2015 Three Valleys

Spicy oak with strawberry and fig jam to the nose. Medium-to-full bodied, soft mouthfeel and focused cherry fruit, mint. Refreshing acidity on the finish with notes of chapparal. JO (1/17)

Unfavorable spring weather disrupted bloom limiting yields. The small crop ripened three weeks earlier than usual. Individual parcels from seven ranches were picked and separately fermented for an average of nine days. After twelve months aging in American oak, this sensuous, elegant wine is appealing now and will be enjoyable for another four to five years.

The history of the Ridge Three Valleys began with the release of the 2001. The wine contains grapes from a number of Sonoma vineyards—this year, six. We take great care in selecting the fruit, which is hand-harvested, then crushed and fermented on its native yeast and naturally occurring malolactic at both Monte Bello and Lytton Springs wineries. Unlike our single-vineyard wines, which reflect the distinctive character of each site, Three Valleys represents the blending of vineyards—winemaking—at it’s finest. Zinfandel determines the wine’s varietal character; old-vine carignane contributes bright fruit and acidity; petite sirah spice, depth of color, and firm tannins.

Rainfall: 33.2 inches (just below normal)
Bloom: Mid-May
Weather: Very wet December, followed by the driest January on record (0.05”). Cool, wet late spring helped with rainfall totals, but reduced our crop across all varieties. Harvest started early (mid-August) and finished quickly.

Harvest Dates: 18 August – 15 September
Grapes: Average Brix 25.1˚
Fermentation: No inoculation; natural primary and secondary. Grapes fully crushed; pressed at nine days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (15% new, 50% one and two years old, and 35% three and four years old).
Aging: Twelve months in barrel

Hand-harvested grapes, destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts followed by a full malolactic on the natural-occurring bacteria; a total of 0.55 grams/liter tartaric acid; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35ppm at crush, 99 ppm over the course of aging); membrane sterile filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.

Average Rating: 88.1

No. of Tasting Notes: 24

View this wine on CellarTracker

See all food pairing recipes we have created specifically for this wine.