2008 Geyserville

2009 Geyserville®

Varietal Information

bottled February 2011
74% zinfandel, 17% carignane, 6% petite sirah, 2% alicante bouschet, 1% mataro (mourvedre)
14.3% alcohol by volume

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.

Vintage

Harvest Dates: 11 September - 7 October
Grapes: Average brix 24.6 degrees
Fermentation: Natural primary and secondary; limited use of submerged cap, limited pump-overs; pressed at six days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (20% new, 47% one and two years old, 33% three and four years old.)
Aging: Fifteen months in barrel

Growing Season

Rainfall: Thirty-four inches (below average)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Dry winter with spring rains and typical warm, dry summer.

Winemaking

All estate-grown grapes, hand harvested. Destemmed and crushed. Fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally-occurring bacteria. 41mg/liter (3,500 grams total) calcium carbonate to three small fermentors to moderate unusually firm acidity;25/100 of one percent rehydration (added to three particularly ripe young vine parcels); minimum effective sulfur (35 ppm at crush; 105 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.

Winemaker Tasting Notes

Saturated ruby color. Penetrating cherry/plum fruit, black tea, pepper/clove spice, gravel, tar, mint. Fresh bramble entry, polished tannins. Opulent, balanced, complete. -Eric Baugher (2/11)

Tasting Notes and Reviews


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