2019 Zayante Zinfandel

Ripe, jammy raspberry on the nose with notes of cedar and forest floor. Full-bodied on the palate with well-coated tannins, blackberry, olive, and mint on the finish. JO (7/22)

Nestled in the hills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Zayante vineyard is one of few planted to zinfandel and petite sirah. Proximity to the ocean helps maintain fresh acidity and allows for slow, steady ripening. Inclusion of twenty-five percent petite sirah adds structure and color to the ripe fruit flavors. Enjoyable as a young wine, this opulent, accessible zinfandel will be at its best over the next five to six years. JO (3/21)

RIDGE produced its first bottling of zinfandel from the Zayante Vineyard with the 2018 vintage. Located deep within the Santa Cruz Mountains, the vineyard’s high elevation, soil quality, and proximity to the Pacific Ocean make it perfectly suited for growing premium wine grapes. Originally part of a land grant from Ulysses S. Grant, the land was home to a producing winery as early as 1875. The vines are own-rooted and farmed organically, without the use of irrigation.

Rainfall: 50 inches (above normal)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Rain soaked California throughout the winter. Spring rains continued until mid-May. Warm summer weather allowed the large crop to ripen evenly, resulting in an abundant, excellent harvest.

Harvest Date: 8 October
Grapes: Average Brix 26.1˚
TA: 8.1 g/L
pH: 3.58
Fermentation: Grapes were destemmed and fully crushed; fermented with a floating cap and pressed at six days.
Barrels: 100% American oak (30% three years-old, 70% four years-old).
Aging: Sixteen months in barrel

Green Earth Zayante Vineyard grapes, hand-harvested; 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 (35ppm at crush, 158 ppm over the course of aging). In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.