2017 East Bench Zinfandel
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Tasting notes
The 2017 Zinfandel East Bench, made from 100% Zinfandel aged 12 months in 10% American oak, has a medium ruby color and is scented of violet, lilac, warm peaches and yellow apricot with wet clay, dust, red and black cherries, bramble fruit and notions of dried herbs and earth melted right into all that fruit. Medium to full-bodied, it has wonderful earth-tinged fruits in the mouth with chalky, integrated tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long and layered. A more serious expression.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Zinfandel East Bench is bold and forward, with all of the intensity of Dry Creek very much in evidence. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, leather, licorice, spice and chocolate all race out of the glass. The East Bench is always extroverted in style, as it is once again in 2017.
The 2017 Zinfandel East Bench comes from the Dry Creek Valley and has a classic bouquet of spice blue fruits, sweet kirsch, cedar, and tobacco leaf. It's a juicy, forward, delicious effort that has notable purity, as well as balance. Drink it anytime over the coming 15 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.