2016 Lytton Estate Primitivo

Blackberry and red plum nose with accents of fig, toast and vanilla. Dark fruit on the palate with supple tannins and balanced acid to round out the finish. JO (7/20)

This wine comes from a five acre parcel at Lytton West planted to primitivo, a zinfandel clone from the Puglia region of Italy. The vines set a light crop that hastened ripening and concentrated flavors. Carignane from an adjacent parcel was added to enhance acidity and balance the wine’s rich, dark fruit. Enjoyable now, this exemplary primitivo will continue to develop over the next five to six years.

In 1972, Ridge made its first Lytton Springs from vines planted here at the turn of the century. We purchased both the eastern and western portions of the vineyard in the early 1990s. (In the 1870s, under “Captain” William Litton’s ownership, the two were part of one property; spelling evolved into “Lytton” by 1903).

This is the fifth time we have bottled primitivo as a separate wine. It is from a single block planted to one of the clones of zinfandel from the Puglia region of southern Italy.

Rainfall: 38 inches (just below normal)
Bloom: Mid-May
Weather: A wet December and January helped ease the drought which emphatically ended in March. Fine weather in May rebounded our crop to near normal levels. Harvest started early (late-August) and finished in mid-September.

Harvest Date: 1 September
Grapes: Average Brix 25.0˚
TA: 6.38 g/L
pH: 3.60
Fermentation: Natural primary and secondary fermentations. Pressed at ten days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (15% new, 15% one year-old, 20% two years-old, 25% three years-old and 25% four years-old).
Aging: Twelve months in barrel

Sustainably farmed, hand harvested, estate-grown grapes; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on naturally-occurring bacteria; 1.7% water addition; 1.2 grams/liter tartaric acid; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 72 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.

Average Rating: 89.7

No. of Tasting Notes: 42

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