Ridge Estate Geyserville 2024

Geyserville has a depth and authority that immediately sets it apart from a straightforward Zinfandel. The 2024 leads with black cherry and raspberry, but soon moves into liquorice, nutmeg, dark spice and vanilla, with more savoury notes developing underneath. There is impressive concentration on the palate, yet the fruit never becomes jammy; old-vine intensity is held in check by bright acidity and subtle, beautifully integrated tannins. The finish is long and composed, gradually moving from dark fruit towards spice and earthy complexity. It is already delicious, but there is clearly much more waiting to emerge with time.

First produced by Ridge in 1966, Geyserville is the estate's longest continuously produced Zinfandel-based wine and comes from three adjoining vineyards on the western edge of Alexander Valley. Some vines are more than 125 years old, rooted in gravelly soils deposited by an ancient course of the Russian River. The 2024 is a traditional field blend dominated by Zinfandel, with Carignane, Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet providing freshness, structure and complexity. Native fermentation and extended maturation in American oak follow Ridge's characteristically low-intervention approach. This is one of California's great heritage-vineyard wines: distinctive in youth, but with the structure and pedigree to evolve for many years.