2002 Caboose Zinfandel

This bottling is dedicated to Ed Nervo, and to his love of railroads. The Northwestern Pacific’s main line ran north from Sausalito through Healdsburg, making whistle stops at Lytton Station and Nervo Winery on its way north. Ed was an avid collector of old railroad cars; somehow he managed to move one, a caboose, up a steep incline to the middle of his hillside vineyard. All the grapes on the ranch ripened beautifully this year; we made two wines: the Nervo, a rich table wine, and this lovely late-picked zinfandel from the grapes surrounding the caboose. Enjoyable now, its ripe blackberry fruit will show to best advantage over the next five to six years.

The Advance Tasting Program is a logical extension of Ridge’s long-standing dedication to single-vineyard winemaking. Our interest in distinctive sites, regardless of size, has led us to produce some wines in quantities ranging from five to fifty-five barrels. Shipments might include a syrah, a grenache, an old-vine carignane, and several zinfandel field blends; they are available only through the winery.

Average Rating: 90.3

No. of Tasting Notes: 15

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