Now this…was really special! I know that the 1973 is said to be Paul Drapers favorite Geyserville vintage so my expectations were fairly high, and I’m happy to report that the wine did not disappoint. The cork was saturated to the top but no seepage, and it poured a dark maroon color with some bricking at the edges and a lovely nose of cinnamon, violets, red fruits and a hint of carmel (in a good way). On the palate this is fresh and lively with Deep dark black fruits, baking spice, and a little bit of leather. Everything is lifted by the acidity creating a medium bodied mouthfeel and a long finish filled with cherries, a hint of dark chocolate and amaretto. It’s still evolving on my palate for a good 30 seconds after each sip, and continues to open up and improve in the glass. Wow. A legendary wine that is worthy of its reputation. I was lucky enough to grab 5 of these at auction recently for what I felt was a great price, and this first bottle had by far the lowest fill out of all of them. Needless to say, I’m very much looking forward to the rest, because if they somehow manage to show better than this one did, I’ll be in for one helluva ride!
What a cool piece of consumable history.
“It should be laid down for at least three years.”
Totally agree! Such a treat to drink 
Ha ha! I laughed at that too. Maybe a range would have been better - ‘at least 3 to 53 years’ 
Great note.
Ha ha! Thanks bud!
Wow. That color!
Right! And this was the one out of the 5 that i had the least faith in based on the fill levels!
Legendary as you say, and far and away the finest Zinfandel I have ever tasted.
We tasted it with Paul Draper who said the late harvest version was the same wine as the normal.
Bought a 10 bottle lot of the 73 Lytton Springs at auction a little over a year ago. I’ve only opened one so far but I definitely enjoyed it—especially given the very reasonable tariff!
Amazing, thank you Mark! I was pretty sure the ‘late harvest’ was the same as the normal, so i really appreciate you confirming that
No kidding
Great note and pix, Rich! I am happy that the bottle was enjoyable. This is what this crazy hobby is all about!
Thanks Ed, appreciate it! And totally agree!
’73 the finest Geyserville that i know, and many are indeed very, very fine
another ’73 Zinf to look out for is the Joseph Swan – a little more delicate, may not be aging quite so healthily
John Gilman put together a Zins of our Fathers tasting. The only producers who made wines that had aged, and actually had aged beautifully, were Ridge and Swan.
A friend organized an old zin party where we had at least a dozen, from 1935-1982. At least one from each decade, mostly '60s and '70s, no repeat producers. Only two were over the hill. The nature of the group was to bring something we hoped would show well, with older attendees having been serious collectors since the '60s.
Now that…is a party that I’d LOVE to be at, ha! When was this zin-centric tasting? And do you recall which wines people dug the most?
Maybe 8 years ago. I dont remember most of the specific wines off hand. The two tired ones were still enjoyable. Most of the rest were impressive enough they would’ve garnered first place votes if we’d voted. The '35 was Simi. Ridge, Swan and Gemello were in the mix.