TN: 2016 Ridge Demostene Zinfandel - An incredible AFWE wine from Ridge!

WINE TALK
21

Hi Tom,

The source for this wine were the vines owned by Ed Demostene (Brother of Dave). This parcel was not part of the sale to the awfulness that is Silver Oak. Ed’s Daughter Leisa is managing the vineyard and Ridge will be making a future vintage.

22

Thanks, Ryan. I was just assuming it came from Dave’s original Sausal Vnyd.
Tom

23

Usually those blocks go into the regular Lytton bottling. Pretty cool that they do special bottles like this.

Here is the Ridge tasting video for the Demostene bottling. Looks like Olney is standing out in the vineyard for this one.

I’m mostly posting this because Demostene is not pronounced the way I had it in my head.

Hoping it’s true that Ridge will continue to get this fruit. I had understood it would be a one off.

24

Whoa! duh MOSS duh nee

25

Totally agree. It’s a fine balance.

26

Ridge just launched a free shipping offer, so I grabbed a couple of these - looking forward to them. Thanks for the tip! [cheers.gif]

27

Was the offer via email or on the website?

28

I learned of it by email but it seemed to be posted on the website, too. You do have to be a member of one of their clubs to get the deal, though, I believe.

29

Anybody else find this wine having changed quite a lot since January? We loved this wine, I purchased another 9 bottles as part of a mixed case, and lately they’ve been really thin, acidic, lacking fruit and the structure that really made this wine stand out. Could it be entering a ‘dumb’ or closed phase? It’s markedly different than it was in January

30

I hope not. Planning on popping one sometime in the next week, will report back.

31

Please do - we noticed a significant change. Wrote one off as a ‘bad bottle’ but two in a row, similarly ‘flawed’

32

Having just ordered some, this is a bummer - please keep us posted!

33

Leisa’s vineyard is next door to our place (between HWY 128 and us). There’s a swath of the same soil we have that goes downhill thru much of her place and a little into Silver Oak’s southern property (a purchase they made in the 1980’s, well before the Sausal purchase somewhat to the north). [In the very early 1980’s, when I wasn’t at Field Stone or working at my family’s vineyard, I would drive tractor for the previous owner and know where the soil changes (and wet spots) are.] Her dad (Ed) and Dave and two of their sisters owned Sausal which was another property separate from Dave’s which he still owns. After the sale of the Sausal property, Dave and Ed kept theirs. So, it’s confusing. Ed died a few years ago.

I heard that Ridge was really happy with what they were getting from Leisa. Great to see the love here.

Trivia: I think Dave’s own vineyard provided Pinot Noir (in Alexander Valley of all places) for Kalin back in the early 1980’s…at least one vintage as I tasted it at a dinner where a longtime collector treated us. The wine was impressive, by the way. It broke many rules we perceive now. Come to think of it, Johnson’s Winery of AV made an AV Pinot Noir that won some big medal/sweepstakes thing at the Sonoma County Harvest fair back in the 1970’s well before I was of age to drink. Another exception to the rules.

F

34

Fred,

The Leightons and I bought bulk wine from Sausal back in the late 70s for Napa Gamay that was finished at JW Morris. Then we bought some Pinot Noir in 1980.
Realizing that selling wine was not as much fun as selling barrels, I didn’t do anything here after that but I think Terry and Frances did. I will bring you some bottles after the plague passes.


Didn t Grgich buy bulk zinfandel here??

35

They could have sold bulk to Grgich. He knew the neighborhood well. Remember, when he was at Montelena he bought half of that famous 1973 Chardonnay from Belle Terre, practically next door to Soda Rock.

We used to sell the Demostenes our grapes when they operated Soda Rock, right across the highway. After Leo Demostene died and the family started Sausal, we sold our grapes to them. Both operations were significantly into selling in bulk until Sausal’s own label took hold in the marketplace.

36

Anyone try this recently and discover the same thing I did?

37

Popped one last night. I was only able to give it 30 minutes in the decanter. It wasn’t a particularly good showing based on praise above (this was my first)…perhaps a dumb phase is showing up. Forward red fruit and vanilla/oak influence, and not much depth. Improved by the last glass. I’ll wait on my other two.

38

Thanks Brandon. This was so universally lauded when it first was released that I can’t help but think it is in a closed phase. How long it will be is the question…

39

Site selection will be very crucial with the way climate change is progressing.

40

Well if it’s in a closed phase I’ll leave it be. I had thought about bringing one home to check in on. No concerns about waiting though given the structure that I remember.