Hard to believe ZAP’s #ZinFest has already come and gone. We anticipate it for so long, then suddenly, it slips right past us, and the anticipatory cycle starts anew.
Fortunately, via the miracles and mechanisms of modern guerilla theater, we are able to preserve small traces of the memories in digital form, there to enrich us when we seek and need renewal.
Who likes Zinfandel? Google likes Zinfandel!
So much so that Google & ZAP got together to stage an event for Google’s Wine Tasting Club (yes, they have a Wine Club!) in advance of the big annual ZAP event.
And who was there? Ridge was there!
GoogleZap!
GoogleZap!
I yell, you yell
we all yell for Zinfandel!
That’s right folks, ZAP! Not Shazam, not Wonder Twin Powers Activate (form of an Ah So, shape of a Zinfandel bottle!), but ZAP!
Not familiar? ‘Tis an acronymn, and it stands for Zinfandel Advocates & Producers. From their Mission Statement:
ZAP and its members revel in Zinfandel’s mysterious history and its evolving story fuels the embers of discovery, entrepreneurship and agriculture that are truly American. ZAP is the only organization that has established and provided funding for education and research to study the history, genetics and propagation of a wine varietal to ensure its future. ZAP and its members not only enjoy growing and drinking Zinfandel, but they also value its character and its heritage.
Meaning, in short, these folks LOVE Zinfandel.
Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably already aware of ZAP, and quite possibly, you’ve actually attended their legendary Zinfandel Festival.
We’re huge supporters, and we participate every year. The highlight of the lovefest is of course the Grand Tasting. This is essentially Tantric Oenophilia.
We’re believers, and accordingly, we like to bring a really special roster of wines every year to share at the Grand Tasting. This year is no different. Dig the list:
1. 2009 Carmichael Ranch Zinfandel –
2. 2009 Lytton Estate Zinfandel –
3. 2010 Paso Robles Zinfandel –
4. 2010 East Bench Zinfandel –
5. 2010 Geyserville – (barrel samples, not yet released!)
6. 2010 Lytton Springs – (barrel samples, not yet released!)
7. 2010 Lytton Estate Zinfandel – (barrel samples, not yet released!)
8. 2010 Carmichael Ranch Zinfandel – (barrel samples, not yet released!)
As is hopefully evident, we like to put on a show. Come see us. We’ve got lovely wine to pour for you.
“Holy Ah So Wineman, it’s Zinfandel!”
It was on this day, three years ago — years both long and short — that Ridge Vineyards, and the world at large, lost Donn Reisen.
To this day, I cannot walk into The Old Winery Barn without thinking of him.
To me, he was the wine world’s Walter Matthau, the wise curmudgeon, the salty, melancholic prankster, the grifter with the soul of gold.
I looked forward to seeing him every day, I truly did. There are not a lot of bosses out there one can say that about, but it’s true.
It was like going to your regular pub, knowing that your mate would be there just ahead of you, doing the crossword, or reading the paper, or ready with a report on the weather.
By saying that, though, please know I don’t in any way mean to belittle his power, his knowledge, his work ethic, his dedication, his vision. He was incredible, and without him, Ridge would not be, could not be, what it is today. He was my boss, and with good reason.
But somehow, he didn’t walk that way. There was no pomp and circumstance to him at all. He used to tease me about looking “East Coast,” because I wore a sportcoat to work. He wore flannel shirts and laughably misshapen jeans.
He could turn on you, it’s true, and for all the cranky congeniality, he did not suffer fools gladly, particularly when they worked for him. My goal, for as long as I worked for Donn, was just to try and stay one step ahead of him. If he didn’t have to call me out for something work-related, that meant we could just shoot the breeze. So I did my best to keep my ducks in a row. For as long as Donn and I were both at Ridge, probably my truest goal was to just not screw up in front of Donn. I wanted him to like me. That’s the truth. I just wanted him to like me.
I miss you Donn. Something flew away into the horizon when you left, never to return.
As with all things though, all things must pass, and the Samsara of Ridge is such that every passing, every departure, every loss, begets a new beginning. The teaching of the vineyards, if nothing else, teaches us this.
I often talk to guests about “library” wines, how they’re finite, how not even the richest man or woman in the world can bring a vintage back when it’s finally gone, but Samsara or no Samsara, it’s hard to say goodbye. Loss is the great equalizer. Be you Bill Gates or Bill at the shelter, neither of you will ever taste the 1971 Monte Bello again.
That’s Donn. A vintage we’ll never taste again.
Bless you Donn, you are remembered.
You know it’s coming, yet somehow you won’t admit it to yourself. It’s inevitable, of course, but it’s impossible survive the days if you’re in conscious embracement of the facts. Somehow, we have to psychically suspend our realities in order to keep on keepin’ on. But all things must pass.
The news came yesterday. They’d pulled it.
The 2007 Ridge Vineyards Old School was removed from the website. It was over.
Fortunately, the 2009 Ridge Vineyards Old School ain’t too far down the road!
I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s released, but in the meantime, here are some tasting notes, just to keep you going through these tough times …
2009 Ridge Vineyards Old School
As you may or may not know, the Old School designation is actually part of our Geyserville estate, but as it’s a group of vines that traditionally provide fruit that ripens to a greater degree of intensity, the juice is traditionally bottled separately in small amounts under the Old School name, and released as a special winery-only offering.
Stylistically, because of the selection criteria, the Old School favors a flavor profile that can run the gamut from sweet in character (a ripe quality that presents the illusion of sweetness without any actual real and significant amount of residual sugar) to actual sweetness (featuring actual residual sugar).
The 2009 is definitely of the former ilk; while the wine is certainly rich and intensely flavored and fruit-driven, a combination of notable water-stress and early ripening during the growing season, and an aggressive and disciplined selection process at the winery (made possible courtesy of a new receiving and sorting system), have made for a wine of surprising integrity and balance.
In addition to the voluptuousness of the fruit and the generosity of the bouquet, there are strong hints of that classic Geyserville spiciness that creep into the flavor profile at just the right moments. These notes primarily come courtesy of the vineyard-blend model deployed for the assemblage of this wine; the zinfandel (at 78%) is structurally rounded out and enhanced by the inclusion of carignane and petit sirah, two classic “mixed blacks” that also form the architectural backbone of the Geyserville.
The 2007 Old School was one of our top-selling winery-only wines last year, and while it was a sweeter, riper rendition than the 2009, I think the ’09 is poised to not only keep the ’07 fans very happy, but also accrue a whole new set of believers as well. It’s got the fruit for the ’07 set, but it’s also got the complexity, structure, and spice that should win over some converts who may not normally find themselves on the ripe side of life.
If I may say so, it’s a perfect February wine; it’s got Valentine’s Day written all over it …
If you were fortunate enough to be in Sonoma county January 14th & 15th, then I’m guessing you probably attended Winter Wineland, an absolutely delightful region-wide bacchanal of oeno-epic proportions.
Hopefully, you were able to visit our Lytton Springs Estate as part of the experience. If you did, you would have been able to enjoy a very groovy presentation on the importance of soil to our wines. This Soil Exploration exhibit was unique, informative, and perhaps best of all, it came with a contest! That’s right, analyze and learn about four distinct soil representations of four of our most legendary vineyard properties, and then try and match the soil to the wine. Winner (selected from the correct entries) gets a Ridge goody bag.
And I am happy to report that we have a winner! She is Melania Lonchyna, and she is our official 2012 Winter Wineland Soil Exploration Context Winner. Congratulations Melania! Here’s what you’re receiving as your prize:
Thanks to everyone who visited us during Winter Wineland, and especially to everyone who participated in our contest! As far as we’re concerned, you’re all winners! Except that Melania is the winner. But after that, you’re all winners!
Monte Bello Rain Poem
Raindrops on my windshield
pop like skaters on white ice,
their sequins catching light
as might a nickel in a fountain.
Art Pepper’s mournful horn
plays the mist its own low waltz;
I feel my heart’s rising temperature,
one degree with every mile.
I am becoming
what the owl cannot see,
what the hawk cannot catch,
what the mist cannot reveal.
Our intrepid shutterbug was at it again!
What, didn’t notice her? There, in the shadows!
She’s capturing the heat of the moment as it shows in your eyes!
She’s like Darkman, everywhere and nowhere, everyone and no one.
She’s The Shadow.
Where oh where oh where is Shadow?
Where oh where oh where is Shadow?
Where oh where oh where is Shadow?
Where can Shadow be?
She is the eye in the sky. She is your roundabout. She would give everything she owns.
She is Brandye Alexander, and she was there when you were there.
When you were at Winter Wineland!
Back By Popular Demand, The Original Ah So Cork Puller Video!
One of the most popular videos this blog has ever produced is one in which we offer a quick tutorial on how to use an Ah So Cork Puller.
And it was never even actually on this blog!
In the early days of ”4488: A Ridge Blog,”, we couldn’t house our own video, so the footage went up on YouTube.
But now, some multi-thousands of views later, I am very happy to re-present the footage on its home turf. (You can read the original post here.)
And remember, if you’re opening an older bottle of wine, the Ah So Cork Puller is the ONLY extraction mechanism you should be deploying. Anything else is at your own risk!
