2019 Geyserville

Dark garnet red with classic Geyserville nose of ripe black cherry and plum, gravel, wintergreen, and beautiful oak spice. Deep and sensuously layered with polished tannins, river-rock minerality, and a long finish. EB (10/20)

This is our longest, continuous zinfandel production, beginning with 1966. Each growing season, though different, has given us wine of consistent character and quality. This year’s long, wet winter, and a mild summer, delayed harvest by two weeks. Of the forty-three fermented lots, we chose thirty-two for their superb Geyserville character and blending synergy. Enjoyable now, this excellent wine will develop more complexity over the next fifteen years.

This is Ridge’s 54th consecutive vintage of Geyserville. The grapes are grown in three adjoining vineyards on a single soil type, deposited by an ancient washout of the Russian River that carried river stone and gravel. It is approximately one-and-a-quarter miles long and half a mile wide.

Rainfall: 57.5 inches (above average)
Bloom: May
Weather: Total rainfall for the season was almost double our usual amounts. The vines responded with bountiful yields of great quality.

Harvest Dates: 16 September – 8 October
Grapes: Average Brix 24.6˚
TA: 6.83 g/L
pH: 3.54
Fermentation: Full Crush, 100% floating cap. Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations; daily pump-overs; pressed at six days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (20% new, 2% one year-old, 22% two years-old, 25% three years-old, and 22% four years-old and 9% five years-old).
Aging: Twelve months in barrel

Hand-harvested grapes; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally-occurring bacteria; oak from barrel aging; SO2; pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.

Connoisseurs’ Guide: 95 Points “In the very first Issue of Connoisseurs’ Guide, back in November, 1974, Ridge Geyserville was among the most highly praised wines. And, now four decades and five years later, the very same wine sits at the top of the ratings table. But here is an interesting difference. This wine is among the most mannerly Geyservilles ever. Yes, it is its usuallly deep and complex self with ripe berries both black and blue profoundly expressed all joined with the richness and flavor length that has been prominent in the very best vintags. And, yes, that expected stratum of solid tannins shows up in the finish and promises a long and rewarding aging curve. This is Geyserville, and it still makes our palates sing and puts a smile on our faces. Buy it.” (July 2021)

Vinous: 94 Points “The 2019 Geyserville marks a pretty huge step up in this range. What a wine! Black cherry, plum, chocolate, cloves, menthol and licorice blast across the palate. Deep and saturated, with tremendous concentration, the 2019 Geyserville is a wine to cellar for at least a few years. Today, it is positively stunning.” Antonio Galloni (May 2022)

JamesSuckling.com: 94 Points “A beautiful red with lots of blackberries, cloves, stone, spice and purple fruit. It’s full and balanced with a creamy texture and a flavorful finish. Some graphite to the black fruit. More zin this year in the blend. 71% zinfandel, 19% carignan, 7% petite sirah and 3% alicante bouschet. Drink now.” -James Suckling (March 2021)

Wine & Spirits: 93 Points “The oldest vines at Ridge’s Geyserville Vineyard were planted 130 years ago in a gravel wash off the Russian River. Today, the wine layers the fruit of successive generations of vines while combining zinfandel and carignane with petite sirah and alicante bouschet. All those elements come together in a complex tapestry of flavor, smoky in its concentration, lasting on scents of herbs, flowers and berries. As elegant as the wine may be, it is not shy in its rich power. Geyserville often reaches its peak between ten and 20 years from the vintage and this one should age as well.” -J.G. (June 2021 Issue)

Wine Spectator: 93 Points “Deeply structured, yet nimble on its feet. Blackberry, fresh fennel and brown baking spices build richness and layers toward medium-grained tannins. Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet. Drink now through 2030.” -T.F. (April 2021)

Wine Enthusiast: 93 Points “Deep and rich in flavor, this full-bodied wine will continue improving with age. It shows generous, late-picked blackberry flavors along with accents of vanilla, milk chocolate and black pepper, while mild tannins give it some nice heft in the texture. Best through 2030.” -Jim Gordon (August 2021)

JebDunnuck.com: 92 Points “The 2019 Zinfandel Geyserville is 71% Zinfandel, 19% Carignan, and the rest Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet. This was a cooler vintage yet this wine reveals plenty of ripeness in its black and blue fruits as well as violets, cigar, and toasted spice-like aromas and flavors. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and expansive on the palate, it has some obvious minerality, building tannins, and a great finish. It’s not going to match the 2018, but it’s still a complete, nuanced, complex Zinfandel that will keep for 10-15 years.” -Jeb Dunnuck (July 2021)

Jancis Robinson: 16.5 “Mid garnet. Aromatic, lifted, just this side of porty. Sweet and jewelly. Not sure it’s actually better than the East Bench! More polished perhaps.” (May 2022)

Average Rating: 91.2

No. of Tasting Notes: 148

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