Ridge, Geyserville

A February Evening at Greg's Place : This pours medium ruby in the glass with light bricking and a deep core. The nose is gorgeous showing mulberry, vanilla, coconut, plum, black truffle, peonies, spice box, and strawberry. The palate enters on the dark fruit with lovely cool medium plus acid, and medium minus tannin. The finish is long though with tar and fennel rounding things out. I thought this was quite an appealing bottle and very nicely textured. Others detected …

1993 vintage

Leather, black fruits balanced by modest acidity. Still lots of life yet. Zin isn’t my go-to but I’m loving this one. Perfect for depth of winter.

2005 vintage

Immaculate after 20 years. Baking spice, leather, dried meat. Very well developed. Beautiful with an early Christmas turkey

2005 vintage

Saturday night - home made Devon Wagyu burgers and Life of Brian : 14.5% abv. 76% Zinfandel, 18% Carignane, 6% Petite Sirah. Terrible spongy cork, had to deploy the durand. Happily that was the only terrible thing about this. Purple / garnet colour. Nose, some spice, some heather, some stone fruits. There's a richness that stops just short of pruney / porty. On the palate - a similar story, it's fully ready, the fruit is fully ripe but by no …

2003 vintage

From Magnum. Double decanted an hour before going to the restaurant. Drinking beautifully. Classic Geyserville with many more years to go. Rich mix of mostly black fruit. Recomend at least a short decant.

2013 vintage

Medium-deep ruby with a touch of garnet at the rim, the colour already hinting at a wine moving gracefully through maturity. The nose is surprisingly classical: cassis, plum skin, dried flowers, and a graphite-like edge that, tasted blind, leans closer to Left Bank than California. Then the gentle sweetness of American oak steps in - subtle coconut, warm spice - reminding you where it’s from. On the palate, the wine is beautifully proportioned. The tannins retain a firm but refined …

2011 vintage

Took over an hour to open up. Almost tasting off before that. Then, it opened up to fruit and balance and earth and everything good about geyserville.

2013 vintage

Knowing I had two bottles of the ’04, I simply pulled a bottle from the rack where the ’04 was and pulled the cork …. Not remembering that the two bottles are not stored in the same rack. As soon as the cork cleared the neck, I realized I pulled the wrong bottle and in doing so broke a 23-year vertical of Geysers! But they are all meant to be enjoyed so sacrificing the ’03 may not have been a …

2003 vintage

Haven’t had too many Zinfandels (this is a 73% Zin blend) and this is my first Ridge. PnP. Dark purple coloring with an immediately expressive nose of tertiary development, rich and enjoyable notes of coffee, leather, and dark chocolate. This transfers to the palate with some plum/prune though diminished. Unsure if this is due to aging development especially given half-bottle size. Med/med (-) acidity with present, unresolved tannins, though not harsh, crunchy. Alcohol is still a bit noticeable maybe better …

2013 vintage

Opened at Scary Bottle Night at Portland Wine Storage. The fruit was definitely gone, but it was still drinkable. It got a little better as it opened up, but it clearly was past its prime.

1985 vintage

Brought to E&K's for K's 70th. First bottle of the '13 and it was drinking very nicely now. Seemed to still have plenty of life left and should go a few more years.

2013 vintage

Out of magnum. Deep red color. Black cherries and blackberries with tobacco, leather and spice in the nose. Black cherries, plum, licorice and some herbalness in the flavor. A rich, concentrated wine with nice structure, well balanced and a long finish. This wine will easily go 7-10 more years and will benefit from decanting.

2013 vintage

Great upon opening, even better after 30 min in decanter

2013 vintage

Ridge Geyserville vs. Lytton Springs, 2013 edition : Side by side with the Lytton Springs from the same vintage. My note for LS describes the slightly different compositions of the two wines. Here I'll add that these vineyards are only ~ 2 miles away from each other. Despite being so similar on paper, the wines taste very distinct, and I've always found that to be true from vintage to vintage. Today, the Geezer wins for me. The color is bright …

2013 vintage

Still going strong at 20 years. Zin that ages like a Cab.

2005 vintage

Absolutely delightful. Perfect with pasta and meat sauce. Seems to be perfect for drinking right now.

2013 vintage

Passover. Really really good. Perfect time to drink k IMO. Put a 2019 to shame.

1999 vintage

Spice and forest floor scent. Mouth-filling, black pepper, cinnamon, green sapling, rhubarb, tobacco and licorice flavor with grippy tannins and a long finish.

2013 vintage

Ridge really flexed the winemaking and vineyard selection skills this vintage. You can tell from the notes on the back. That all shows up with an very nicely balanced wine with enough exuberant Zin fruit to make it come alive. This pure Zin is of a higher proportion than most vintages of Geyserville. Nice oak spice complicates the palate before the perfect structure kicks in. Clearly not the depth of better vintages yet the fruit is rich enough to let …

2011 vintage

When I first opened the bottle, I was sure it was deeply flawed. The wine tasted astringent to the point of medicinal. Double-decanted and let it sit for 30 minutes. Absolutely no change. With a planned dinner only 90 minutes away, I gave up and opened a bottle of something different. Then, at the very end of the dinner, just out of curiosity, I tasted the Ridge Geyserville to see what had happened over a full 5 hours in the …

2013 vintage

From Mag, showed well if young. Had a little bricking on the edges. Fruit a bit mature, but still with a core of brambly type driven fruit. Fine acidity. Just moderate depth or this would score rather higher.

1999 vintage

Superb old US wine dinner : Deep, smoky aromatics that reminded me of a masculine Burgundy. Palate was similarly complex and deep; dark red fruit didn't feel overdone as the 14.5% alcohol didn't stick out at all. Had a certain je ne sais quoi that made me fall in love with this, preferred this to the Monte Bello from the same vintage.

1993 vintage

Fully integrated and plush dark fruits (think black cherry, blackberries maybe even blueberry) with loads of vanilla and Dr Pepper, violets and anise. Drinking nicely but maybe too much vanilla.

2013 vintage

Informal Dinner for Four (Farthest reaches of South East London) : Garnet colour, some bricking. On the nose, hints of mocha, there's an earthy character to it. On the palate, the american oak is still dancing brightly, but everything else is relaxing into comfortable middle age. There's an almost Musar-y breadth to it - like a structure that doesn't come from either tannin or acid, but rather the stitching of the corduroy jacket holding it all together.

1993 vintage

Small Supper with Friends (Beckenham) : What a treat. This wine is fully mature but gives great pleasure over the time we spend with it. There is a caressing mocha and cherry character to this on pouring a touch of caper to offset this and some Madeira cake. Rich and long there is some bresaola meatiness and s touch of grenadine. Just lovely.

1993 vintage

0.375 L early Dec 2024: dark crimson red color; popped and poured; immediately a gush of red berry and cherry compote in the nose, metamorphosed over 4 hours in a deep bouquet of sour cherries, violets and almonds; started slightly restrained with a fruity acidity on the palate; developed into red berry juice with a concise juicy acidity balanced with some creamy dark chocolate. Sonoma County, Alexander Valley; 14.5% vol. alcohol; 73% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane, 9% Petite Sirah, 1% Mataro …

2013 vintage

Everything one could expect from a 10 year old geyserville. Plum, fig, violets. Definitely peaking right now.

2013 vintage

Quick wines at Song Lin : Incredibly fresh for its age, quite Cab-like eucalyptus notes but fruit was slightly too sweet to be one. Had a dusty, old-school vibe that I enjoyed.

1985 vintage

Corked!

2013 vintage

A lunch with five wine friends in restaurant SHOWW-Amsterdam: For me a new benchmark for Zinfandel (77% in this vintage, 16% Carignan and 6% Petite Syrah), very gentle fruit (berries) and spices, modest wood, concentrated, dense and balanced, very smooth bitters and underneath lovely ripe citrus. The long aftertaste is super refined.

2005 vintage

Bought a case in 2007. This is the first bottle I've had since 2017. I expected it to be tired but it's actually exceptional. Rich; dark red fruit; lingering on the palate. Moderate complexity.

2003 vintage

Opened along with a 2012. Much fresher, probably has 2-5 years before it ages out. Medium alcohol, some fruit (berry), and very mild tannin. Generally enjoyed (6 of us), favored over 2012 by 2 people (2 neutral, 2 chose 2013).

2013 vintage

Took some time to open up but then it started to sing. Black fruit oak and vanilla to lead the charge and a faint note of tobacco to round it up. Incredible how strong the fruit still after this much time!

1995 vintage

A nice evening with family : PNP. Mature color. As the previous taster noted, there is a beautiful balance between fruit and tertiary notes on the palate. Delicious and atypical wine, at least for us in Europe.

1995 vintage

Lovely wine, in a very nice place. Rich, deep, enjoyable... The oak on the nose reminded me a little of Rioja, but of course the flavour profile was very different. Much richer, darker, etc. Took this to strange place in Hampshire, and it went down very well there - which was what mattered most. But I really enjoyed it. Bravo!

2003 vintage

Something wrong with this bottle. Not TCA, not overtly oxidized. Not just lacking the vitality of a past bottle, but also an unpleasant taste. That said, others drank it with enthusiasm even after I expressed my opinion. And it wasn't "me" because a bottle of the 2015 opened afterward was just what it should be.

2011 vintage

Saturated garnet colour; I love when zinfandel reaches this point of evolution-showing cherry cobbler, baked dessert-exotic spice, sumptuous aromas; The mouth shows the same fruit theme, hint of Geyserville mint, gravel, old vine spices, and sensuous tannins. This wine is unbelievably delicious and has staying power to go another several decades. Lucky to have more in my cellar.

2005 vintage

Another fine bottle of Ridge Geyserville Zin. What else is new? Short decant to remove sediment. Dark brambly cherry, mint, cigar box, and a pleasant velvety mustiness lead the way on the nose. Concentrated minty red fruit on the palate stopping just short of jammy. Long mineral-driven finish provides wonderful balance. Probably close to peak now but will hold for 3-5 more years.

2013 vintage

The fruit is a little too dried out for my taste at this point, but the balance between the fruit and the tertiaries is perfect.

1995 vintage

Could have waited longer, but enjoyed the freshness and intensity of the dark berry fruit with notes of herbs and eucalyptus. Mellow and smooth. Straightforwardly and honestly delicious.

2013 vintage

Mature, complex, develops after opened. It may have some years ahead, but might be at its peak.

2013 vintage

Similar to previous note. Good dark brambly fruit element.

2013 vintage

Very mature butiker still enjoyable

2013 vintage

Amazing wine. Drank at 13 years

2011 vintage

Yum. Again. Must buy more Ridge. Fairly fruit heavy, but just this side of jammy. Call it “rich”. Very much in its prime.

2013 vintage

Pnp, fruity nose, jammy, smooth, a bit of RS, but in check, nice long finish. This bottle was fully integrated, but shows no signs of fading, cellared since 2016, last tasted 7/2021 with consistent notes.

2013 vintage

Rich, opulent, heady aromas of creamy dark fruit, cedar and cloves - very attractive. The palate is more restrained and a touch warm, with a slightly dried character from age. Very enjoyable, more so than the 2013 Lytton Springs tried alongside, albeit in a very broad, sweet way which isn't for everyone.

2013 vintage

This blend – the 40th anniversary of Geezer - is 77% Zin and 17% Carignane, 6% Petite Sirah (no Mourvèdre). A nose of treacle, molasses, rhubarb, black currants, plum, Zin funk, and black walnuts rise to the occasion. They firmly knit a broad palate of fully resolved tannins and a near seamless mouthfeel. Coffee gives the final note of the long finish. A shadow of sediment all along the back as it lay in the cellar and two thirds the …

2005 vintage

Wowzers. It's right in the middle of its drinking window and it's drinking so well right now. Everything we love in a Zin blend: briary, brambly, smooth tannins, oak fully integrated. Decanted briefly and served with hard cheeses during happy hour on NYE. Ridge Geyserville doesn't get much better than this.

2013 vintage

No real difference from my note in August when I mentioned the wine’s “[a]bundant cherry, plum, Draper perfume, molasses, coffee and mocha.” It’s all there with perhaps the mocha more dominate in the finish. Very much like a claret with its near-seamless transition from attack to mid-palate to long finish. Excellent fruit on the attack. Balanced with round, integrated tannins. 78% Zinfandel, 16% Carignane, 4% Petite Sirah, 1% Alicante Bouschet, 1% Mourvedre. Throwing some sediment. 14.8% alc., but without a …

2011 vintage

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