2017 Geyserville

Dark ruby color. Aromas of ripe black cherries and plum, sweet oak, mint, and gravel earth. Rich bramble fruit entry, round and supple tannins, refreshing acidity, and layered complex fruits in a long finish. EB (12/18)

Powerful winter storms replenished groundwater, bringing the drought to an end. However, they delayed bud-break, pushing bloom into late May. Early September heat was followed by cooler weather that slowed the pace of ripening. Twenty-four parcels were picked and fermented separately. Those showing strong vineyard character were chosen for this superb vintage. Enjoyable now, it will develop further complexity over the next fifteen years.

Ridge has made the Geyserville as a single-site zinfandel every year since 1966. The grapes are grown in three adjoining parcels on a defined stretch of gravelly soil approximately one-and-a-quarter miles long and a half-mile wide.

Rainfall: 61.5 inches (above normal)
Bloom: May
Weather: A wet winter gave us the much needed rains. Cool weather in the spring affected set across all varieties. Several heat spikes in late June, July and August saw temperatures over 105 degrees. Harvest started before the Labor Day heat wave hit; we quickly finished harvesting by mid-September.

Harvest Dates: 30 August – 20 September
Grapes: Average Brix 24.7˚
Fermentation: Full Crush, 100% floating cap. Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations; daily pump-overs; pressed at 8 days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (16% new, 29% one and two years old, 55% three and four years old)
Aging: Fourteen months in barrel

Sustainably farmed, hand-harvested estate-grown grapes; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally-occurring bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush; 127 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.

The Wine Advocate: 93-95 Points “A first look at the 2017 Geyserville Proprietary Red Wine revealed immense promise. Despite having been in barrel for a mere six months, it’s already offering up complex aromas of raspberries, blackberries and exotic spice. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, pure and succulent, with superb concentration, a lovely line of ripe acidity and a chalky, fine-grained finish. The wine attained 14.7% alcohol, and Baugher believes it will be one of the best renditions of Geyserville in a decade.” – William Kelley (May 2018)

The Wine Advocate: 94 Points “Medium ruby, it opens with lilac, chocolate box and stone fruit hints with warm blackcurrants, red and black cherries, cranberries, cedar, tobacco leaf and dusty earth. Medium to full-bodied, it opens slowly in the mouth to pure fruits supported by fine, chalky tannins and integrated freshness on the very long finish.” – Erin Brooks (February 2020)

JamesSuckling.com: 93 Points “A soft and delicious red with aromas and flavors of blueberries, light chocolate and walnuts. Medium to full body, round tannins and a flavorful finish. 68% zinfandel, 18% carignan, 12% petite sirah and 2% alicante bouschet. Drink now.” – James Suckling (December 2019)

Vinous Media: 92+ Points “Pretty scents of leather, savory herbs, spice and earthiness hint at what is to come. Readers should plan on being patient, but Ridge lovers know that. In most years, Geyserville starts hitting its stride around age ten.” – Antonio Galloni (October 2019)

Vinous Media: 91-93 Points “The 2017 Zinfandel Geyserville is soft, sensual and inviting, with softer curves and much more immediacy than the 2016 tasted alongside it. Racy red cherry, plum, spice, new leather and rose petal are beautifully knit together in this sensual, inviting wine. Best of all, the 2017 looks like it will drink well with minimal cellaring.” – Antonio Galloni (August 2018)

JebDunnuck.com: 91 Points “The 2017 Geyserville is a more pretty, streamlined example of this cuvée and offers plenty of spiced blue fruits, violets, cedarwood, and flowery incense. Medium-bodied, nicely concentrated, with firm focusing tannins, it’s a departure from some of the richer, more opulent examples of this cuvée yet is beautifully balanced, has integrated acidity and tannins, and a great finish.” – Jeb Dunnuck (June 2019)

The Fine Wine Review: 94 Points “This is a great bottle of Geyserville, one that will repay your cellaring of the wine. It is dense, concentrated, and balanced with spicy red and dark fruit. The American oak (16% new, 29% one and two years-old, the rest three and four years-old) still shows, but will fade over a few years. Expect a long lifetime (a couple of decades, at least) for this wine.” – Claude Kolm (April 2019)

Connoisseurs’ Guide: 91 Points “Starting off with aromas of a controlled and mannerly cast, but quickly opening up with air to show great depth and a promise of more to come, this wine is a bit brooding yet deeply endowed. Its early blackberry scents gain notes of dark soils, bark and sweet oak over time in the glass, and its full-bodied yet well-balanced construction on the palate could lead some to drink it up now. We would, however, counsel a more patient approach and suggest letting it rest in bottle for some three to six years at a minimum. Time is clearly its ally.” (July 2019)

California Grapevine: 90 Points “Medium-dark ruby; attractive, deep, intense, spicy, dark cherry and blackberry fruit aroma with hints of dill, mint, cedar, cinnamon, and black pepper; full body; deep, intense, briary, red and black fruit flavors with some jammy richness in the mouthfeel; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Very approachable and enjoyable to drink now, though should benefit from several more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.” – Nick Ponomareff (July 2019)

Average Rating: 91.4

No. of Tasting Notes: 211

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