2021 Ridge Vineyards Geyserville Zinfandel

“Just as I was getting over the greatness of the previous vintage the newest vintage along and an equally exceptional effort. I tasted this wine earlier in the year, and this was my second look at it, and it was even better than I originally thought. Packed and well-built with power and elegance. While many Zins boast of concentration, this one brings style and form with its extraction.”

“This marvelous vintage of ‘Geyserville’ blends 76% Zinfandel with 16% Carignane and smaller portions Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet and Mataro. This shows a Bordelaise elegance even already after two years in the cellar. Roasted dates, wild blackberry, espresso grounds and fine grained tannins. This is a beauty that is just an infant right now and really needs another year in the bottle before consuming." Drink 2024 - 2045

“When Geyserville hits in a great vintage, it takes me back to what I originally loved about California wine. Or to that sense of optimism on a spring day when I first visited San Francisco in 1984, to pitch this magazine on publishing services. I didn’t know at the time that I would still be publishing it 40 years later, and I didn’t know how much California wine would change. Or how little the style and intention of Geyserville would change. The team at Ridge manages the vineyard’s generations of vines to produce complex wines like this perfectly ripe 2021, with its dark, resinous scents of marijuana, its deep layers of rich fruit and the fruitiness of detailed tannins. The fresh, herbal complexity is pretty epic and the richness doesn’t stop. What I want from California.”