Ridge 2005 and 2006 Geyserville - My first vertical

Ridge wines are special to me. When I was first learning to taste wine about a year-and-a-half ago, I had my first a-ha moment with wine while drinking a wine from Ridge. Neil and Kathy had invited Rachael and I over to their house for a wine tasting party. To help us get a handle of the different styles of wine, we tried three white wines and three red wines that ran the wine style gamut.

Once we were finished tasting those, I remember them opening a bottle of Ridge 2005 Geyserville so (at least in my mind) we could see what a “real wine” tasted like. The 2005 Geyserville helped me understand why people get into wine. It was complex and layered, with aromas of berries and mild sweet oak, with what I now know to be typical Zinfandel spice. It was a rich wine, with an earthy feel and silky tannins.

Having been a dedicated wine taster for over a year, I just had one of my first experiences with tasting a vertical of the same wine. For my recent birthday, Kathy and Neil gave me a bottle of the 2006 Ridge Geyserville, which I tasted the other night. And, wow, were the 2005 and 2006 ever different.

Though the 2005 and the 2006 had the same alcohol content, it was much more apparent in the 2006 Geyserville. In fact, it masked almost of all of the fruit and earth on the nose. The wine was much better in the mouth than on the nose, and though it still was pretty stout, there was plenty of acid to smooth everything out. I’ve heard through some of my “sources” that this is what Ridge wines taste like for colder vintages. But you must have a vertical of more than two years to be privy to that bit of info. I guess I’ll see next year!

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