Posts Tagged ‘Jimsomare’

In Jimsomare Country

March 8, 2013

08zjm1

2008 Ridge Vineyards Jimsomare Zinfandel

One sniff and I know I’m in Jimsomare country; a great and strange place; funkily mystical, mountainously ghosty, soulfully perfect. Jimsomare.

This is rarefied juice; pure Black Mountain, the aroma and flavor of another California; Prospector Zinfandel, Cowboy Zinfandel, Pioneer Zinfandel; this is 5 acres worth of Occurrence Appearing Of Itself, of wine singing We Got More Soul, Dig it …

The nose is rich with saturated blue and black fruit, fragrant tobacco and autumn leaf, and a dense brambliness that brings both berry and branch to the fore; these middle harmonics are undergirded by a firm bassline of pemmican, persimmon, and fig, and topped by a tenor line of loganberry sweetness.

The palate is uniquely supple, with a deft braiding of cool-climate acid and old-vine concentration. Fruit character is almost elusively complex; at once moodily beguiling, laconically demonstrative, and languidly sensual. No one trait dominates, and while the essential core is a dark one, there is a wild mountain liveliness that lends a smoldering intensity to the redder notes of the flavor spectrum.

The finish is perfectly executed — lengthwise and depthwise — and the integrative endeavor has prospered through several years of bottle age, making this a wine that is just now entering its first perfect stage. This is Keith Richards of “Satisfaction” days.

#Harvest2012 comes to the Jimsomare Ranch!

September 27, 2012

Jimsomare.

Amongst friends, fans, followers, and family of Ridge Vineyards, the name is a resonant one.

Jimsomare.

The vineyard was originally planted by Pierre Klein, an Alsatian who came to California in 1875. In 1888, he purchased 160 acres on Monte Bello Ridge; a property now known as the Jimsomare Ranch. Initially, he planted Bordeaux varieties on their own roots. But when phylloxera attacked his vines after the turn of the century, he did not replant. Retiring in 1910, he sold the property in 1913. In 1936, it was purchased by the Schwabacher family of San Francisco, who renamed the property “Jimsomare” from their names: Jim, Sophie, Marie. Although Klein’s Bordeaux varietals had died out, a small nineteenth-century zinfandel vineyard survived. Ridge bought those grapes, and made its first Jimsomare Zinfandel in 1968. Ridge then convinced the family to replant the Bordeaux varietals, plus a small amount of chardonnay. In exchange, Ridge provided rootstock, and a promise to purchase the grapes. The first cabernet bottling was in 1978. By the late 1990s, Ridge acquired the long-term least to the property, and took over all aspects of day-to-day farming. Today, Ridge farms this original Klein property as part of its Monte Bello Estate.

Jimsomare.

It might as well mean “beauty” in some exotic romance language …

The chardonnay pick began essentially at dawn’s early light, the morning of September 21st.  A long morning awaited; a long journey from this …

to this …

to this …

but the team was ready …

Harvesting a property like Monte Bello is no easy feat. The slopes are steep, the ground is rough, the vines are wild. This team knows its business, and there is nobody better.

They are an extraordinarily supportive and giving group as well, always willing to let us tag along; to watch, to learn, to admire. And ultimately, to share. Our own Amy Monroe joined the team on this gorgeous mountain morning, and returned some extraordinary footage of the action. Please enjoy …



Congratulations to our VP of Vineyard Operations David Gates …

and our Monte Bello Viticulturist Kyle Theriot …

It’s been a great harvest so far, and things are only getting better.

#Harvest2012. Feel it.

“Veraison Ho!” shouts Captain Kyle Theriot, of the Good Ship Monte Bello …

July 30, 2012

Picture Captain Kyle Theriot, high up in the crow’s nest of the good ship Monte Bello,
–actually, Monte Bello viticulturist Kyle Theriot, high up in the cab of his truck–

his tri-corner cocked jauntily against the brisk sea breezes,
–actually, his dirty straw cowboy hat, pulled low over his forehead, to stave off a July sunburn–

with his trusty parrot Emma perched watchfully on his shoulder.
–actually, his dog Emma, asleep on the front seat–

He scans the horizon watchfully, through his one seasoned, crinkle-cornered, salt-air-cracked eye,
–actually, with his two perfectly good eyes, through sunglasses–

seeking signs of dry land.
–actually, red grapes–

His eye sights on a small hump of color differentiated from the endless blue surrounding it,
–actually, his two eyes sight on a cluster of small orbs of color, differentiated from the endless greens surrounding them–

and with his gleaming hook arcing out into the sun’s cascading rays, he cries …
–actually, with his dirt-under-the-fingernails hand cradling the dangling cluster hung beneath the canopy’s enveloping cover, he says …–

Land, Ho!
–actually, Veraison, Ho!–

“Captain” Kyle Theriot in the Gate Block …

Veraison, detail

All of which is to say that we have CONFIRMED veraison at Monte Bello! Specifically, in the Gate Block cab, down at Jimsomare.

Which means, for those of you not familiar with the term, that the grapes they are a-ripenin’!

(For more information about veraison, please click here.)

And for a real-life sense of just what it’s like to head for Jimsomare, knowing there’s veraison afoot …

Bloom, and other wonderful things …

June 30, 2011

Please forgive yourself if you don’t yet know the name Kyle Theriot. You will. He’s new here at Ridge; our new Monte Bello Viticulturist.

It’s an extraordinary job, done only by extraordinary individuals. Rarely will you encounter such a singular cross of low-down, dirty, funky agrarian authenticity, and high-brow, tech-nerd, number-crunching, software-savvy obsessive compulsivity, as you will when meeting a real-deal viticulturist. They may rarely, if ever, be on the cover of Wine Spectator, or win awards, or give speeches at fancy dinners, but take my word for it, good wine is simply not made without them.

Kyle is stepping into an intense gig; in more ways than one. Monte Bello isn’t just any vineyard, either by legend, or reality. It’s a great deal of pressure, and a tremendous amount of work. That the powers-that-be here at Ridge believe in Kyle the way they do says volumes about the caliber of his character.

Now add to all the above another trait; an artist’s eye.

I bug viticulturists. I always want stories, pictures, videos, you name it, if it’s from the vineyard, I want it. But it’s not their job to amuse my wishes. Most don’t. I have been very fortunate here, however, to have developed great partnerships with the gang in the vineyards. They’ve been very supportive, very helpful, and they’ve bequeathed a lot of experience and knowledge. Kyle has been here just a short while, but I am already inheriting from his benevolence, and as I said above, his is no ordinary eye. I told him I would love a picture of bloom (when it happens). He sent me this:

Which is but one vine from the Gate Block at Jimsomare. Which looks like this:

And I told him I’d love to see a picture of some of the younger Cab Franc vines. I got this:

Please join me in welcoming Kyle Theriot to the Ridge Vineyards team. Lord knows, we’re happy to have him.

First Friday Photos!

August 10, 2009

Were you here for our First Friday Jimsomare extravaganza? Then check the photos below to remind yourself of just how much fun it was! And if you weren’t here, check the photos below to sample the magic!

Jimsomare Virtual Vertical: It Begins!

August 7, 2009

Greetings! We’re officially beginning our Jimsomare Virtual Vertical! There are two ways you can submit your tasting notes; either via a comment to this post, or on Twitter (#Jimsomare). Bring on the Jimsomare!

Update: From Richard Jennings’ notes on Cellar Tracker:

1988 Ridge Zinfandel Late Picked Jimsomare

90 — Medium bricking red color with pale meniscus; earthy, mature, tobacco, leather nose; mature, dried berry, mushroom, cassis palate with a sense of tomato paste; long finish 90+ pts.

1997 Ridge Zinfandel Jimsomare

91 — Dark raspberry red color with pale meniscus; fig, berry, currant and plum nose and palate, with a green note; medium finish.

2007 Ridge Zinfandel Jimsomare (USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains)

90  — Dark cherry red color; big berry, mulberry, plum, currant and herbal nose; tasty, light medium bodied, currant, mulberry, elderberry palate with a green note; medium finish.

Update: From our good friend David Tong over at Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley wines (full tasting notes are available at David’s blog …)

2007 Jimsomare Zinfandel, Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose was fruity but seemed atypical for a Zinfandel. Layers of deep, heavy fruit; blackberry, smoke and “Red Vines”, with a longish finish. It triggered a memory of whinberry pie (a small English bilberry).

1997 Jimsomare Zinfandel, Santa Cruz Mountains
Showing a more traditional Zin profile; a tart raspberry/cranberry nose, lots of smooth raspberry fruit and a good, long and balanced finish. Hard to believe that it’s 12 years old, it seems so lively. Delicious.

Update: From over in the land of Twitter…

The 1988 Ridge #Jimsomare zin was a treat 2 taste 2nt. Still lots of fruit in 21 yr old wine. Wow!

Update: Our first reviews are coming in; from Roland Dumas, his assessment of the new 2007 Jimsomare (“…this will open up to a great wine, perhaps one of the best JimZins and one of the best from Ridge…”), and from me, my notes on the 1988 Late-Picked Jimsomare (see below):

1988 Ridge Jimsomare Late-Picked

Appearance:

Mostly brightly ruby-toned, with some burgundy highlights and rich centralized plum tones in the belly of the bowl. Limned with a gorgeous shimmering raspberry. And what a glaze! Absolutely no legs to speak of; remarkable viscosity …

Aromatics:

Heavy notes of molasses, honey, and syrup of both the maple and blueberry varieties, with the complements of brighter cherry notes and the sweetness of both plum sauce and honey. Under all of this, a rustic layer of earth and bramble. Just a slight hint of ripe prune, and the barest whiff of oak.

Front:

Not too much acid at the front of the tongue, but a surprisingly bright fruit expression, which gives the very pleasant illusion of vivacity right away. The acids begin to develop along the side of the tongue and the roof of the mouth as the wine moves towards the mid-palate. The combination of emergent stem rusticity and leaf herbality brand this as mountain fruit immediately …

Mid:

Emergence of a certain chalky, almost granular tannin architecture counterbalancing the growing sweetness of the fruit profile, which is juicy and quite concentrated; all the while maintaining a certain singular elegance as to the weight of the mouthfeel.

Finish:

Long, subtle, elegant, and sweet, with a very fine acid-tannin-fruit balance. Not particularly spicy per se, but very lively, very supple, with an almost decadently mitigated sweetness that never so much as even borders on cloying …

Summary:

Really quite delicious!

Regarding The 2007 Jimsomare …

July 31, 2009

Regarding the 2007 Jimsomare . . .

 07ZJM1-L

There’s a new Jimsomare in the wings, and accordingly, we’ve been receiving a great many queries about this storied, highly-anticipated, and very limited-production wine. So I decided to put some thoughts down:

To my palate, the Jimsomare has always been a quintessential expression of “Mountain Zinfandel,” and the 2007 bottling is no exception.

But what do I mean by “Mountain Zinfandel?”

As I think has now been made clear after decades of fine quality zin vintages throughout all of California’s wine regions, what used to pass for conventional wisdom regarding this varietal is no longer relevant; meaning it’s no longer appropriate to categorically dismiss California zinfandel as a mono-dimensional, overtly fleshy and fruit-forward (read: “jammy”), high alcohol, drink-it-when-its-young-and-be-done-with-it offering. Rather, zinfandel has proven itself to be a markedly flexible varietal, capable of showcasing a wide array of complexities, and a great potential for longevity and development. Accordingly, where the vines are planted, the micro-climate they grow in, and the methodologies employed in both the vineyard and the winery can have a profound effect on the character and quality of the wine. In some respects, it’s a very simple translation; Jimsomare is a very singular property, and accordingly, the Jimsomare is a very singular wine. Thus, “Mountain Zinfandel.”

Put most simply, the character of the land and the climate are such that the grapes are consistently brought to full ripening fruition courtesy of the east-side-of-the-mountain locale and the warm days, yet great and vibrant natural acidity are preserved and maintained via the mitigating factors of ocean influence and cool nights.  Add to this a natural wild-yeast fermentation, and a complex interweave of green stone, clay, and limestone in the soil, and you have a heady cocktail of potential. And given that we are decidedly non-interventionist in our approach (dry-farming, head-training, hand-harvesting, natural yeast fermentations, etc.), these unique and natural characteristics are allowed to play out to their full influence. The end result is a wine that embraces a number of seeming dualities: it’s full-bodied, yet it’s elegant; it features richly compressed fruit notes, yet it has great acidity, minerality, and spice layers; it’s muscular, yet it’s balanced.

Regarding the 2007 vintage in particular, I think this is potentially one for the ages. And as such, the good news is that there is tremendous potential for long-term development here. In addition to the integration and harmonization that should ensue over the long-term, I believe the real key is indeed balance; the ’07 shows great architecture (acids balanced against tannins, fruit balanced against spice, etc.), and it’s got flavor to spare, making for an enticing structure overall that bespeaks a delicious future. The down side, if it can be said to be such, is that some patience will be required; this is not a wine to be drunk in its very early youth. That said, every month is going to reveal more and more of what this wine has on offer. My recommendation to anyone interested in this wine would be to buy at least a few bottles, so you can open them in stages, and find your own personal Jimsomare “sweet spot.”

 

If you’d like to read some brass tacks vineyard facts from the 2007 Jimsomare Backrounder, please click here. And to check for availability (there were only 17 barrels made!), you can visit here.

Jimsomare Virtual Vertical On TWITTER!

July 31, 2009

Yet another update on our upcoming Jimsomare Virtual Vertical: Melissa Baker, Tasting Room Manager at Ridge Lytton Springs, has very kindly offered to host a parallel Virtual Vertical Tasting of Jimsomare on Twitter! The whole event will take place, as noted in an earlier post, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 7-9. To find it on Twitter, use the following: #Jimsomare. And of course you can opt to participate here on our blog as well. Mainly, get your Jimsomare out, get your notebook and pen ready, and prepare to taste!

The Jimsomare Virtual Vertical Is ON!

July 23, 2009

The First Official Ridge Vineyards Jimsomare Designation Virtual Vertical!
August 7th, 8th, & 9th

 

So, the Jimsomare Virtual Vertical is officially ON! With a few modifications … See below for the Problem/Solution Matrix:

Problem: It’s been very difficult to find one day that every interested party can be available for.
Solution: A 3-day Virtual Vertical!

Problem: Lots of folks interested who don’t actually have any Jimsomare.
Solution: We’ll do the Virtual Vertical the same weekend Program Members can pick up the new 2007!

(Hopefully, this will mitigate at least  a couple nagging problems. )

Now, here’s the MO; basically, on this weekend in question, which is August 7th, 8th, & 9th, your job is to open and taste a bottle of Jimsomare. Then, you need to write tasting notes. Then, you need to send them to me, via a comment on The Jimsomare Virtual Vertical Post which will go live the morning of the 7th. By the end of the weekend, we should have a great roster of responses, and a great look into the world of Jimsomare!

Jimsomare “Virtual Vertical”: It’s Time To Set The Day!

June 8, 2009

Ok, we’ve definitely assembled a great group of tasters for our Jimsomare “Virtual Vertical,” now it’s time to set a day. I’ve had one person specifically suggest one so far, so I’ll start there; how does everyone feel about July5th? I don’t want to set a specific time, because if everyone participates who has expressed interest, we’ll have tasters from the East Coast, from Japan, and from Australia! And of course the time changes would then be problematic. So, we’re just going to set the day. July 5th anyone?

Here’s a couple other symbolic ideas:

–Since the 2007 vintage of Jimsomare has 14.7 alcohol, we could taste on 7.14? (July 14th)

–Since the acreage at Jimsomare is 6.25 acres, we could taste on 6.25? (June 25th)

–Since there were only 17 barrels produced of the 2007 Jimsomare, we could taste on the 17th of any month?

–Since Robert Parker once wrote, “One of the greatest old Zinfandels I ever tasted was the 1970 Jimsomare,” and since the 1970 Jimsomare was bottle in ’73, we could taste on 7.3? (July 3rd)

70_RV_Jimsomare

 

Ok tasters, pick a date, any date, I’m getting thirsty!

And if you don’t remember the original invitation and description of the Jimsomare “Virtual Vertical”, or if you’re still on the fence about deciding to participate, here is the original post:

http://blog.ridgewine.com/2009/05/14/the-ensnare-of-jimsomare-a-vertical-proposition/


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