1997 Ridge Geyserville, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

Ordered off the list at La Chene French Cuisine (just outside Los Angeles) who has a great wine list of older wines. It is a blend of 74% Zinfandel, 15% Carignane, 10% Petite Sirah and 1% Mataro. The bottle seemed in great shape at age 28. Garnet in color, clear and slightly flat. The nose has black cherries, dust, cherries, slight dried cherries, slight citrus and slight dried floral. Medium to full bodied. Wispy tannins. Nice acidity. On the palate, this is obviously showing some age but plenty to like here. Flavors of black cherries, cherries, dried fruits, dusty and old wood. Complex but still some vibrancy. Very tasty with a pasta dish. Well stored bottles are worth checking out.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

1997

Top Ten California Zinfandels - 2016

I tend to taste and drink a lot of wine over the course of a year. I am in a few tasting groups, sometimes the wines are consumed at various local wine store tastings and a number drunk with friends and family.

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Napa Valley Wineries with the Best Zinfandel

Napa Valley Zinfandels are celebrated for their easy drinking allure and bold juicy flavors making this varietal a total crowd pleaser. Zinfandels made in the Napa Valley are iconic, although some may say a little forgotten, however, it’s a flavor profile known for intense black fruits and spice which render Napa Valley Zinfandels as the most epically jammy varietal produced. The Napa Valley’s warm California climate is fundamental to winemaking and Napa Valley Zinfandels are a great example of how winemakers utilize that heat, skillfully harnessing the temperatures to produce some of the most intense wine the Napa Valley has to offer. Zinfandels crafted in the Napa Valley region, especially old vine Zinfandels, have exploding flavors that ripen outrageously giving life to wines that create an exceptional food and wine experience. When you find a way to always have excellent Napa Valley Zinfandel around it’s sure to illuminate any meal because Napa Valley Zinfandel is, more than anything else, a food pairing wine. These Napa Valley wineries with the best Zinfandel are recommendations specifically known for their outstanding, award-winning Zinfandel.

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2019 Ridge Geyserville, USA, California, Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Wine Review

Vintage:

2019

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$35.00USD

This is the 54th consecutive vintage of this wine. It is a blend of 71% Zinfandel, 19% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah, and 3% Alicante Bouschet. Another job well done! Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is great with raspberries, black raspberries, slight char, plum and spice. Medium to full bodied. Great texture. On the palate, plums and black raspberries with some raspberries with underlying char and graphite. Great liveliness. Nice finish. This wine is already drinking well and while it may change a bit, it should continue to do so for another 20 years. This is pretty food

2017 Ridge Geyserville, USA, California, Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Wine Review

Vintage:

2017

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$30.00USD

This was meeting an old friend. I used to drink this wine quite a bit but had not had it for quite some time. It just sort of fell out of the rotation for no particular reason and that is a shame. It is still top notch. A blend of 68% Zinfandel, 18% Carignan, 12% Petite Sirah and 2% Alicante Bouschet, this is a wine that drinks well young or old but the profile will change depending on which varietals are showing more at that time. Purple in color with a ruby rim. The nose is nice with black cherries, slight black raspberries herbal notes and pepper. Medium to full bodied. On the pa

Portrait of an Old Vine

In the winter, they stretch above the ground like old crows’ claws reaching for the sky. Amid the bright green of the groundcover and vivid yellows, reds and oranges of the flowering cover crops, one could easily mistake these black stumps for dead. But they are just dormant for now, mustering the energy to push out yet another year’s worth of fruit that will produce the liquid gold that old vine zinfandel can be.

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1997 Ridge Geyserville, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

Food and Wine Pairing Tool

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2017 Ridge Geyserville, USA, California, Sonoma, Alexander Valley, Wine Review

Portrait of an Old Vine