I am going to a surprise 40th birthday party for a friend of mine. She loves wine and I thought I would give her a bottle from my cellar. I don't really know anything about wines, just what I like. I tried researching on the internet, but since the ones I have appear to be out of stock, I had trouble finding info on them. I was wondering if anyone here might be familiar with any of the wines I was thinking of. Here are my choices:
1. Ridge Lytton Estate 2002 California Grenache/ Syrah

2. Château Souverain 2003 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

3. Merryvale Starmont 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

I have not tried any of them; I only acquired one bottle of each, so I'm not sure which would be best for such a special occasion. Can anyone make a recommendation?
Joanne

2. Château Souverain 2003 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

3. Merryvale Starmont 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley "

Ridge is one of the great wineries in CA. Respected all around the world. That wine is, or was, only available to people who bought directly from the winery since not much was available. I never loved it as much as I wanted to, but it was nonetheless a decent wine and if your friend really loves wine, she'd be happy to get a bottle, esp as it shows a thoughtfulness, i.e. you can't just walk into any store and buy it.

Souverain - not a bad wine for what it is. 2003 wasn't a great year in the area and it's a fairly widely available wine. Not special enough.

Merryvale Starmont - a better year overall than the 2003, but still not special enough as a winery. A little too pedestrian for a gift.