2020 East Bench Zinfandel, Ridge Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, USA
OVERVIEW
If you're looking for a pure hit of top quality Zinfandel then this Ridge, 100% East Bench Zinfandel from a superb Sonoma vintage simply can't be beaten, especially at this price.
Delectable today, weighty, ripe and bursting with dark fruits, this wine will evolve over the next decade, we recommend another Ridge case buy!
CRITIC REVIEWS
Vividly briary - as though one fell into a patch of raspberry bushes - it’s also very structured and full of cassis flavours, leading one to momentarily wonder if there isn’t some Cabernet in there. Long and layered, it reveals itself slowly. East Bench is one of the few Ridge Zinfandels that is 100% Zinfandel. The vineyard sits on a high west-facing bench of land overlooking Dry Creek Valley from the east. As is common in Dry Creek Valley, the vines are head trained - without trellising - even though they were planted relatively recently in 2000. Dry Creek may well be California’s most renowned AVA for Zinfandel, and this wine shows its classic provenance. 94 Points. Decanter
Lots of blackberries and wrought iron with cloves and black peppercorns. Medium-bodied with firm, chewy tannins that are linear and run the length of the wine. Solid and fine. Focused. Drink or hold. 94 Points. James Suckling
FOOD PAIRING INSPIRATION
This 100% Zinfandel will pair well with roast pork, fatty poultry like duck or goose as well as a barbeque. Will even pair with some chocolate desserts.
VINTAGE AND WINEMAKING
2020 was a challenging vintage that yielded high quality fruit it Sonoma County.
The growing season enjoyed rains in March and April which helped with the heat of the summer produce wines of excellent quality.
The grapes are hand-harvested; destemmed and crushed then fermented on the indigenousness yeasts, followed by primary and secondary fermentation on the naturally-occurring bacteria.
The wine undergoes a daily pump over and is pressed after seven days. The wine is matured in 100% air-dried American oak barrels for twelves month in a mixture of barrels up to 5 years old with 20% new oak.
PRODUCER NOTES
Quite simply some of the most sought after wines in the world competing in quality with the very best of Bordeaux in their reds and the finest Grand Cru Burgundies with their whites. Many of the wines come from old vines and are exceptionally concentrated benefitting from being delicious in youth and also age-worthy developing delicious tertiary characteristics over their evolution.
The 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting catapulted Ridge into the spotlight and instant international acclaim and their wines grew in reputation (and price!) over the ensuing years. However, there has been little change at Ridge itself.
Ridge and Paul Draper have always concentrated on extracting the maximum potential from their vines looking for flavour and concentration in the vineyard with minimal intervention in the winery. Their range of Bordeaux blends and Chardonnays from Monte Bello's fine terroir plus the Zinfandels from the Lytton Springs and Geyserville vineyards in Sonoma County, are among some of the best wines in the world.
NEED ADVICE? ASK A SOMM LIVE
Any questions about this wine? Creating a wine list for a function or planning a special meal or gift? Use the chat facility to speak live to one of our in-house sommeliers who can assist in your wine selection.
SERVICE AND STORAGE TIPS
This wine should be stored around 12°C and served between 16-18°C. We recommend a minimum of 3 hours decanting before approaching this wine.
DELIVERY INFORMATION
Delivery is free when you spend over £150. For orders under this amount then a £9.99 delivery charge will be applied.
We use a tracked DPD delivery service who provide text and email tracking updates.
Every bottle sold by CoolerSomm is subject to our quality guarantee. If a wine is corked or faulty, we will replace it.
2020 East Bench Zinfandel, Ridge Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, USA
| Wine Card | |
| Wine Producer | Ridge Vineyards |
| Wine Region | California, USA |
| Wine Classification | Dry Creek Valley AVA |
| Wine Type | Red |
| Grape Variety | Zinfandel |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Vintage Quality | Excellent - Parker |
| Maturity | Will Improve with age |
| Body | Full Bodied |
| Sweetness | Dry |
| Alcohol % | 14.8% |
| Bottle Type | Bordeaux 75cl |
| Serving Temperature | 16-18°C |
| Food Pairing | Duck, Goose, Turkey, BBQ |
| Awards | 95 Points - Jeb Dubbock |
| 94 Points - James Suckling | |
| 93 Points - Wine Enthusiast |
Payment & Security
Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.