2024 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 15.7%
pH 3.7
Total Acidity 6.68 g/L
Grape Varieties 76% Zinfandel, 8% Mataro, 7% Petite Sirah, 6% Palomino, 3% Alicante Bouschet
Classification Sonoma Valley
Region Sonoma Valley
Harvest Dates 8 October 2024
Brix at Harvest 27.5°
Natural Yeast Yes
Indigenous Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Details 25% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak25%
Oak Types Air-dried American oak
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Production Details Hand-harvested grapes were destemmed and fully crushed; fermentation used a floating cap with natural primary and secondary fermentation. The wine matured for fourteen months in 100% air-dried American-oak barrels: 25% new and 75% at least five years old. Sulfur additions were 35 ppm at crush and 230 ppm cumulatively over aging; these are additions, not a finished-wine sulfites analysis. The wine was pad filtered at bottling. Growing-season rainfall was 45 inches, bloom occurred in mid-May, and a cool start was followed by warm-to-hot weather and a condensed harvest.
Tasting Notes Ripe boysenberry, fresh blueberry and graham-cracker pie crust; medium-to-full body, elegant tannins, a touch of sweetness, rich garnet color and balanced structure.
Sources: www.ridgewine.com ↗ · Compare this vintage
2009 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 15.2%
Grape Varieties 78% Zinfandel, 14% Carignane, 8% Petite Sirah
Drinking Window Producer release note: intense fruit expected to dominate for five to six years, with additional bottle age contributing complexity; the page does not provide an absolute calendar window.
Classification Alexander Valley
Region Sonoma Valley
Harvest Dates 18 September–9 October 2009
Brix at Harvest 25.7°
Estate Grown Yes
Fermentation Vessels Small fermentors of 1–5 ton capacity
Natural Yeast Yes
Indigenous Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Types Air-dried American oak
Used Oak Only Yes
Contains Added Sulfites Yes
Production Details Old School was selected from the ripest Geyserville vineyard lots. Estate-grown, hand-harvested grapes were meticulously sorted, destemmed and crushed into 1–5 ton fermentors. Natural-yeast fermentation lasted seven days with twice-daily pump-overs; the structured specification says the wine was pressed at eight days and underwent natural malolactic fermentation. The used American-oak mix was 9% two-year-old, 45% three-year-old and 46% four-year-old barrels. Must was deacidified during fermentation with 0.1 g/L calcium carbonate. Sulfur additions were 35 ppm at crush and 122 ppm cumulatively over aging, and the wine was pad filtered. Rainfall was 35 inches, bloom occurred in mid-May, and the season comprised a dry winter, spring rain and a warm, dry summer.
Sources: www.ridgewine.com ↗ · Compare this vintage
2007 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 15.2%
Grape Varieties 100% Zinfandel
Drinking Window Producer release note: enjoyable when released and expected to develop for another five to seven years; the page provides no absolute calendar window.
Classification Alexander Valley
Region Sonoma Valley
Harvest Dates 3–10 September 2007
Brix at Harvest 28.3°
Fermentation Vessels Small fermentors of 1–5 ton capacity
Natural Yeast Yes
Oak Details 33% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak33%
Oak Types Air-dried American oak
Production Details Three unusually ripe Independence School parcels were fermented separately, then combined following natural malolactic fermentation. Grapes were destemmed and fully crushed into 1–5 ton fermentors, naturally fermented and pressed at eight days. The wine contained qualitatively described “significant residual sugar”; no numerical residual-sugar analysis is supplied. It matured for fourteen months in 100% air-dried American oak, comprising 33% new and 67% two-year-old barrels. Rainfall was 35 inches, bloom occurred in mid-May, and the spring and summer were dry and warm without sustained heat spells.
Sources: www.ridgewine.com ↗ · Compare this vintage
2006 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.6%
Grape Varieties 83% Zinfandel, 15% Carignane, 2% Petite Sirah
Drinking Window Producer release note: expected to develop for a further decade; the page provides no absolute calendar window.
Classification Alexander Valley
Region Sonoma Valley
Soil Gravelly loam with river-rock subsoil
Harvest Dates 14–22 September 2006
Brix at Harvest 24.8°
Vine Age Two selected parcels contained nineteenth-century vines; two were planted in the 1960s.
Fermentation Vessels Small fermentors of 1–5 ton capacity
Natural Yeast Yes
Oak Details 17% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak17%
Oak Types Air-dried American oak
Production Details Hand-picked grapes from four parcels were crushed into small fermentors for natural primary fermentation, followed by uninoculated malolactic fermentation that the narrative says finished within three weeks. All press wine was retained for complexity. The wine matured for seventeen months in 100% air-dried American oak: 17% new, 36% one-to-two-year-old and 47% three-to-five-year-old barrels, with quarterly rackings for clarity. Rainfall was 55 inches, bloom occurred in mid-May, and a wet spring was followed by a warm, dry summer and rain at the end of harvest.
Tasting Notes Bramble fruit, exotic spice, opulence, depth and old-vine character, supported by firm structural tannins.
Sources: www.ridgewine.com ↗ · Compare this vintage
2005 Technical Specifications
Alcohol 15.3%
Grape Varieties 94% Zinfandel, 6% Petite Sirah
Drinking Window Producer release note: enjoyable when released and expected to develop for another eight to ten years; the page supplies no absolute calendar window.
Classification Alexander Valley
Region Sonoma Valley
Harvest Dates 19–21 September 2005
Brix at Harvest 25.8°
Sites Four ripe parcels in the former Independence School district
Fermentation Vessels Small fermentors of 1–5 ton capacity; small tanks for malolactic fermentation
Natural Yeast Yes
Oak Details 10% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak10%
Oak Types Air-dried American oak
Production Details Natural yeast fermentation began on day two in small 1–5 ton fermentors, with twice-daily pump-overs. The wine was pressed at six days and underwent natural malolactic fermentation in small tanks. Four parcels were combined in the first week of the new year and returned to barrel. Maturation lasted fourteen months in 100% air-dried American oak: 10% new, 34% one-to-two-year-old and 56% three-to-five-year-old barrels. Rainfall was 60 inches, bloom occurred in early May, and a cool, wet spring was followed by a warm, dry summer.
Tasting Notes Rich and complex, with layers of earth and spice and a fine, firm structure.
Sources: www.ridgewine.com ↗ · Compare this vintage
Producer Information
Website
Address
17100 Montebello Road, Cupertino, CA 95014-5435, USA
Phone
+1 408.867.3233
Owner
Private ownership (founding families)
Cellarmaster
John Olney (Head Winemaker & CEO)