2008 Ponzo vineyard

Varietal Information

bottled January 2010
98% zinfandel, 2% petite sirah
15.1% alcohol by volume

History

Bob Ponzo has farmed these grapes for us in the Russian River Valley since 1999. Bob's vineyard, on deep gravely loam soils four and a half miles south of Lytton Springs, provides all of the grapes for this zinfandel. The Russian River Valley's cooler microclimate ripens this fruit shortly after Lytton Springs and Geyserville. Small amounts of petite sirah are interplanted with zinfandel in the oldest block.

Vintage

Harvest Dates: 5 and 18 September
Grapes: Average Brix 25.6°
Fermentation: No inoculation — natural primary and secondary; rapid color and tannin extraction. Pressed at twelve days.
Aging: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (15% new, 35% one to two years old, 50% three and four years old)
Time in Barrel: Twelve months

Growing Season

Rainfall: Thirty inches (below normal)
Bloom: Early May (normal)
Weather: Dry spring with a warm dry summer, and no sustained heat spells.

Winemaker Tasting Notes

Raspberry/guava/pepper nose. Rich red fruit, medium-to-full bodied. Integrated oak, mineral notes. Some stone-fruit flavors. Firm acid on the finish. EB (3/10)

• 2008 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD ZINFANDEL New Releases, Nicholas Ponomareff , California Grapevine 04-2010 , Tasting
  2008 Ridge, "Ponzo Vineyard," Russian River Valley ($28) - Medium to medium-dark ruby; attractive, intense, herbal, stemmy, briary, peppery, very ripe raspberry and boy...(more)
• 2007 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Five-Star California Zinfandels , Quarterly Review Of Wines 06-2009 , Tasting
  2007 RIDGE ZINFANDEL "PONZO VINEYARD" (CALIFORNIA). 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petite Sirah. Big, rich, ripe, deliciously exotic, black currant, cinnamon and nutty oak flavor...(more)
• 2007 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD ZINFANDEL - More New Releases, Nicholas Ponomareff , California Grapevine 06-2009 , Tasting
  2007 Ridge, "Ponzo Vineyard," Russian River Valley
  ($28) - Medium-dark purplish ruby; attractive, forward, very
  briary, jammy, blackberry fruit aroma with notes of dill and
  ...(more)
• 2007 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Zinfandel, Charles E. Olken , Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine 05-2009 , Tasting
  RIDGE VINEYARDS Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyards Russian River Valley 2007
  
  SCORE: 83
  
  5% Petite Sirah. Sadly, this bottling is colored by a faint edge of sourn...(more)
• 2006 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Zinfandel, Charles E. Olken , Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine 01-2009 , Tasting
  RIDGE VINEYARDS Ponzo Vineyard Russian River Valley 2006
  
  SCORE: 89 *
  
  5% Petite Sirah. If not at all lacking in richness nor in the keen, blackberry frui...(more)
• 2006 PONZO VINEYARD ZINFANDEL - More New Releases, Nicholas Ponomareff , California Grapevine 08-2008 , Tasting
  2006 Ridge, "Ponzo Vineyard," Russian River Valley – Medium to medium-dark ruby; forward, toasty, earthy, slightly herbaceous, cherry and red berry fruit aroma with ove...(more)
• 2005 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Zinfandel, Charles E. Olken , Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine 09-2007 , Tasting
  2005 RIDGE Ponzo Vineyard Russian River Valley
  
  SCORE: 87 *
  
  Here is a soft, slightly plush, very approachable Zin whose mix of milk chocolate, ripe berrie...(more)
• 2005 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD New Releases: California, James Laube , Wine Spectator 06-2007 , Tasting
  Ridge Zinfandel Russian River Valley Ponzo Vineyard 2005 $26 Something slightly wild peeps out from this otherwise restrained, well-focused Zinfandel. Aromas o...(more)
• 2005 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Lining up some fine Ridge wines, Patrick Comiskey , Los Angeles Times 06-2007 , Tasting
  2005 Ridge Ponzo Vineyard Zinfandel. Perhaps the prettiest, most approachable of the Zins; from a Russian River Valley vineyard, this wine is sensuous, generous and sof...(more)
• 2005 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Zinfandel - New Releases, Nicholas Ponomareff , California Grapevine 04-2007 , Tasting
  2005 Ridge, "Ponzo Vineyard," Russian River Valley ($26) – Medium to medium-dark ruby; herbal, jammy, loganberry and blackberry fruit aroma with a hint of pomegranate; ...(more)
• 2004 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Tasting Notes, Dan Berger , Dan Berger's Vintage Experiences 10-2006 , Tasting
  2004 Ridge Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, Ponzo ($26):
  
  Rating: Exceptional
  
  Spice, black raspberry / violet and a cool-climate crispness in the finish ma...(more)
• 2004 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD New Releases from California's Central Coast, Stephen Tanzer , International Wine Cellar 09-2006 , Tasting
  2004 Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyards Russian River Valley ($26; includes bits of petite sirah and carignane):
  
  Bright ruby-red. Red cherry, red berries, licorice and minerals on ...(more)
• 2004 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Zinfandel, Robert Parker , Wine Advocate 06-2006 , Tasting
  This venerable producer, with as fine a track record as any winery in the world, continues to turn out high quality Zinfandels...
  
  RIDGE 2004 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD ---...(more)
• 2004 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Zinfandel, Charles E. Olken , Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine 05-2006 , Tasting
  RIDGE VINEYARDS Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyards Russian River Valley 2004
  
  SCORE: 92 **
  
  This particular marriage of vineyard and vintner has earned big marks in ...(more)
• 2004 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD ZAP, Harold Baer , Colorado Wine News 04-2006 , Press
  The 2004 Zinfandel, Ponzo Vineyards, Russian River Valley, $33, contains 3% petite sirah and 1% carignane and spent eleven months in American oak, 15% new. It has ripe, fresh,...(more)
• 2004 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Zinfandel - New Releases, Nicholas Ponomareff , California Grapevine 02-2006 , Tasting
  2004 Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyards: "Medium to medium-dark ruby with purplish tinges; attractive, forward, spicy, jammy, sweet black raspberry fruit aroma; medium-full to f...(more)
• 2003 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Zinfandel, Charles E. Olken , Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine 01-2006 , Tasting
  RIDGE Ponzo Vineyards Russian River Valley 2003
  
  14% Petite Sirah & Carignane. Quite clearly cut from different cloth than the rest of its relations from Ridge, this...(more)
• 2003 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Zinfandel - New Releases, Nicholas Ponomareff , California Grapevine 04-2005 , Tasting
  2003 Ridge, "Ponzo Vineyards," Russian River Valley ($26)
  
  Medium-dark purplish ruby; forward, toasty, briary, ripe black cherry and raspberry fruit aroma with overtones of ...(more)
• 2002 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD Ridge Vineyards, Robert Parker , Wine Advocate 02-2005 , Press
  Ridge has been a reference point winery for so many years you would think they are hundreds of years old. The fact is, their history began in 1886, when an Italian doctor purc...(more)
• 2002 ZINFANDEL PONZO VINEYARD New Wines from the Central Coast, Stephen Tanzer , International Wine Cellar 08-2004 , Tasting
  2002 Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyards California ($25):
  
  Dark red. Chocolate, menthol and flowers on the nose. Began quite tightly wound but blossomed in the glass to show sappy, ...(more)