Given that my daughter is about two months shy of turning two, it’s perfectly reasonable that I’ve got” Goldilocks and the Three Bears” on my brain (and you can add to that “Grandfather Twilight,” “Cool Daddy Rat,” “Charlie Parker Plays Be-Bop,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” and “One Leaf Rides the Wind”); and given that I’ve got “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” on my brain, it’s no surprise that the immortal mantra of “Too Hot, Too Cold, Just Right” is on a loop inside my brain.

So there I was, having pizza for lunch — four cheese and olive pizza, to be precise — and I was staring down three bottles of Ridge Zinfandel. All of them were already open, so they were accordingly all fair game.

Pizza & Zinfandel

I took a bite, then took a swig. 2008 York Creek. “Too Hot!” Which was strange; the York Creek ABV is only one percentage point higher than the Geyserville, but somehow, this pairing drew a tad too much of the heat out. So I took another bite, and then another swig. 2008 Geyserville. “Too Cold!” Meaning something about the pizza really drew out the acidity, and it felt ever so slightly sharp, like a tongue stuck to metal (midwesterners who’ve been through a midwestern winter, you know what I’m talkin’ ’bout!). So another bite, and another swig. “Just Right!” 2008 Lytton Springs.

Today, that’s the stand I’m taking. The Ridge Vineyards 2008 Lytton Springs is the best pizza-pairing wine in the whole world, and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table and say that! (with all due apologies to Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle!)

Townes Van Zandt

Categories: Food & Wine Pairing, Geyserville, Lytton Springs, Tasting Notes, Varietals & Blends, Zinfandel

Tags: 2008 Geyserville, 2008 Lytton Springs, 2008 York Creek, Bob Dylan, Charlie Parker Plays Be-Bop, Cool Daddy Rat, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Grandfather Twilight, Green Eggs and Ham, Mary Engelbreit, One Leaf Rides The Wind, pizza and zinfandel, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt