Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel 2020

6 reviews for Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel 2020

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   WS – March 23, 2023

   Deeply structured and briary, with a mix of red and black fruit accented by licorice, dill and savory underbrush flavors. Finishes with medium-grained tannins. Zinfandel, Carignan, Petite Syrah, Alicante Bouschet and Mataro. Drink now through 2030.

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   WE – March 23, 2023

   This hearty, full-bodied and lightly tannic blend of Zinfandel and several other traditional varieties offers tasty boysenberry and black plum flavors and light smoky, peppery accents on a rich texture. Seeming a bit less concentrated than the last two vintages, it’s still ripe, smooth and attractive.

3. 

   BL – March 23, 2023

   A luscious charming, blend of five varieties, mostly Zinfandel, Ultra smooth and seamless, with rich plum and blackberry flavors, a triumph of winemaking skill, long and stunning.

4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   OB – March 23, 2023

   The 2020 ‘Geyserville’ blends mostly Zinfandel (69%) with the remainder Carignane and Petite Sirah, with a splash of Alicante Boushet and Mataro added. Needing an hour in the decanter to be fully expressive, the nose comes off very pretty with red roses and ripe raspberry with bramble undercurrents and shades of black plum that all dazzle in the glass. Silky tannins frame a core of bright red fruits with baking spices bergamot and suggestions of persimmon. Finishing long, this a truly outstanding effort that is already showing beautifully and will be sure to satisfy over the next ten to twelve years. Drink 2022-2034

5. 

   WAS – March 23, 2023

   The founding partners at Ridge purchased the Monte Bello Winery from Leo and Evelyn Trentadue, who also farmed some of the oldest surviving vines in Sonoma County at their ranch on the Alexander Valley floor near Geyserville. The Old Patch, planted in the 1880s, has provided the base of the blend for Ridge’s single-vineyard wine since 1966. In 2020, it was harvested just as the first fires broke out; generations of vines at the Trentadue’s ranch provided 28 different lots, with John Olney selecting 20 for this wine. He finds that carignan, which makes up 20 percent of the mixed planting (along with small amounts of petite sirah, alicante bouschet and mataro), provides the acidity to refresh the zinfandel, which accounts for 69 percent of the vines. The early harvest produced a ripe, rich Geyserville with racy energy. The dark blueberry flavors are layered with red cherry, their seemingly weightless concentration sustained in a sleek, clean and graceful impression that lasts. A great 2020.

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   WIL – March 23, 2023

   The 2020 Ridge Geyserville reaches a new level of excellence. I have tasted nearly every vintage since I first tasted the 1972 vintage in the mid-1970s. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of alluring boysenberries, formidable blackberries, and racy minerality.