Ridge Vineyards' 2023 vintage Geyserville is a field-blend red wine made from old vines. It is primarily based on the California variety, with 70% Zinfandel, and Carignane, Petite Sirah, and other varieties growing side by side. This vineyard is approximately 1.25 miles long and half a mile wide.
The year 2023 was unusually cool, and growth was slow, so it took a long time for the grapes to ripen. The harvest lasted until the 1st of November, marking the latest Geyserville harvest on record. This long, cool ripening period translates into a wine that expresses freshness rather than sheer weight in the glass.
Aromas of blackberry and cherry dominate, subtly intertwined with notes of warm spices. The rich, full-bodied flavor is supported by firm tannins, leading to a long, clean finish.
After being hand-harvested, destemmed, and crushed, the grapes were fermented with natural yeast. It was then aged for 16 months in air-dried American oak barrels; with only 15% new oak, the oak notes remain subtly in the background.
Ridge was established around 1959, and the winery also produces field blends from the Lytton Springs and Pagani Ranch vineyards, which were planted in the 1880s. It is best enjoyed between 2024 and 2036. If opening a young bottle, please decant it.
Winespectator (94)
Robust and simmering with intensity, this red serves up dark blackberry and cherry flavors laced with black pepper, licorice, cardamom and other dark spices. The finish is firm yet integrated. Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet.
James Suckling (94)
Bright and moderate aromas of red cherries, blackberry compote, coffee beans and spices. The palate is full-bodied with finely integrated tannins and a focused acidity that leads into a rounded and pure finish. A blend of 70% zinfandel with touches of carignan, petite sirah and alicante bouschet, which benefited from a cooler vintage. Drink or hold.
Jancis Robinson (16.5)
70% Zinfandel, 18% Carignane, 9% Petite Sirah and 3% Alicante Bouschet.
Bright, dense crimson. So rich and gamey! Cocoa notes. Very sweet – it’s a bit like the glucose candy Edinburgh rock. Then there’s a big whack of tannin. Needs time.
Vinous (95)
A blend of 70% Zinfandel, 18% Carignane, 9% Petite Sirah and 3% Alicante Bouschet, the 2023 Geyserville is dark and brooding. Virile and intense, this is a monster wine that's only at the very beginning of its evolution. So impressively articulated, the 2023 somberly marches from the glass with dark shadings of tobacco, inky black fruit, cracked pepper, sage, turned earth and pine, building powerful minerality with aeration. The 2023 will need several years to come around. It's a sleeping giant today.
Jeb Dunnuck (95)
A perennial standout for the winery that is produced for wider distribution, the 2023 Zinfandel Geyserville is a blend of 70% Zinfandel, 18% Carignane, 9% Petite Sirah and 3% Alicante, the 2023 a highly ageable vintage with great acidity. That freshness helps to define the wine's juicy core of well-mannered, supple tannins and oak, the wine aged entirely in 100% air-dried American oak, 15% of it new. It truly offers the perfect balance of dark fruit and freshness, within a full-bodied richness and structure still built for aging, as with all Ridge wines. Enjoy now through 2033.
Decanter (95)
Just a mile from the winery in Lytton Springs, the Geyserville vineyard sits in an overall warmer pocket of Sonoma, but even here, 2023 was unusually cool and slow to start. The winemaking team states that this was the latest Geyserville harvest on record, since the first vintage in 1966. The crew was picking grapes up to November 1st. This classic old-vine field blend is always anchored by Zinfandel, with Carignane, Petite Sirah, and a few other varieties playing supporting roles in varying proportions, depending on the vintage. In 2023, with 70% of Zinfandel, the blend feels expressive and aromatic, with black and blue fruit leading the way, lifted by fresh herbs, a touch of mint, and a layer of baking spices. The oak is still settling in, but the structure is already in place, thanks in part to the 18% Carignane, which adds depth and acidity. It’s a young wine with plenty of promise, already showing well, with slightly chalky tannins, but it will really hit its stride with a few years in bottle.
Owen Bargreen (96)
The 2023 ‘Geyserville’ is a marvelous, silky blend of mainly Zinfandel (70%) with 18% Carignane, 9% Petite Sirah and a touch of Alicante Boushet. Very dark in the glass, this delivers beautiful violet rose petals alongside mocha, tar, Cuban cigar and notes of garrigue with loganberry compote. The palate is fresh and refined, with an elegant mid-palate mouthfeel and light dusting of salinity. Well-structured and weighted, offering plenty of depth and flavor density, this is a marvelous effort that has yet to fully hit its stride —- but the incredible potential is there. The combination of weight and tension suggests this will be very long-lived. Give this another year in the cellar before uncorking.
