Ridge Wines Charity Tasting: The Rise of Single-Vineyard Zinfandels

Contrary to conventional expectations of rich, fruity and sometimes off-dry reds that are best drunk young, a recent tasting of older vintages of Californian zinfandel showed that well-made expressions of the varietal are worthy of cellaring, even coming to resemble aged cabernet sauvignon.

The Ridge Vineyards for Pebbles Charity Lunch, hosted by David Wainwright at the Hong Kong restaurant Table last month, featured a memorable lineup of wines from the California winery, which is based in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The tasting included almost 40 vintages of zinfandel and Rhone varietals from 1972 onward. The wines were donated by David Wainwright, the founder and CEO of the fine wine consultancy Wainwright Advisors, and by Andromeda Rare Wine, a Hong Kong-based fine wine merchant also founded by Wainwright. All proceedings went to the Pebbles Project – a South African charitable organization that provides opportunities to disadvantaged children and families in the agricultural communities of the Western Cape.

Ridge Vineyards focuses on single-estate wines, and its flagship wine, the cabernet sauvignon-based Monte Bello, gained worldwide recognition at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 when the 1971 vintage took fifth place in the red wines category of the competition, which is now known as the "Judgement of Paris" because it was the first time a California wine finished first in every category (Stag's Leap Wine Cellars of Napa Valley won the red wines category, beating Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, among others).

But the Ridge wines from single-vineyard zinfandels are perhaps equally as interesting. Ridge produced its first zinfandel in 1964, two years after its first Monte Bello, from 19th century vines on the Pichetti Ranch near the base of the Monte Bello Ridge. It has since added vineyards across California to its portfolio and is the largest grower of organically certified grapes in Sonoma County and the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, with 379 acres of organically farmed vines as of this year's harvest.

The tasting gave testament to the ageability of great Californian zinfandels, which can develop fantastic complexity and savory character, in contrast to the intense berry fruit in their youth. Some of the highlights of the tasting were the Zinfandel Central Coast Range 1972, Zinfandel Amador County Shenandoah 1980, and Zinfandel Sonoma County Bradford Mountain 1987. These expressed the mellow, integrated nature of aged zinfandel as well as the unique characteristics of single-vineyard sites.

Rhone varietals such as the Carignan Sonoma County Oat Valley Vineyard 1996 and Grenache Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley Lytton Estate 2000 also showed fantastic freshness. The Syrah Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley Lytton Estate 1997, a Northern Rhone-inspired blend of 88 percent syrah and 12 percent viognier, displayed vibrant aromas of tobacco, peppercorns and raw cocoa, with plenty of energy and focus.

All the wines expressed the distinctive characteristics of their different vineyards. Some of them were 100 percent zinfandel, while others included a small amount of petite sirah. Below is the list of wines tasted.

– Claire Nesbitt, Associate Editor