Tasting Notes From the Ridge 

Winter Wineland
18 January 2004

2001 Chardonnay Coast Range - lively aromas of clove, Meyer lemon zest and faint hints of cinnamon in the nose - very friendly in the mouth with additional subtle spice and mineral components - may no doubt develop a bit more complexity, but drinking extremely well right now.

2001 Zinfandel Buchignani ATP - 76% Zinfandel 23% Carignane 1% Petite Sirah 14.3% alcohol 46 barrels produced - somewhat shy, but pretty Zinberry aromatics - hints of briar in the mouth and restrained fruit, giving me the impression that this wine has or is closing down.

2001 Zinfandel Nervo ATP - 95% Zinfandel 5% Petite Sirah 14.9% alcohol 41 barrels produced --very shy in the nose - a bit more showing in the mouth with nice medium weight purple berry and plum flavors - I think this wine will be even more expressive with more time in bottle.

2001 Zinfandel Dusi Ranch ATP - 100% Zinfandel - 15.2% alcohol - 54 barrels produced - nicely rich and jammy in the nose - lovely mouthfilling flavors without a trace of the ultraripe qualities that are sometimes associated with this bottling - drinks very easily today, and one of the few "early drinkers" from this program.

2000 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch - 88% Zinfandel 9% Alicante Bouschet 3% Petite Sirah 15% alcohol 77 barrels produced - very pretty aromas that exhibit the typical profile of this hundred year old vineyard - just delicious in the mouth, this medium weight blend may lack the concentration of better vintage years, but has a balance, elegance and drinkability that is very attractive. Here's one to enjoy while you're waiting for your 97s, 99s and 01s to come around. Absolutely delicious.

2000 Lytton Springs - 80% Zinfandel 20% Petite Sirah 15% alcohol - the expected aromas of gently stewed purple and black fruits mixed with hints of tar and earth rise from the glass - the flavors follow and much like the Pagani, this is an elegant and delightfully balanced wine that is drinking very nicely now and should give you great satisfaction while you wait for your more structured vintages to mature. Very, very pretty.

1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Jimsomare ATP - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 13.7% alcohol 41 barrels produced - zesty aromas of Monte Bello Ridge Cabernet with the chalky overtones so typical of JimCab - in the mouth the fruit is a bit on the shy side - even though the tannins don't hit until the back of the midpalate, and are very smooth and polished, I think this wine has yet to emerge from its hibernation - I think there's much more to this wine than it's showing right now - it needs more time.

The View from Here

One of the marks of winemaking at its best is what goes into the bottle in less than stellar years. 2000 was widely regarded as a "lesser" vintage. For some wineries, it certainly was. But in the hands of a gifted winemaker, the results are simply wines with different windows of optimum drinkability and different personalities.

The 2000 Lytton Springs and Pagani Ranch are beautiful wines, and for those of you who appreciate balance rather than "bigger is better", these Zins will delight you.