2021 Ridge Geyserville

Ruby-garnet in color with aromas of dark plum, black cherry, baking spices, cola, wet gravel, toasted oak, violets and lavender. A full-bodied entry with bold and dark fruit leads to a layered and complex mid-palate with fine-grained tannins. Natural acidity balances the wine, creating a long, juicy finish. TG (11/22)

First produced in 1966, we have made this zinfandel every year for fifty-six years. Consistency of quality and vineyard character are its hallmarks. A dry winter with a moderate spring and summer ripened the grapes evenly. Showing plentiful fruit, elegant tannins and bright acidity, this fine wine will develop fully over the next fourteen years. TG (12/22)

A dry winter and spring stressed the vines, limiting yields and concentrating flavors.

Fermentation: Full Crush, 100% floating cap. Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations; daily pump-overs.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels; 68% Appalachian, 20% Kentucky, and 12% Ozark (30% new, 22% one year old, 25% two years old, and 23% three years old and older).
Aging: Sixteen months in barrel

Hand-harvested grapes; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally-occurring bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 141 ppm over the course of aging); pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.