Ridge Vineyards Geyserville 2000 Bottle (75cl)
Ridge Vineyards Geyserville 2000 is a California red wine presented under the Napa Valley appellation by Ridge Vineyards. It blends Zinfandel, Carignan, Petite Sirah, and Alicante Bouschet. Hailing from the Geyserville vineyard, the 2000 vintage comes from a selection of fourteen parcels vinified separately. The small harvest favored thorough ripeness while preserving firm acidity. The wine was aged in air-dried American oak barrels, including a proportion of new wood, to impart complexity and definition. The estate currently classifies it in a "drink or hold" phase.
La bouteille proposée
- Size
- Bottle (75cl)
- Packaging
- Loose
- Label Condition
- Perfect
- Fill Level
- Perfect
- Capsule Condition
- Perfect
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- Red
- Pays
- Etats-Unis
- Région
- Californie
- Appellation
- Napa Valley
- Producteur / Domaine
- Ridge Vineyards
- Cuvée
- Geyserville
- Millésime
- 2000
Cépage et assemblage
- Grape Variety
- Alicante Bouschet, Carignan, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel
Ridge Vineyards
Ridge Vineyards is a historic California producer based at two winemaking hubs: Monte Bello in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Lytton Springs in Sonoma County. Its identity is built notably on the Monte Bello Cabernets and on old-vine blends dominated by Zinfandel at Geyserville and Lytton Springs. John Olney currently oversees all winemaking as CEO and Head Winemaker.
- Owner
- Otsuka America, Inc., filiale du groupe Otsuka
- Maître de chais
- John Olney
- Surface (ha)
- 139.60 ha
Histoire du domaine
The history of the Monte Bello site dates back to 1885, when physician Osea Perrone acquired 180 acres near the top of the ridge, planted vines, and built a limestone winery; the first vintage bearing the Monte Bello name was produced in 1892. In the 1940s, William Short bought part of the abandoned vineyard and replanted, notably with Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1959, Stanford Research Institute engineers Dave Bennion, Hew Crane, Charlie Rosen, and Howard Ziedler acquired the property and crafted their first Cabernets; the winery was officially re-registered for the 1962 vintage. Ridge produced its first Zinfandel in 1964, followed by its first Geyserville in 1966. Paul Draper joined the company in 1969 and shaped its style for forty-seven years, based on minimal-intervention winemaking and the expression of distinct vineyards. The 1971 Monte Bello placed fifth at the 1976 Judgment of Paris, before winning the commemorative tasting held thirty years later. On December 31, 1986, Ridge became a wholly owned subsidiary of Otsuka America, Inc., while retaining its operational autonomy. The estate acquired Lytton Springs and its old vines in 1991, followed by Whitton Ranch, a central parcel of the Geyserville vineyard, in 2016. Paul Draper retired the same year. John Olney, who joined Ridge in 1996, was appointed Head Winemaker and COO in 2021, then CEO and Head Winemaker in 2026. In January 2020, Ridge reported 345 acres of certified organic vineyards at Monte Bello, Lytton Springs, Geyserville, and East Bench, representing approximately 139.6 hectares. A recent professional source places annual production between 960,000 and 1,200,000 bottles; in the absence of a single verifiable figure, no precise value is retained for this field.
Geyserville
Geyserville is a single-site red wine produced continuously by Ridge since 1966. It is a traditional field blend, dominated by zinfandel and complemented notably by carignane, petite sirah, and mataro. The grapes come from three contiguous vineyards sharing the same gravelly soils in Alexander Valley.
- Origin of the cuvée name
- Dave Bennion named the wine produced in 1966 "Geyserville", crafted from zinfandel and carignane purchased from the Whitton Ranch, near Geyserville.
- Cuvée creation year
- 1966
- Style of the cuvée
- A structured, complex, and elegant red wine, consistently marked by dark fruits, plum, cherry, and spicy or woody nuances. The relatively high proportion of carignane brings a distinctive identity to this blend, renowned for its depth, multiple aromatic layers, and aging potential.
- Position within the range
- A historic grand vin from Ridge, Geyserville ranks among its oldest and most age-worthy single-vineyard references.
Histoire de la cuvée
The first Geyserville was crafted in 1966 using grapes from the old vines of the Trentadue family's Whitton Ranch. Ridge purchased these grapes for twenty-four years, then leased the estate in 1990 before acquiring Whitton Ranch in 2015. Geyserville has been Ridge's oldest and most continuous zinfandel production since 1966.
