2022 Jimsomare Zinfandel

Complex aromas consisting of wild herbs, candied apple, paraffin, blueberries, guava and earthy undertones. A bright and fresh entry with a red fruit dominated profile. Balanced with firm acidity, fine tannins and a touch of toasted oak make for a long and lingering finish. TG (1/24)

This unique zinfandel from the Jimsomare Ranch at a lower elevation on Monte Bello has been made by Ridge for 55 years. This particular 19th century clone and the limestone soils produce a fully ripe zinfandel with lively acidity, intense fruit, and gracious tannins. Barrel-aged for seventeen months, this exceptional wine will develop fully over the next ten to twelve years. TG (2/24)

Since the late 1960s, Ridge has made small quantities of wine from this nineteenth-century vineyard. The vines were planted by Alsatian Pierre Klein, a San Francisco restaurateur. While famous for his Bordeaux-varietal wines, which won gold medals at the Paris Exposition of 1900, it was his zinfandel plantings that survived Prohibition and the Depression. In 1936, the Schwabacher family purchased Klein’s Mira Valle property, re-naming it “Jimsomare,” for James (father and son), Sophie (wife and mother), and Marie Louise (daughter). In 1966, vineyard manager Elmano Homem pruned the long-neglected vines, and brought the vineyard back to life. Ridge first harvested the zinfandel in 1968, and took over the farming of the ranch in 1996 as part of our Monte Bello Estate. We now refer to it by its original owner’s name as the Klein Ranch.

Rainfall: 28 inches (below average)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: 2022 was another drought year, with just enough spring rains to help the vines through the season. Two heat spells, one in late July and the other in late August, pushed the vines to an early harvest.

Harvest Date: 12 September
Grapes: Average Brix 25.0˚
TA: 7.4 g/L
pH: 3.52
Fermentation: Grapes were de-stemmed and fully crushed; fermented with a floating cap.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (18% new, 82% three years old).
Aging: Sixteen months in barrel

Monte Bello 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 for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 99 ppm over the course of aging). In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.