WTN: Ridge 2004 Geyserville

The Graceful Oaf Dances

Having dense color both red and purple-hued, the Geyserville projects aroma initially of substantial oak, dark burned berries, vanilla and eucalyptus leaf. This very un-shy wine has a lot of things going on at once, quite a remarkable juice, loaded with intellectual contradiction. It dances a line for me between a clumsy over-the-top tiring drink (which it was for me last evening) and a really strong case as a young, modern yet traditionally-dense zinfandel. There's just a load of charred oak. There's significant tannin, but it's also mostly a soft tannin. There's a strong acid profile showcasing both a deeply-fruited nose and deep ripe fruit flavors, but in all, it feels like it is integrating very well. The fruit is past jammy and well into dessert liquers but it keeps calling me.

It somewhat repels me for being a hulk, but it has the stuffing and enough grace to become a terrific big zin - at least for my glass. This is definitely as big a zin as I like anymore. This could keep getting better for a while, maybe three years or so, me thinks. I haven't liked many aged Geyservilles over seven years old, but Ridge has really made a statement here. Gift, bottle #1 of 1.

[David M. Bueker]

I almost never drink them until they are over 7 years old. I'm still holding 1996, 1997 and 1999 in the cellar.

Sure, in the best years I agree some age can really work here. I still have singles of '86, '91, '94, '97 and more of '01. I think the '86 is fairly uninteresting these days as an actual beverage, but it's still down there to help fill a slot in our annual Ridge fest.

BTW, I have similar amounts of more vintages of Ridge PS bottlings, both York Creek and Devil's Hill back to '81. You never know with those fellers: some quite nice and some gone gone gone; bottle variation is a real problem. You almost have to be a Ridge kook to follow these anymore it seems.

[David M. Bueker]

Another area where we have a significant diversion of preferences. If it wasn't near my bed time I would write more. As it is I will get back to you tomorrow.

Same bottle, having been nitrogen sprayed, refridged, and reopened for service with early dinner of homemade mushroom pizza.

Color lighter, no purple but dark red evident. Nose has changed to spicier oak notes and heavy chocolate on raspberry, having a much less overall smoky intensity. Tannin and acids are very soft now. With flavors of chocolate, sour and burned cherry, and a somewhat clipped acidic finish, this wine is now has morphed into a a pizza wine glugger, with far too much oak on the palate. One glass down and no interest in a second. A bit of a surprise, given last evening's size, density and promise.

The Graceful Oaf Dances

It somewhat repels me for being a hulk, but it has the stuffing and enough grace to become a terrific big zin - at least for my glass. This is definitely as big a zin as I like anymore. This could keep getting better for a while, maybe three years or so, me thinks. I haven't liked many aged Geyservilles over seven years old, but Ridge has really made a statement here. Gift, bottle #1 of 1.

I hope that your optimism is justified, Jeff. I am a big fan of both the Geyserville and LS bottlings from Ridge, having bought them on a yearly basis since the mid-'80s and, like David, tend to drink them in years 8-12 after bottling (or when Guru Paul Draper tells me that I should). I bought a few bottles of the '04s, as that is the birth year of our son and I hope to be able to open some of this for him when he reaches an age where he can appreciate it (say, 5 or 6*).

We'll see,
Mark Lipton

* That was a joke, folks.

Mark,

I think that you have made a very smart bet for you on the big bottles, certainly the 2004 R-G is pretty special. And you say like them with some age on them.

If I had more, I would still drink mine on the younger side; I just like these two Ridge wines more like that. I already drank my 2004 Lytton too. That's frankly just something that I learned about zin development and my own palate over 25 years of a lot of purchasing, aging, resampling. My palate hasn't changed with regard to zin since way back, but my curiosity is diminished about discovering what works and what doesn't work for me with regard to cellaring. There were a lot of terrific Ridge zins (and many others too), a high number of which I kept in cellar too long for me, into stages I found less interesting, less satisfying, less fun.

However and this is a big however, I truly love the character of a few specific zins even at age 8 and beyond, but those are few and very far between.

Good luck !

[Jenise]

A '94 Geeze was a WOTN for me last week, and up against some mighty nice wines. It was at that perfect middle age place--a youthful energy given much grace by time.

[David M. Bueker]

I can trace Geyserville back to years like '97 and '99 and the proclamation of a style change at Ridge. Well the wines are turning out to be Ridge Geyserville once they got some age.

I've had the '04 once, and while it's big, it's not outsized or unbalanced, so perhaps just a little more patience will be required. I would still leave it along for 10 years.