So, I guess I’ve just got Geyserville on the brain, or maybe Geyserville has me on its mind? Whatever, one way or another, me and Geyserville seem to be dancing in the same ballroom these days. Coming on the heels of the good news from the San Francisco Chronicle (see previous post) comes a lovely afternoon spent at the Upper Winery tasting three vintages of Geyserville! Oh, and a sneak preview of the 2008 Geyserville! Oh, oh, and a sneak peak component tasting of the 2009! Geyservilles and Verticals and Components, oh my!
Anyhow, needless to say, it was a glorious tasting. We first blind tasted the 2005, 2006, and 2007 vintages, with the 2008 thrown in for good measure. And then the 2009 components followed. And throughout, there was cheese! (See below). In this case, Humboldt Fog and Teleme , two of our favorite cheeses to pair with Ridge wines …
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The Long View of the Tasting Table
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2009 Component Samples!
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The Aerial View of the Tasting Table
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The Cheese! (Humboldt Fog & Teleme)
Below please find some tasting notes on what we tasted; the notes are an assemblage of sorts consisting of my notes, plus those of Paul Draper and Eric Baugher. Enjoy!
Oh, wait! Before we get into the notes, I have very, very, very, very good news! As yet another example of Geyserville synchronicity, one more instance in which the Geyserville and I are motorcycling down the same stretch of Route 66, one more night of Geyserville and I playing Thelonious Monk tunes in the same combo, I’m very happy to tell you that, for the second edition of Winter Wine Series (coming this Saturday!), we’ll be pouring, in addition to the Lytton Duo Holiday Pack, the Geyserville Vertical Holiday Pack! (This consists of the 2003, 2004, and 2005 vintages, and they’re all delicious!)
Ok, on to the tasting notes. First, the 05, 06, and 07 vertical:
2005 Geyserville
Darkish magenta belly with a lovely raspberry-toned limn. Medium-viscosity. Strong plummy notes in the bouquet, richly spiced, with strains of blackberry and jam. Deeply interwoven threads of bramble, mint, and gravel, with penetrating fruit concentration. Showing classic second-stage Geyserville characteristics; very sensuous, fully resolved, and exhibiting great finesse and elegance.
2006 Geyserville
Aromatics laden with rich berry notes and concentrated spice. Very structure forward on the palate, with a dark herbality, firm tannins, intense acidity, and an overall sense of great depth. Lots of earth and gravel character, hints of oak, and a bright vivacity to the acid/tannin balance. Still developing the full spectrum of expression, but very exciting for its muscularity.
2007 Geyserville
Dark plum-toned belly with a pale raspberry limn, and showing medium-light viscosity. A restrained elegance to the bouquet, but with deep saturation of berry and cherry notes. Wonderfully complex aromatics. The mouthfeel is resolving nicely, and while the tannins are comparatively restrained, they exhibit a nice chalkiness. Overall, very silkly, utterly seamless, and again, very elegant. Very fresh fruit notes balanced against a hint of caramel sweetness, carpeting a layer of earth and gravel.
Regarding the 2008 vintage, everyone at the table positively marveled at the lushness, the concentration, the density, the opulence of this offering. And as regards the 2009 components, we tasted Carignane, Petite Sirah, and some wonderful interplanted parcels from New Patch, Old Patch, and Whitten Ranch. While all are obviously still in development, the potential on offer as regards both pre- and post-assemblage bespeaks a tremendously complex Geyserville for 2009, and the 2008 is clearly en route to becoming a fantastically substantive contribution to the rich Geyserville canon.
And that’s the rundown for now! Please make sure, if you’re anywhere near either Monte Bello or Lytton Springs this weekend, to come out and sample both the Lytton Duo and Geyserville Holiday Packs; this is a great opportunity to sample a delicious spectrum of our flagship zinfandels!
Cheers!
