2020 Evangelho

Ruby red in color with aromas of dusty strawberries, red licorice, white peach, jasmine, vanilla bean and brown spices. Medium-bodied with flavors of Bing cherry, red plum, pomegranate, cranberries and baked apple with herbal and earthy undertones. Polished tannins and fresh acidity create a complex, balanced wine. The finish is long and juicy, making this wine immediately approachable yet worthy of aging. TG (5/22)

Early budbreak in the spring advanced the growing season. By the first week of August, the zinfandel and carignane were ripe. We returned two weeks later for the mataro. After a natural yeast fermentation, the three varieties were tasted and combined and then sent to barrel to age for fourteen months. This unique old vine blend is enjoyable as a young wine and will mature over the next seven years. JO (2/22)

Ridge produced its first wine from the Evangelho vineyard in 1990 and went on to produce small bottlings of mataro and zinfandel from this distinctive 1890s-era vineyard for the next three years. The vineyard is located 50 miles east of San Francisco in Contra Costa County and is planted on an ancient alluvial sand bar at the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. The cooling influence of the nearby San Francisco Bay along with the vineyard’s deep, sandy soils produce elegant wines with excellent natural acidity.

Rainfall: 5 inches (below normal)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: 2020 brought a scant 5” of rainfall to Evangelho, along with an early budbreak (late Feb). Warm days, combined with cooling afternoon breezes. Yields were tiny.

Harvest Dates: 23 August – 3 September
Grapes: Average Brix 23.0˚
TA: 6.68 g/L
pH: 3.33
Fermentation: 100% natural primary and secondary fermentation; 100% floating cap; pressed at eight days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (100% Appalachia), 15% new, 26% four years old, 33% five years old, and 26% six years old.
Aging: Eighteen months in barrel

Evangelho Vineyard 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; 35ppm at crush, 76ppm during aging. Pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.

Wine Enthusiast: 95 Points “Decadent aromas greet from the glass immediately, including fresh cedar wood, boysenberry jam, blackberries, vanilla essence, crushed violets, fresh and dried eucalyptus leaves, and bittersweet cacao. Excellent acidity keeps the fruits bright and lively from start to finish while delicate, fine-grained tannins gently coat the mouth. The finish is a long, lingering intermingling of fruits, florals and spices. It’s enjoyable now, but certainly is a wine worth aging.” (November 2022)

Vinous Media: 94 Points “The 2020 Evangelho shows how compelling this vintage can be, in the few select places that were picked early or that escaped damage [from the] wildfires. Deep, fleshy and opulent, the 2020 Evangelho packs a huge punch. I can’t remember tasting a wine from this site with so much raw power. Inky dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, cloves and leather all hit the palate. Despite heat and drought that led to a freakishly early harvest in August, the 2020 is somehow impeccably balanced. Then again, that is one of the signatures of great sites.” -Antonio Galloni (October 2022)

OwenBargreen.com: 94 Points “The 2020 ‘Evangelho’ is a unique blend of 54% Carignane with 26% Zinfandel and the remainder Mataro which was sourced from the Contra Costa County. The nose is just sensational with violets, white pepper dusted bacon and brandy soaked dark cherry. The palate is soft and refined, making this exceedingly easy to drink even now. Bright acidity holds in place a ripe core of red fruits that combine with rose water, kumquat zest and creosote notes. Highly novel and complex, this is gorgeous wine that will cellar well for another decade or more.” -Owen Bargreen (August 2022)

Average Rating: 91.3

No. of Tasting Notes: 8

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