Ridge 2011 Geyserville®

2011 Geyserville Vineyard, bottled January 2013
78% zinfandel, 16% carignane, 4% petite sirah, 1% alicante bouschet, 1% mataro (mourvedre)
14.2% alcohol by volume

Winemaker Eric Baugher's Notes (Back Label) - A long winter delayed the start of the growing season. Having escaped late spring rains, the vines set a large crop — more than an unusually cold summer could ripen. Severe thinning became essential. Harvest began September 21, and ended October 3 — a day before the first rain. Twenty-four parcels were fermented, and kept separate. In late spring, during rigorous blind tastings, we chose twelve parcels to make up the 2011. Quantities are limited, but this is a superb Geyserville, showing intense fruit, and strong vineyard character. Enjoyable now, it will continue to develop over the next ten or twelve years. EB (12/12)

Tasting Notes - Ruby color; scented bramble fruit, mint, gravelly earth, sweet oak; black tea, sweet cherry fruit, medium chalky tannins, sensuous, layered, complex minerals, old vine/field-blend fruits and lively acidity. Long savory finish. EB (1/13)

Marketing Materials

• backgrounder (1.09MB PDF)
• label (164KB PDF)
• front label graphic (99KB PNG)
• bottle shot (1.56MB JPG)

Information on other vintages: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

History

Ridge has made the Geyserville as a single-site zinfandel in every year since 1966. The grapes are grown in three adjoining vineyards on a defined stretch of gravelly soil approximately one-and-a-quarter miles long and a half-mile wide.

Vineyard

First RIDGE Geyserville: 1966
Location: Geyserville Vineyard is located on the Western edge of Alexander Valley, Sonoma County
Elevation: 200'
Soils: Gravelly loam
Vines: Youngest 9 years, oldest over 120 years; sixty percent 45 years or older.
Training: Head trained (no trellis), spur pruned.
Climate: Occasional morning fog, warm days with frequent evening breezes.
Exposure: Southern
Yields: One to three tons per acre
Farming: Sustainably farmed; fish-friendly agriculture

Growing Season

Rainfall: 40 inches (above average)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Wet spring and typical cool summer, with no sustained heat spells.

Vintage

Harvest Dates: 21 September - 2 October
Grapes: Average Brix 24.6°
Fermentation: Natural primary and secondary; 100% floating cap, full pump-overs; pressed at seven days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (24% new, 50% one and two years old, 26% three and four years old.)
Aging: Twelve 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. 16.9mg/liter calcium carbonate added to ten small fermentors to moderate acidity; minimum effective sulfur (30 ppm at crush; 92 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.

Miscellaneous

SRP: suggested retail price per bottle (U.S. dollars)
Geyserville® is a registered trademark of Ridge Vineyards, Inc. in the US and other countries.

Press

• Wine Advocate (Issue 202, August 2012): "The 2011 Geyserville impresses for its silkiness and texture. Sweet dark berries, flowers and mint are some of the notes that take shape in the glass. The 2011 is a decidedly mid-weight, feminine style of Geyserville. Floral notes reappear on the finish, adding lift and vibrancy. The 2011 should drink well upon release and also age. To make the 2011, Ridge was especially selective and fewer parcels made it into the blend than normal, especially with the Petite Sirah. The blend is 80% Zinfandel, 16% Carignane, 3% Petite Sirah and 1% Alicante Bouschet. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2031.
   
  Indiana Jones and I have one thing in common — a fear of snakes. That is why every time I see the sign in the Ridge parking lot that reads 'Beware of rattlesnakes,' I get a little uneasy. So it's quickly into the tasting room for me. Winemaker Eric Baugher and his team have prepared a great tasting covering all of the Ridge classics, plus a few smaller-production bottlings I am tasting for the first time. This is a sublime set of new releases from one of this country's greatest heritage wineries. It's hard to know where to start, but the highlights are the 2009 Monte Bello, followed by the 2010, which will be released this year, plus some of the Zinfandels and Zinfandel-based wines. The 2010 harvest was not an easy one. The summer was very cold, as it was throughout California. Ridge was severely affected by August heat spikes that were crippling for Zinfandel. The wines that were bottled are the result of a severe selection of the best fruit that survived the heat." -Antonio Galloni (Rated: 91-93)
   
• Quarterly Review of Wines (May 2013) - 29th Best of The Best California Zinfandel - "Soft, spicy, textured, concentrated, with strawberry-cherry flavors and elegant finish. Delicious!" (Rated: Co-Best of Show)
  Read review at QRW.com