It's dense and delicious, a hedonistic pleasure, so seductive up front a terrific performance from the team at Gallo of Sonoma. The ancient vines at Ridge's Geyserville vineyard grew super-ripe in '99, carrying a honeyed buzz into the fermenter and out into the wine. The harvest there was two weeks later than normal, and yields were down 40 percent after June rains, factors leading to the ripeness and concentration of this '99. The ripeness comes across as blackberries in honey, toffee, the scents of halvah, bringing dessert wine to mind. Then the depths of the wine begin to show as it takes on air, growing more savory, the density of the fruit and tannins creating a complex, lasting flavor.
Air sublimates the sweetness to a tremendous elegance.
A great vintage of Geyserville, best enjoyed two or three years from now.