2022 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel

Jammy black raspberry, orange zest and garrigue on the nose. Silky tannins and firm acidity. Flavors of blackberry, honeycomb and white pepper linger on the finish. SR (7/24)

Early flowering and mild summer weather provided excellent growing conditions. This vineyard in the cool Sonoma Valley is always the last picked, but this year it ripened early. It came in over five days in mid-September. Selected blocks of old vines planted between 1896 and 1922 give depth of flavor and texture. The younger vines add intense fruit and racy acidity. This fine wine will be most enjoyable over the next ten years. SR (11/23)

Since 1991, Ridge has made zinfandel from the Pagani vineyard on the western side of Sonoma Valley. The majority of the vineyard was planted ninety to one hundred twenty years ago; portions of it were replanted between 2013—2018. The vineyard is meticulously tended by a quality-conscious family who has worked the land for four generations. An average site would have been abandoned during the thirteen years of Prohibition, or during the Depression. Its long survival is proof of its merit.

Rainfall: 22 inches (below average)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: 2022 was the third year of drought. Thankfully, we received spring rains that helped the vines. These same rains caused shatter in our zinfandel, reducing their crop. Two heat spells pushed the vines to another early harvest.

Harvest Dates: 13 – 17 September
Grapes: Average Brix 24.1˚
TA: 7.65 g/L
pH: 3.51
Fermentation: Grapes destemmed and crushed. Natural primary and natural secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (15% new, 10% one year old, 20% two years old, 5% three years old, and 50% neutral oak).
Aging: Fourteen months in barrel

Pagani Ranch grapes; hand-harvested; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 140 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.

See all food pairing recipes we have created specifically for this wine.