2013 York Creek Mill Block Zinfandel

Bing cherry, bramble fruit, and wild fennel on the nose. Medium bodied and well-balanced acidity. Finishes with hints of orange peel and clove spice. MB (11/17)

A second warm summer hastened ripening at this Spring Mountain vineyard above Napa Valley. There was little morning fog, enabling us to harvest in mid September. Natural yeast fermentations began by day three, and finished twelve days later. Though we frequently include petite sirah, this year zinfandel alone provided ample structure and depth of color. This full, rich wine is enjoyable now, after a year in barrel, and will evolve over the next five to six years.

The Mill is a parcel on the York Creek vineyard which is located high on Spring Mountain, overlooking St. Helena and the Napa Valley from the west. Ridge has produced zinfandel from York Creek since 1975. In the past we have typically combined the various blocks on the vineyard to make the final wine. In 2013, however, the Mill stood out as such complete wine that we chose not to blend it but instead to bottle it under its own designation. The block is named after a log mill that still stands at the base of the vineyard today.

Rainfall: 24.5-30” (below average)
Bloom: Early to mid May
Weather: Warm spring and summer followed by cooler weather that slowed ripening.

Grapes: Average brix 25.4°
Fermentation: Grapes destemmed and crushed, pumped over a floating cap and pressed at twelve days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried american oak barrels (10% new, 30% one- and two-years-old, 60% three- and four-years old). Time in barrel Twelve months

York Creek Vineyard grapes, hand-harvested; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; 6.29 grams/liter tartaric acid added during fermentation; 0.5% water addition; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 241 ppm over the course of aging); pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.

Average Rating: 90.3

No. of Tasting Notes: 55

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