It's as good as more well know Bordeaux that are 3 times the price. I love chianti but the price has become outrageous so I've been drinking Primitivo instead. It's every bit as good with Italian food and it's around a third the price of a good Chianti.

Price is usually my last concern. Then again, I usually don't spend much above $30 or below $15, I find that price range has wines that are perfectly fine by me.

Lisa

Thanks for all the input. I didn't know there was a wine forum! Maybe I will post this and see what they say there. If I had more than one bottle of these so I could try them, it would be easier to decide. I only know what I think tastes good, and most of theose are not overly expensive. A friend get these for me direct from the vineyards. They have all been aging for a while so I figure they might be ready to serve. I'll probably stick with the Ridge, just to be done with the decision!

I have to say that I am not a big fan of chardonnay myself. I've probably tried a couple dozen, and I have never found one I liked. One the other hand, I have tried a number of shariz, merlot, white burgandy, gewürztraminer (spelling?), and chianti some of which I loved and some of which I did not care for at all. My SIL loves chardonnay, it is the only wine she will drink.

Joanne

Good to know I'm not the only person on the planet that does not care for Chardonnay wines. IMO, it has to do with how the wine (or food for that matter) sits on your palate, how your taste buds, tongue, and mouth react chemically to the wine. And yes, I've tried a number of them - good ones, from my BIL's cellar. So now he chills a bottle of Pinot Grigio when I am invited. ;o)

I was very intimidated when I first started getting into wine and learning about it. But over the years I discovered that everyone has different tastes, and even the "experts" don't always agree. It's like anything else you eat or drink - if you don't like caviar, it really doesn't matter that it's considered a delicacy and is outrageously expensive. Same with wine. I've learned to ignore wine simply because of the name - I'm the only one in my house that likes wine, so I can't justify paying a lot of money for it. And I don't see the need to, either. When you get over a certain price range, just like designer clothing, you're paying for the name and the prestige. I don't make enough money to waste it on a name. If you want to pay $1,500 for a bottle of Petrus, go for it. I think it's idiotic. Again, I've found that for between $15-$30 I can get some fantastic wines. I've found great ones for $10-$12 as well. Everday, inexpensive wines like the various Yellowtail varieties are perfectly fine as well, but if you like wine, it's nice to try different ones. I've had Cabernets I love and others that I ended up saving and using for cooking and others I threw in my vinegar bottle. There can be a huge difference in the same "type" of wine, from one producer to another, and one year to another. I won't pay above $30 for a bottle and I only pay that much for special occasions. That's simply the highest I can justify spending.

I mostly drink California Cabernet Sauvignon, California (red) Zinfandels, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or French Sancerre, German Reislings, Australian Shiraz, Italian Pinot Grigio or Washington State Pinot Gris, and Italian Chianti or Primitivos. I've had some South African and Chilean wines that were great as well, and of course, I'm not going to turn my nose up at an American Shiraz or a Alsacian Reisling, I simply prefer the "styles" of certain wines made in certain regions. I've gotten too many crappy merlots so I just don't bother anymore. Pinot Noir has gotten very expensive and other than a lucky find here and there, has gotten out of my price range. The one area I'm lacking in anything other than the most cursory knowledge is French wines. I know the basics, but unlike other wines, I usually depend on my local wine seller to "advise" me on what to buy. The different appellations and the literally thousands of Chatau's can be overwhelming. Other than things like Sancerre and the smaller, less well known Bordeaux, and I get confused. If I spoke French, it might be easier to keep them all straight!

Wine is nothing to be intimidated about and anyone that gives you grief for not liking something they think is fabulous isn't worth worrying about. If you like it, it's a good wine and everyone has different tastes. No one would give you grief for not liking liver or some other food, so it should be the same with wine.

I have sort of a "cheat sheet" on wine I've given to several friends who like wine, but don't know that much about it, to use as a guide just so they know the basics. If anyone's interested, I can post it.

Lisa

Like Lisa said, wine tastes are subjective and I gave thought into not even replying to this post. I know what I like and I know what I don't like. I'm always learning.

I don't like overly oaky Chardonnays. For instance, DH and I had a Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Chardonnay (not Vinyards) over the weekend that had "a mere butterfly kiss of oak" and we found it to be very nice. Graceful. But I've had Chards that tasted like I got clobbered by an oak barrel.

For the most part, we've avoided the whole California wine craze because we have an impression that it is more Big Wine than anything else. But our minds are changing towards the smaller vinyards. We may have to get over there after all.

We love to go "wining" and have been to many small and large vinyards from Yakima Valley to Monticello. We're going up to the Finger Lakes, NY region in May and we can't wait.

kathy, have fun with that trip to New York. Elery also loves to go "wining", and I always find something to try. Unfortunately, I've never had any I really liked.

I've been able to drink a glass of Riesling without spitting it out, and I liked the Ice Wine at Black Star Farms well enough to maybe drink two glasses, but I'm sure not going to at $95 a bottle.

I don't like Chardonnay at all and haven't run into a red wine that "didn't completely suck". I'm told that wine is an acquired taste but I've been trying for a couple of years and haven't acquired it yet. I've tried Australian Shiraz and Chilean Carmenere and Italian Chianti and wine from New York and California and Michigan.

I told Elery to stop buying wine he thinks I'll like, it's a waste of money. Some I can drink if I mix with Ginger Ale, LOL, but I'm told that's alcohol abuse.

So, Joanne, I say go with the first one and give her a bottle of GingerAle to go with it. Tell her I told you to. (grin) Oh, and tell her Happy Birthday.

Annie

Every wine and variety is different. Every appellation will affect how the wine will taste,temp, soil etc., and that is before the winemaker even gets the grapes! I also disliked Chardonnay, alot of Calif Chards went the way of being over oaked, the tides have turned recently and alot of fresh crisp Chards are coming to the market. I consider myself lucky, I live with a viticulturist, who also makes wine! Acres of chardonnay, merlot ,zindfandel, carignane, cabernet, syrah, Oh lucky lucky!