Ridge Vineyards, Geyserville 1996 (1.5L)
Into neck
This year marks the thirty-first anniversary of Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel from the magnificent old vines on the Trentadue family vineyard. Our long commitment here was strengthened in 1990, when we leased the thirty-six acres known as Whitten Ranch. Virtually all our zinfandel is harvested from this portion of the vineyard, ensuring a Geyserville for decades to come.
A short crop in ’95 was followed by an even shorter one in ’96. The old vineyards suffered the most; the young vines, even after we dropped a quarter of the clusters, produced reasonable yields. The zinfandels—with the intensity of so few grapes per vine—were particularly well-structured. In tastings, we preferred the wine with a modest six percent petite sirah, compared to a typical year’s twelve to eighteen percent. Fourteen months in air dried american oak, twenty-two percent of which was new, has integrated the tannins and added complexity to the spice and rich berry fruit. This superb zinfandel will be at its most appealing as we ring out the old century and enjoy the first years of the new.
92 Points CellarTracker Member
Superb old US wine dinner: Initially thought this was quite similar to the ‘93 but this developed sweeter, blacker fruit with air; the 14.9% alcohol also became more obvious. Still restrained compared to modern iterations but the '93 was a class above. 2/21/2025
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