2016 East Bench Zinfandel
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Tasting notes
Made from 100% Zinfandel, the 2016 Zinfandel East Bench comes from a site just beside Lytton Springs and is another charming, beautifully pure wine from this estate that should be snatched up by readers. Offering medium-bodied notes of blueberries, mulberries, crushed flowers, and spice, it has plenty of sweet fruit, beautiful balance, and the purity of fruit that’s the hallmark of this great vintage. Drink it over the coming 7-8 years.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Zinfandel East Bench is supported by bright acids that give the wine the tension and energy that are typical of Dry Creek. Primary sweet red and purplish berry fruit notes are pushed forward in this vibrant, beautifully delineated pure Zinfandel. Readers may want to cellar the 2016 for a few years, as it is tightly wound today, but all the elements are impeccably balanced. The East Bench abuts the Syrah block at Lytton Springs. Put simply: what a wine!
The 2016 Zinfandel East Bench offers up classic aromas of blackberry, cherry pit, warm spices and licorice. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with velvety tannins, an ample core of succulent fruit and lovely balance. Generous and structurally open-knit, this is already delicious, but it should be well worth following for the next 8 years or more.
About the producer
Best known for its iconic Monte Bello, Ridge Vineyards makes some of California’s finest wines – particularly Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Long a pioneer of sustainable farming and minimal-intervention winemaking, Ridge makes an extensive range from Sonoma County and the Santa Cruz Mountains.