Ridge 2011 East Bench® Zinfandel
2011 Zinfandel, East Bench, bottled February 2013
100% zinfandel
14.6% alcohol by volume
Winemaker John Olney's Notes (Back Label) -
Summer was mild; not a single day reached 100°F. Grapes on this
twelve-year-old vineyard ripened two weeks later than usual, and
were harvested between September 19 and 24 — well before October's untimely
rains. Juice was pumped over the skins twice daily for nine days, achieving
balanced tannin, full color, and intense fruit. After natural malolactic,
six of the seven parcels were combined, then racked to air-dried american
oak for thirteen months' aging. Showing briary black fruit, pepper, and
spice, this rich zinfandel will be at its best over the next five or six
years. JO (12/12)
Tasting Notes - Nose of raspberry and pepper with floral and
mineral notes. Palate layered dark cherry and black currant fruit,
mineral, cocoa, balanced acidity with fine tannins on the finish.
JO (1/13)
History
Ridge has made the East Bench as a single-site zinfandel since 2006. One of our few
single-variety wines, this zinfandel vineyard sits high on top of the bench land that
overlooks Dry Creek Valley from the east.
Vineyard
First RIDGE East Bench: 2006
Location: East Bench Vineyard is located on the Eastern bench of Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Soils: Gravelly clay loam
Vines: Zinfandel planted in 2000 from three 19th century
vineyard selections
Training: Head trained (no trellis), spur pruned.
Yields: 3.5 tons per acre
Farming: Sustainably farmed; fish-friendly agriculture
Growing Season
Rainfall: 40 inches (above average)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Wet spring and atypical cool summer; with no sustained heat spells.
Vintage
Harvest Dates: 19 - 24 September
Grapes: Average Brix 24.9°
Fermentation: Natural primary and secondary; twice daily
pump-overs; pressed at nine days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (20% new,
40% one and two years old, 40% three and four years old.)
Aging: Thirteen months in barrel
Winemaking
All estate-grown grapes, hand harvested. Destemmed and crushed. Fermented
on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally occurring
bacteria. Minimum effective sulfur (35 ppm at crush, 180 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.