'68-'79 Ridge Geyserville - 2/16/12

Last night out tasting group got together for the first of a 4 part series tasting almost all of the Geyservilles produced. With wines this old we were lucky all of the bottles showed well. The first vintage of Geyserville was produced in 1966 and was Ridge's first non-estate wine.

Ridge '68 Geyserville (Sonoma County)
Nose - soft, fruitcake and tobacco.
Light tart tobacco-y red fruit, strawberry and cinnamon. 92 pts

Ridge '70 Geyserville (Sonoma County)
Nose - black cherry, dark chocolate, smooth, cinnamon.
Super-smooth, sweet black cherry, quite ripe, touch of raisin, hint of fudge. 89 pts

Ridge '72 Geyserville (Sonoma County)
Nose - cherry wood, toasty baguette, redwood, haw fruit.
Cherry, haw, toasty baguette, clean, hint of tobacco. 92 pts

Ridge '74 Geyserville (Sonoma County)
Nose - sweet red cherry, mint and dill, touch of fudge.
Sandalwood, red cherry, lemon zest and pith, fudge, tangello. 91 pts

Ridge '75 Geyserville Late Picked (Sonoma County)
Nose - tobacco ash, black olive, funky leather.
Suede with cherry, redwood, lime zest, hint of barnyard. 90 pts

Ridge '76 Geyserville (Sonoma County)
Nose - dusky cola, dark cocoa, dill, cherry.
Dark dusky mahogany, ripe black cherry, hints of cinnamon hard candy and lime zest. 91 pts

Ridge '77 Geyserville Late Harvest (Sonoma County)
Nose - sweet strawberry, cocoa, brandied cherry.
Sweet delicate strawberry and cherry syrup, allspice and redwood. 93 pts

Ridge '78 Geyserville Late Picked (Sonoma County)
Nose - toasted baguette, summer savory, cherry.
Full lovely savory spice mahogany, red cherry, redwood. Still young and continued to improve over time. 95 pts

Ridge '79 Geyserville (Sonoma County)
Nose - sweet pickle, cherry, silky.
Spicy cedary cherry, cinnamon, fresh/vibrant, hints of tangerine juice and zest. 92 pts