2021 Mancini Ranch

2021 Mancini Ranch

Wine Information

73% Carignane, 27% Zinfandel

95 Points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
95 Points – Owen Bargreen, OwenBargreen.com

Vintage

2021

Vineyard

Mancini Ranch

Appellation

Russian River Valley

Alcohol By Volume

14.2%

Winemaker Tasting Notes

Stunning purple and garnet hues with aromas of black cherry, cassis, baking spices, cedar, root beer, and cinnamon toast. Lively entry on the palate with fresh red fruit, mouthwatering acidity, fine-grained tannins and a long finish. TG (10/22)

Vintage Notes

Nestled in the Russian River Valley, this 80-year-old vineyard is planted to carignane and zinfandel of stunning quality and distinct character. The vineyard has been farmed with great care by Max Reichwage since 2015 when he purchased the property. The grapes from this cooler micro-climate consistently show bright acidity and fresh red fruit. Approachable as a young wine it will age with grace over the next six to seven years. TG (10/22)

History

Luca Mancini planted this 15-acre vineyard between 1922 and 1924. It is located west of Santa Rosa at the corner of Olivet and Piner Roads. While it consists mostly of zinfandel vines, there is also a significant portion of carignane where we source our fruit. The cool summers of the Russian River Valley add to the distinctive acidity associated with carignane. Fruit, nut, and oak trees are interspersed in the the vineyard, making it a very special vineyard.

Growing Season

Rainfall: 14 inches (below normal)
Bloom: Early May
Weather: A dry winter and spring stressed the vines, limiting yields and concentrating flavors.

Winemaking

Harvest Date: 20 September
Grapes: Average Brix 23.9˚
TA: 9.15 g/L
pH: 3.42
Fermentation: Grapes destemmed and crushed, pumped over a floating cap twice daily. Pressed at seven days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (10% new, 90% three years old).
Aging: Fourteen months in barrel

Hand-harvested grapes fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally occurring malolactic bacteria; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 99 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.

Press

Vinous Media: 95 Points “Ridge’s 2021 Mancini Ranch, 73% Carignane and 27% Zinfandel, is a heady, explosive wine. Super-ripe red cherry fruit, rose petal, cedar and a kick of sweet American oak all race across the palate. This juicy Russian River field blend hits all the right notes.” -Antonio Galloni (April 2023)

OwenBargreen.com: 95 Points “A blend of mostly Carignane (73%) with the remainder Zinfandel, the 2021 ‘Mancini Ranch’ was sourced from this site in the Russian River Valley which boasts 80 year old vines. The old-vine Carignane is really singing now. Ripe cranberry fruit combines with blood orange zest, cardamom, espresso grounds and copious minerals on the palate. Really refined and seamless throughout the drinking experience, this beauty will easily live on for another fifteen plus years. Drink 2023-2038.” -Owen Bargreen (April 2023)