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a
es, it’s about that time again, when we give a
rundown on the latest batch of wines we've tasted from
Ridge Vineyards over the past
few months, so let’s get right to those TNs without further ado or
wasted bandwidth.
2003 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay $30.99, 14.9% alc.:
Yes, Ridge is mostly known for their Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon and Zin based reds like
Geyserville and Lytton Springs, but we’ve never had
a
Ridge Chardonnay that we didn’t like, and this medium straw to pale
gold colored beauty is another fine example of why. It exudes toasty
sweet oak over rich, ripe pear, pineapple, sweet pea and even a pat of
butter on the nose, all following through excessively and emphatically
on the palate; Kim mentions an impression of “canned peas, in a good
way.” Medium full bodied, with a nice density to it, this is almost
thick, but not quite unctuous, and yet it has excellent acidity to keep
everything moving along so well. Very much like previous versions that
we’ve had, this should age well for at least five years, and yet it’s
hard to keep hands off already. Kim and I like this one a lot.
One-third of the wine was sourced from three neighboring vineyards,
which Ridge farms, while two-thirds came from the estate.
2002 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot,
2% Petite Verdot, 13.7% alc.: Made from eight blocks of Monte Bello
that winemaker Paul Draper describes in his notes as “the well – defined, more
approachable ones,” this dark garnet Bordeaux blend spent two years in
air – dried American oak (40% new, 45% one and two years old and 15%
three and four years old), in order to soften tannins. The wood is well
integrated, however, as the nose shows a little Draper perfume and
bubble gum over deep, dark black currant, black plum, iodine and as it
opens, a little aquarium. In the mouth, the wine is very plummy and very
primary, with what
Alan Kerr describes as chalky, silky tannins, and
when I described the sensation of the wine washing across the palate, he
expanded upon that, saying “it lacquers the palate and leaves a
residue,” but having said that, the finish is only decent, and not
overly long. Though not austere, the wine is in a drier, somewhat
Bordeaux style, making it a very nice match for a thick, grilled lamb
chop. Drinking well already, this will continue to develop for at least
five years
2003 Ridge Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley, 76% Zinfandel, 18% Petite
Sirah, 6% Carignane, $27.99, 14.3% alc.: I had the chance to try
this dark garnet colored Zin blend with the boys at
Cloverleaf Fine
Wines, and I liked it well enough to take three home with me. While not
as big as many Lytton Springs of the past, it has excellent balance and
that classic “Draper perfume,” with a seamless blend of raspberry, black
raspberry, blueberry and some subtle chocolate both on the nose and in
the mouth. Unlike some recent Zin – related efforts from Ridge, the oak
is in perfect proportion to the fruit, and doesn’t dominate the
character of the wine in its early years. Not too tannic, and not too
ripe, this is almost claret – like, and seems to be missing just a
little of the concentration and intensity that these usually have. All
in all, a nice light heavyweight Lytton Springs. After twelve
months in air - dried American oak, the wine was fined with nine egg
whites per barrel, "balancing firm structure and sensuous fruit."
2003 Ridge San Luis Obispo County Zinfandel Paso Robles, $27.99,
14.8% alc.: This deep, dark garnet colored Zin shows briar – bramble
right off the bat on the nose, and Alan Kerr was reminded of
“tulip.” On the palate, it offers rich black raspberry and black plum,
with earthy undertones and the briar – bramble relegated to the
background; Scott “The Geek” Tobias added an impression of prune. With
silky tannins, on a medium full to full bodied frame, this isn’t as sun
– baked and over ripe as the past several vintages, being drier than
usual, and not as overtly fruit forward, which is just fine with me.
Very well – received by all, and so approachable; my last entry into my
notes reads, “What would anybody not like about this?!” Fully
crushed fruit was fermented with a floating cap of skins, increasing
juice circulation to maximize tannin extraction; more than eighty
percent comes from the north and south blocks, the balance from the back
of the Dusi Ranch. Thirteen months in air - dried American oak.
2003 Ridge Russian River Valley Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyards, 85%
Zinfandel, 14% Petite Sirah, 1% Carignane, $27.99, 13.5% alc.: Dark
garnet, fading to pink at the rim, this shows more wet dog fur on the
nose than “Draper perfume” on the nose, with blackberry and black
raspberry flavors shaded with undertones of earth, dog fur and a little
ash. Not as intense as most Ridge reds, with moderate tannins, good
acidity and a decent finish, this is a solid, if unexceptional light
heavyweight Zinfandel. One year in air-dried American oak barrels,
then "a late egg white fining to focus the rich fruit and balance the
still firm tannins."
2002 Ridge Sonoma Three Valleys, 76% Zinfandel, 13% Carignane, 8%
Petite Sirah, 3% Mataro, $16.99, 14.3% alc.: Deep dark garnet,
fading to pink at the rim, this is one of the most un – Ridge – like
Ridges we’ve ever had. While it does show a little of that signature
Draper perfume on the nose, it shows a lot more coffee, toast and root
beer, with flavors to match on a medium full bodied frame. Medium
tannins, with good acidity and a decent finish, and as it opens, it shows
some chocolate underneath the breakfast menu. It reminds me a little of
a Carlisle with less muscle, and while it’s not a rough wine,
it’s not as smooth as I’d like it either. Kim remarked, “This is flat
and insipid, and you can quote me,” and while I feel a little more
kindly towards the wine, I’d like it better for $14 – 15; it retails for
as much as $20 around here. Fermented on their natural yeasts,
pressed at eight days, with natural (uninoculated) malolactic
fermentation five weeks later. Aged in air - dried American oak barrels
(twenty percent new, the remainder two to six years old).
2002 Ridge Sonoma Mazzoni Home ATP, 66% Zinfandel, 32% Carignane, 2%
Petite Sirah, 15.3% alc.: This wine is so dark, it looks like ink,
and while it doesn’t give much more than a little Draper perfume over
black raspberry on the nose, it’s downright jammy on the palate, with
black raspberry, black cherry and blackberry flavors. Creamy smooth,
with an almost suede – like texture, this has unobtrusive tannins that
show mostly on the finish. All in all, a nice bottle of wine, even if it
doesn’t scream “Ridge” like the next two. 40 barrels produced.
 2001 Ridge Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Del Carlo ATP, $25, 14.3% alc.:
An almost opaque purple garnet in color, this one shows big oak on the
nose, with notes of bubble gum, raspberry, black raspberry and cream,
along with some blueberry and lilac with air. These impressions follow
through on the palate, with some earthy bramble and briar, and while the
creamy oak softens the silky tannins, that same oak has a slightly
green, somewhat hard edge to it that needs a few years of bottle age to
mellow. Still, it’s a nice wine, one that went well with a corned beef,
Montgomery Cheddar and Maille Dijon Mustard sandwich on Zingerman’s Rye
bread. The vineyard is owned and farmed by Ray Teldeschi, with one acre
of pre – Prohibition vines, five acres of 50 – 70 year old vines and 2 ˝
acres of 10 year old vines.
2002 Ridge Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Teldeschi Ranch ATP, $25:
Dark garnet, fading to pink at the rim, this gives up a sweet kiss of
Draper perfume over big, earthy black raspberry, blackberry and even
black plum, with overtones of blueberry and lilac; the creamy flavors
more than echo, with a few years of tannins that show mostly on the
finish. A nice wine here as well, but Kim and I both like the Del Carlo
a little better for its brambly qualities; as she puts it so well, “It’s
more like an old – styled Ridge Zin.” Fermented on natural yeasts
for twelve days, pumped over twice daily; natural malolactic
fermentation, then wine was racked to air - dried American oak barrels,
25% new, 75% two to six years old, and aged for fifteen months.
Many thanks to Steve Kolody for
samples of the '03 SCM Chardonnay, '02 SCM red blend and the '03 Ponzo
Zinfandel. ~
After relating our
less than enthusiastic
first impressions of the ultra –
ripe and sweet 2002 Ridge Pagani and Geyserville to Alan Kerr, I decided to open a couple of 2000s with him, just to
see how they were coming along, and considering what we found, perhaps
my qualification that we should reserve our judgment on those ‘02s for a
few years was correct.
2000 Ridge Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley, 80% Zinfandel, 20% Petite
Sirah, $30, 14.8% alc.: Alan’s first comment refarding this dark garnet
blend was, “You’re right, this IS sweet.” But while it’s slightly
overripe, it’s not excessively so, and although tight at first, it opens
to show more Draper perfume in the way of creamy smooth raspberry, black
raspberry, some blueberry and overtones of lilac. Allan uttered
impressions of blackberry, toffee, caramel, milk chocolate, a little
mineral and iron, adding that some “dusty tannins were the only thing
that’s retarding it.” To me, those tannins are silky, showing mainly on
the finish, and combined with the balanced acidity, bode well for at
least a few years of further improvement, but make no mistake, this is a
pleasure to drink right now.
2000 Ridge Geyserville, 66% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane, 17% Petite
Sirah, $30, 14.9% alc.: Dense dark garnet in color, this shows less
of the signature Ridge aromatics than it did when we
first tasted it,
and it only gives some of the cream found in the 2000 Lytton Springs
after it’s had some aeration. Alan described it as “so much more fruit
driven without the sweetness” of the LS, and in fact it has that classic
Geyserville claret – like character, with earthy blackberry, black
raspberry accented with a bit of the bramble fruit that we so miss in
most Zinfandels these days. Although it opens dramatically with air,
this is a deep wine that shows none of the ripe qualities of the current
model, and needs three to five years minimum to begin to show its best.
While it may not be the greatest example of what Geyserville is all
about, it’s a fine Geyserville nevertheless.
Happily, we have more than a few of each of these to open during the
coming years (as is the case with the following selections), so we’re
all set on that account. Fast forward a week; we’d already had a few nice bottles
with
Shar Douglas and Ken Heibenstriet when I got it into my
head that we should see how the ’99 models were faring, so I descended
to the cellar from heck and returned with the following numbers.
1999 Ridge Geyserville Sonoma County, 68% Zinfandel, 16% Carignane,
16% Petite Sirah, $30, 14.8% alc.: Kim got “a ton of coconut and
dill” from her first few whiffs of this deep, dark garnet Geezer, and as
it opened, she amended her impressions to “toasty coconut, like a
macaroon.” I get a rather different take on this, finding big barnyard
over Draper perfume in the way of bubblegum, raspberry, blackberry and
yes, a little coconut. Fairly earthy, and yet creamy smooth in the
mouth, where it emphasizes the darker berries, this opens to show more
Draper perfume, some bramble and briar, root beer and a hint of
chocolate; the more it opens, the more appealing it becomes. Still it’s
pretty tannic, needing five years to really show its best, but it has
all the stuffing to go the distance, so patience will be rewarded.
 1999 Ridge Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley, 70% Zinfandel, 17% Petite
Sirah, 10% Carignane, 3% Mataro, $30, 14.5% alc.: This is perhaps
the darkest Lytton Springs I can ever remember having, and I don’t just
mean the color, even though it’s almost opaque in its density of purple
and garnet. The most recent bottle, enjoyed on August 7th, was much more
attractive than one tasted over the winter holidays; it shows the
essence of Draper perfume right on the nose right from the start, with a
lovely kiss of sweet oak and an almost floral quality over dark berries
and black plums and currants. Flavors echo loudly on a very nicely
structured and balanced full bodied frame, and while somewhat jammy,
it’s not at all over done; there’s a claret – like character that gives
sweet and dry impressions at the same time, and successive sips coat the
mouth for what seems like minutes. It’s very much like the ’99 Geezer in
that it needs some serious time, probably as much as five years, and yet
this is really starting to strut its stuff. I’d be hard pressed to name
a better Lytton Springs going back to at least the 1990 version.
~
And finally, a most welcome taste of an old friend...
1993 Ridge Sonoma Valley Zinfandel Pagani Ranch, 82% Zinfandel, 12%
Mataro, 4% Alicante Bouschet, 2% Petite Sirah, 14.9% alc.:
Errol
Kovitch pulled this out of his cellar at a recent gathering, and I’m
happy to report that it’s still going strong. Showing just the vaguest
hint of rust to its dark garnet color, it exudes luscious “Draper
perfume” over rich raspberries and black cherries in both flavor and
aroma, with what Kim describes as a lot of bittersweet chocolate in the
background. The wine is fleshy, but not jammy, and there’re still some
tannins to burn here, along with good acidity and a long finish.
Paul
Mann, Jr., who surprisingly had never had a Ridge Zin, marveled at the
long lazy legs that this left in the glass, and described it as “like a
mouthful of berries,” calling it “just amazing.” This particular bottle
could have gone another five years easily, but I’m sure glad that it
didn’t.
Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo
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