Mon (5/4) A Day On TheRidge
EricBaugher invited me up to TheRidge for a small Geyserville vertical they
were doing. Ridge has been releasing some older wines from their library reserves
and they wanted to try them before releasing. There were 8 vintages, from '92 to
'03 vintage. These will be available on the Ridge WebSite (http://www.RidgeWine.com),
vintage by vintage, including some magnums, over the coming months. Joining Eric
and I were PaulDraper, COO MarkVernon, Heidi (Donn's assistant), and David (Ridge
US marketing director). The wines were served blind, in foursomes, but with the
vintage range identified. My notes:
1. Geyserville (13.9%; 20% Carignane, 15% PS) 1992: Med.dark color; strong dusty/Draper
Perfume slight cedary/pencilly light raspberry/blackberry/Zin nose; lighter Zin/
blackberry some cedary/pencilly rather dusty/DraperPerfume slightly astringent/dried
out flavor; starting to show some of the old Zin character but still a lovely/complex
mature Geyserville.
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2. Geyserville (14.5%; 22% Carignane, 12% PS, 4% AlicanteBouschet, 2% Mataro) 1993: Med.
dark color; less DP and more blackberry/licorice slight pencilly/oak strong raspberry/
blackberry/Zin some complex nose; fairly rich/lush blackberry/raspberry/Zin low-key
pencilly/oak slight DP bit tannic some complex flavor; my favorite of this flight for
showing plenty of fruit yet w/ some of the complexity of a mature zin; will go
another 2-5 yrs probably.
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3. Geyserville (14.3%; 20% Carignane, 8% PS, 4% Mataro) 1994: Med.color; more pungent/oak/
smokey/DP strong blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/black cherry fairly complex slight
horsecollar/leather/brett nose; soft/round/lush blackberry/black cherry/Zin slight
licorice/smokey/pungent slight bretty/horsecollar flavor w/ modest tannins and good
complexity; very attractive/complex nose but not the impact on the palate that the
nose promises; still needs a few yrs; quite delicious Geyserville.
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4. Geyserville (14.9%; 17% Carignane, 6% PS, 2% Mataro) 1996: Med.dark color; stronger
blackberry/boysenberry/licorice light smokey/pungent/DP/oak some complex rather
fragrant/perfumed nose; bit hard/tannic/tight strong blackberry/boysenberry/licorice
some pungent/smokey/DP/oak flavor; still a bit on the hard/tannic side on the palate
and needs 2-6 yrs of age; classic Geyserville and starting to show some maturity.
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5. Geyserville (14.5%; 75% Zin) 1997: Med.dark color; very strong bit coconutty
blackberry/cranberry/Zin light pencilly/smokey/oak/pungent/DP beautiful/complex nose;
spectacular smooth/balanced/complex/spicy blackberry/cranberry/Zin somewhat dusty
nose; fairly rich/lush blackberry/cranberry/Zin/quite spicy somewhat pungent/cedary/
pencilly flavor w/ good complexity; may favorite of the morning for its intensity
of fruit and smooth/polished character; the epitome of Geyserville.
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6. Geyserville (14.4%; 18% Carignane, 8% PS) 2001: Dark color; much riper/blackberry/
boysenberry/licorice/RCCola slight smokey/oak bit DP nose; bit more lean/hard/tannic
rich/licorice/boysenberry/RCCola bit tighter some smokey/oak flavor; lots of rich
fruit and needs more time to resolve the tannins & develop complexity; pretty primary.
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7. Geyserville (14.6%; 12% Carignane, 4% PS) 2002: Med.dark color; bit more simple/primary
intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/fruit light smokey/pungent/oak bit dusty/old vine
nose; fairly rich/lush intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/fruit slight cola/licorice
rather mouthfilling flavor w/ some tannins underneath; loads of that Geyserville
fruit and needs more age.
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8. Geyserville (14.6%; 18% Carignane, 6% PS) 2003: Med.dark color; strange medicinal/milk
of magnesia somewhat overripe/chocolaty some boysenberry/blackberry/Zin slight oak/
smokey nose; soft/fat very ripe/blackberry/Zin/boysenberry/chocolaty strange milk of
magnesia slight minty/peppery light smokey/oak flavor; seems rather overripe and
a bit strange; atypical Geyserville; my least favorite.
After we finished up the Geyservilles, we adjourned to the upper winery to try
a few things:
1. MonteBello (20% Merlot) 2008: Black color; loads of toasty/charred/smokey/oak intense
blackcurranty/licorice/Cab quite minerally/dusty nose; rich/mouthfilling blackcurranty/
licorice/Cab strong minerally/gunflint strong toasty/charred/oak flavor; after their
first assemblage; big/huge/intense.
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2. MonteBello 2007: Final blend now in barrel. Classic powerful MonteBello blackcurrant/
licorice/DrPepper/Cab. Should be another great MonteBello.
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3. PasoRobles/Dusi Ranch Zin 2008: Huge intense boysenberry/blackberry/PasoZin ripe/
jammy character w/o being overripe or alcoholic; rich/mouthfilling huge/blackberry/
boysenberry/ripe/jammy rich/lush/textured flavor w/ good underlying tannins; almost
the intensity of a RidgeEssence but totally dry on the palate; a stunning PasoZin
and maybe the best Ridge Paso yet.
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4. LyttonSprings 2007: Very dark color; loads of bright/blackberry/boysenberry/Zin fruit
light smokey/oak nose; rich/structured/mouthfilling rather tannic bright/zippy/deep/
blackberry/raspberry/Zin light pungent/smokey/oak flavor; a terrific Lytton and one
to lay down. A Fall release.
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5. Geyserville Essence (13.3%; 17% RS; SaH: 41Brix; 10.5 brls) 2007: Black color;
huge intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin chocolaty nose; quite sweet huge/intense
blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/chocolaty mouth coating flavor; long/lingering very
intense very sweet huge fruit/blackberry/boysenberry/Zin chocolaty finish that
goes on forever; stunning Essence.
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Essence: Ridge has been making an Essence Zin (and one PS as well) for many yrs,
since the '70 OccidentalEssence as I recall. They even made a few from Lodi grapes,
in those ugly Port pot btls, that were pretty good. Then there was a long hiatus
in their Essences until about the '93, when they made one from BeniDusi's PasoRobles
Zin grapes. But leaving the grapes out there on the vines until they were super ripe
was soooo against Beni's meticulous farming practices, that he told Paul he couldn't
bear to do it again. I think he may have been worried that some of his neighbors
would drive by, see these late-hanging, overripe, grapes and think that Beni had
lost it.
Since the '93, Ridge has intermittently made an Essence. Most recently, they've
been from their LyttonEstate. This is the first Geyserville Essence I can recall.
Every year, Ridge typically leaves a block of Zin grapes to overripen for making
an Essence. Their definition of Essence is that it must achieve 10% RS. Unlike many
sweet Zins, which are often the result of stuck fermentations and up above 15% alcohol,
this is one of the few, maybe only one, of this type of wine made in the World. Paul
couldn't think of any other of this genre. At 17% RS, this Geyserville is the sweetest
one they've made.
One of the criteria Ridge uses in making an Essence is that the super-ripeness
comes from photosynthesis, rather than just drying on the vine. This is why the
the Ridge Essences have such huge intense fruit and never have that raisened/pruney
character that many sweet/late harvest Zins can show.
This Geyserville Essence is a stunning wine, maybe the best Essence Ridge has yet
made. It is scheduled for a Fall release.
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2. Thus far, I've been mightly impressed with the Ridge '07 Zins and finding them less
in the classic Ridge mold w/ ample DraperPerfume and a lot more intense Zin fruit to
them. I asked Paul if this expressed a change in style of Ridge and a move to more
Baugher/Olney style of Zin. Both Paul and Eric strongly asserted that the winemaking
was pretty much the same as always and they '07's did not reflect any concious change
in style. Paul attributed my observations simply to the weather in '07, which he
characterized as an exceptional year for Zin, one of the best he's seen in years. He
felt that the parcels were more expressive of their terrior, they had to do less
down-selection into the ThreeVllys, but they did have to tweak their winemaking a
bit to capture the essence of the vintage. Generally, less down-selection would make
for a weaker '07 ThreeVllys. Paul asserted that this exceptional year carried over into
the '07 ThreeVllys. I would have to agree...the '07 ThreeVllys is, by far, the best
ThreeVllys they've yet made and much more than just a "restaurant wine", but a serious
Zin in its own right.
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3. I've visited w/ PaulDraper any number of times over the yrs, both up on TheRidge,
and in other venues, mostly in SantaFe or Taos. I first met him about 1974, when
I'd set up an appt for my first visit to Ridge after several yrs of corresponding
w/ both Paul and DaveBennion. On that visit, JerimiahTower joined us, with several
French chef friends who were visiting him. I think Jerimiah was a bit miffed that
Paul spent most of the time answering my questions.
One of the traits that struck me about Paul on that first visit over 30 yrs ago
was his passion for his winemaking craft. As I observed him on this visit, it was
clear that that passion has not diminished one iota. And I see much that same
passion in both EricBaugher and JohnOlney. Obviously, Paul has turned over more and
more of the daily responsibilities to John and Eric, but I don't see retirement
anywhere on the horizon for him. He's one of the very fortunate few where his
"day job" is not a job.
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4. The Geyserville vnyd is planted to a number of blocks. These blocks are harvested
separately and then eventually go into the Geyserville blend. But what Paul calls
the "heart of Geyserville" is the OldPatch block. This block is done in the old
Italian style of interplanting the varieties and then harvesting them in one fell
swoop and cofermenting them together. As they've been replanting in Geyserville,
they've been replicating the plantings of that OldPatch block. And they are also
replicating OldPatch in the new plantings they are doing at LyttonSprings.
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5. Over the yrs, I've had the opportunity to taste a few Geyservilles and LyttonSprings,
the flagships of the Ridge Zins. Back in my brash & youthful days, I always preferred
the Geyservilles for their greater intensity & extract & power. This preference may
have been clouded by the fact that the '73 Geyserville (Two Hills Vnyd) was one
of the greatest Zins I've ever had and still was when I last had it a the BipinDesai
tasting in Feb'99. I thought the Lytton was a bit more simple, more pure raspberry
fruit, and more of a mainstream Zin than the Geyserville.
Now, in the twilight of my yrs, my preference has morphed towards the Lyttons over
the Geyservilles. They tend to have more acidity, brighter fruit, and much more
structure than the Geyservilles. Which is why Ridge has changed the release of the
Lytton to the Fall.
One of the things that has always struck me about the Ridge Geyservilles and
Lyttons are how atypical of their appellation they are. To me, DryCreekVlly Zin
has very classic bright/raspberry/Zinberry/zippy rather pretty aromas and flavors,
like that cute little red-haird girl w/ pigtails that CharlieBrown could never
score with in grade school. The Ridge Lytton (also DryCreekVlly) always has more
deeper/base notes than most all DCV Zins...almost more like RussianRiver Zin in
character. Some of the Ridge ATP Zins are much more representative of DCV Zins,
including their one from RussianRiver itself.
The Geyserville Zin also has much deeper/base notes akin to RussianRiver
Zin. I'm not a big fan of most AlexanderVlly Zins and find them often a bit on the
soft/mooshy side and not much interesting.
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6. TwoHills Vnyd: All these yrs, I've been laboring under a mis-conception. The legendary
Geyserville'73 was identified on the label as coming from the TwoHilldVnyd. I'd always
thought that TwoHills was a single vnyd that Ridge used in a one-shot deal for the '73.
When I asked Paul why they never returned to the TwoHillsVnyd in later yrs, he got
a chuckle from my misconception. Turns out, TwoHills was their way of identifying
the source of those grapes for the '73, coming from two different hillside blocks
on Leotrentadue's vnyd in Geyserville, one across the Hwy101 from the other. Man...
things can really get complicated at Ridge w/ their labeling.
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7. Geyserville '03: When I hit this wine, I was struck by how atypical Geyserville it
was and a strange milk of magnesia character, plus seemingly on the overripe side.
Most everyone else agreed that it was atypical Geyserville, so another btl was
called up to try. This 2'nd btl was much better w/o that strange milk of magnesia
character, but still seemed a bit on the overripe side. The wine may just be in a
strange place right now. Paul wants to revisit this wine down the road, before they
release for sale from the Library.
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8. One of the I was struck by in this Geyserville vertical was how well they all carried
the alcohol, which was mostly in the 14%+ range. Not a one of them showed the least
bit of alcoholic heat and (save the '03) none showed any signs of overripe fruit.
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9. Dusi Zin '08: In '08, BeniDusi's PasoRobles ranch was hard hit by the frost and the
yields were down some 50%. In the last 6 months, I raved to Eric about how impressed
I was with the DusiRanch '06 and the regular PasoRobles '07. He promised me the '08
was even better and that I need to taste next time I'm out. So this was to time to
take it for a test drive. The '08 is stunning (and not like the '07 was a weak effort,
by any stretch). Probably the greatest PasoZin yet made at Ridge.
When Ridge first started making Paso Zins back in the '70's, I did not care much
for them at all. They were harvested at the usual Ridge sugar levels (whatever that
was) to give a wine in the 13% range. They had a lean/hard rather chalky character
and not nearly the fruit of their other Zins. As Ridge started letting the Dusi fruit
get a bit riper, they started to develop more of that lush/jammy/blackberry jammy
character that makes good PasoZin so good. Though not as long lived or as complex
as the other Ridge Zin, they have this huge fruit that I absolutely love. I think
Eric is making the best PasoZins Ridge has ever made. Who knows, maybe Beni is
just farming the grapes better, after 60 yrs or so of growing grapes.
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10. MonteBello: This was one of the very first mind-blowing Calif Cabs I experienced
in my vinous youth. The '64 vintage that I stumbled across at Draper&Esquin's during
ReneRondeau's reign there. Now that I done see'd the light and they learned how
to grow and make Syrah in Calif, I buy no more Calif Cabs...haven't for probably
10-15 yrs now. Except for MonteBello and the other Ridge Cabernets. No RedBordeauxs
either. MonteBello is truly one of the world's great wines. And, at around $80, one
of the few world's great wines I'm willing to buy.
Tom