Ridge 2010 Lytton Springs®
2010 Lytton Springs Vineyard, bottled March 2012
67% zinfandel, 23% petite sirah, 7% carignane, 3% mataro
14.4% alcohol by volume
Winemaker John Olney's notes (back label text) - Summer 2010 on the North Coast was the coolest
in forty years. This changed abruptly in late August, when two days of extreme heat sunburned
the clusters. Most of the zinfandel had yet to color; it was the hardest-hit of any varietal.
Fifty percent of the grapes were damaged, and cut out. The vines recovered, yielding clean
fruit, and wonderfully firm acidity. Forty-six parcels were hand-harvested. After fermentation,
the thirty-two most typical of the vineyard's character were assembled, and barrel-aged for
fourteen months. Enjoyable as a young wine, this opulent yet structured zinfandel will continue
to develop over the next ten to fifteen years. JO (10/11)
Tasting Notes - Briary blackberry, dark cherry and pepper on the nose.
Palate full bodied, viscous with well coated tannins, plum and cocoa. Long
finish with bright acidity. JO (7/12)
History
In 1972, Ridge made its first Lytton Springs from vines planted on the eastern half
of the vineyard at the turn of the century, and purchased both the eastern and western
portions of the vineyard in the early 1990s, (In the 1870s, under "Captain" William
Litton's ownership, the two were part of one property; spelling evolved into "Lytton"
by 1903.) The vineyard is planted to zinfandel and its principal complementary varietals.
Vineyard
First RIDGE Lytton Springs: 1972
Location: The bench and hills separating Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys,
just north of Healdsburg, Sonoma County.
Elevation: 80' - 160'
Soils: Varied, with a predominance of gravelly clay; gravelly clay loam on
hillsides.
Age of Vines: Lytton East: zinfandel, petite sirah, grenache and carignane
planted 1901 (32 acres) and 1910 (11 acres); zinfandel and petite sirah, planted
1997-1998 (5 acres), Lytton West: zinfandel, petite sirah, carignane, grenache
re-planted 1953-1968 (26 acres); zinfandel and petite sirah, planted 1980's
(2.5 acres); zinfandel and petite sirah planted in 1990's (42.8 acres);
zinfandel, limited petite sirah, limited carignane, in 2000's (60 acres).
Training: Head trained (no trellis), spur pruned.
Climate: Fog in a.m., warm sunny afternoons, breezes in late p.m.
Exposure: Southeasterly
Yields: 1.5 to 3.0 tons per acre
Growing Season
Rainfall: 42 inches (above average)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Cool, late spring; cold summer; two very hot days in August
(24 & 25) caused fruit damage cutting yields by 50%.
Vintage
Harvest Dates: 9 September - 14 October
Grapes: Average Brix 25°
Fermentation: Natural primary and secondary. Pressed at nine days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (20% new, 53% one, two and
three years old, 27% four and five years old.)
Aging: Fourteen 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. 1 gram/liter tartaric acid
and a total of less than a half percent rehydration (added to three lots) during fermentation;
minimum effective sulfur (35 parts per million at crush, 190 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.