1993 Ridge, Zinfandel, Maple Vineyard, Dry Creek
Although it does not say Lytton Springs on the front label, according to the back label, Maple Vineyard is part of the Lytton Springs property owned by Ridge. The back label also says that the grapes were picked at “full ripeness”, which in this case appears to be a euphemism “overripe”.
Dark garnet, surprising young looking. Nose has overripe raspberry fruit. The palate had big overripe strawberry and raspberry fruit flavors with a burnt, overripe after taste, moderate acid, still a lot of softer tannins, and a long finish. Other than the overripe fruit, this is a well made wine, and it wasn’t as bad as some of the others I tasted, but it is not a style I like. Alcohol 14.9. Not rated.
Compared to the 1991 Ridge Late Harvest Zinfandel, the Late Harvest Zinfandel is definitely the better wine. I guess the lesson here is that it is possible to make Zinfandel from very ripe fruit without it being overripe. Perhaps it has something to do with the winemaking technique, or maybe it is just a very fine line between “very ripe” and “overripe”.
Dark garnet, surprising young looking. Nose has overripe raspberry fruit. The palate had big overripe strawberry and raspberry fruit flavors with a burnt, overripe after taste, moderate acid, still a lot of softer tannins, and a long finish. Other than the overripe fruit, this is a well made wine, and it wasn’t as bad as some of the others I tasted, but it is not a style I like. Alcohol 14.9. Not rated.
Compared to the 1991 Ridge Late Harvest Zinfandel, the Late Harvest Zinfandel is definitely the better wine. I guess the lesson here is that it is possible to make Zinfandel from very ripe fruit without it being overripe. Perhaps it has something to do with the winemaking technique, or maybe it is just a very fine line between “very ripe” and “overripe”.
posted by mikeca | 10:26 PM
2 Comments:
Maple Vineyards, is owned by Tom and Tina Maple, who are independant growers with no association to Ridge winery. In fact Maple hasn't done business with Ridge winery in almost a decade. The proximety of Ridge Winery's Lytton Springs Rd. vineyards to the Maple Vineyard, which are located in the same appelation allowed for the designation as an Estate vintage. Maple Vinyards, established in 1989, is currently one of the most awarded growers of Zinfendel in the Dry Creek valley, providing grapes to a number of wineries including Armida, Pasalaqua, Dutcher Crossing, Pezzi- King, and others. My information is first hand, I'm Tina Maple's brother.
I am aware that the term estate on wine in California does not mean that the winery owns the vineyards. It usually only means the winery had a contract for the grapes that allowed them some control over how the grapes were grown. Paul Draper, however, wrote something on the back label of this wine that lead me to believe this vineyard was part of the Lytton Springs vineyards that are owned by Ridge. Apparently that was just clever marketing. I don’t have the bottle anymore, so I don’t know exactly what he said.
I have talked with Paul Draper about the overripe, high alcohol style of Zinfandels now very popular in California. He told me that Ridge tests grapes from its larger vineyards (Lytton Springs, Geyserville, Paso Robles, …) every day in the fall to make sure they are picked when they are fully ripe, but not overripe. Paul Draper admitted that with the smaller vineyards, like Maple vineyard was in 1993, which are used for the ATP wines like this one, Ridge just does not have the people to test the grapes daily, and those smaller vineyards sometime get overripe. It is clear that this was a wonderfully fruity Zinfandel. Ridge was probably just a few days late picking the grapes in 1993.
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