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Mr. Ridge Comes A-Knockin' Tasting Notes and Storyline by Bastardo
"…like a little puddle of fruit, lying on a board..." – The Geek 1996 Ridge Sonoma Station Zinfandel
$19.99
The Director and I have been working feverishly…, well we’ve been working hard…, well, we’ve been trying to find the time to get these latest Gang pages out for a while now, and just when their posting is imminent, what happens? The ’96 Ridge Zins start to show up in Detroit, that’s what! I happened to stop in at Beverly Hills’ Beverage Warehouse to see my buddies Dave and Rich and pick up some of the ’96 Ibernoble that finally showed up here, when I spy them; two Lytton Springs and three Sonoma Station. (They were allocated three apiece!) Well, what was a poor boy to do but forget the Ibernoble, buy one of each and speed home immediately, with no intention whatsoever of saving these babies to taste with the Canadian Zinfans like we usually do. Oh no, we gotta taste these right now! Tom Hill has already posted HIS notes on them; he beats EVERYBODY to the punch! Both wines are a dark garnet, pink at the rim. The Sonoma Station was poured straight from the bottle, decanter be damned! Immediately, the signature "Draper perfume" leaps from the glass, showing lovely sweet oak/blue/raspberry/cherry aromas, with added notes of subtle briar/bramble/maple syrup as it opens in the glass. These follow through on the palate, with an unmistakable buttery quality (no popcorn this time), and pepper on the finish. Soft tannins make this quite accessible, though there’s no reason it shouldn’t hold nicely for the next couple of years, if you can keep your hands off. And, if it lacks the depth of the Geyservilles, Paganis, etc., it’s still eminently drinkable now, while waiting for the bigger models to mellow a bit. Too bad we have to pay $4 more than you guys in California though… The Lytton Springs was decanted, and it needed a good hour to open, anyway. While the nose wasn’t as effusive as the Sonoma Station, at first, it did show darker fruit, especially black raspberry/black cherry/briar/bramble, with subtle plum and another peppery finish. With extended air, it takes on nice boysen/raspberry nuances that are typical of Mr. Ridge, along with a little of Canadian Zinfan’s aquarium nuance. Despite a good dose of silky tannins, this has a creamy quality in the mouth that even now makes it very attractive. It also has plenty of the depth that the SS lacks, and we’ll wait another couple of years to see how it develops. This was a wonderful accompaniment to The Director’s delectable pasta primavera. Hafta pay $4 more for this too; oh well...
1993 Ridge Geyserville $24 The Geek called us recently to tell us about the ’94 Ridge Geyserville he’d found, and wondered if we’d care to help him drink it. We’re pretty easy when it comes to Mr. Draper’s wines, so of course we said "Sure!" Thinking that it might be fun to compare, I pulled a ’93 out of "the cellar," and gave it some time to breathe. Upon his arrival, we decanted the late model, and poured ourselves a glass of the ’93. We were immediately sent into a state of near rapture. What a lovely wine! It had the obligatory dark garnet color of any five-year-old zin worth its grapes, with a slightly creamy mouthfeel. (I know, it’s a field blend, and with only 60% zinfandel, can’t legally be referred to as such. So, sue me!) The flavors and aromas were just beautiful, with lots of perfumed blue/black/rasp/boysenberry fruit and a touch of earth. The finish was long, and though a little tannic to begin with, it continued to open for the next three hours. It is sure to improve with a few more years in the cellar. After a glass of that, we tried the ’94, and at first, it seemed to pale slightly in comparison; however, this wine also seemed to open up for hours, much like a fine Rhone. At first, the fruit seemed subdued; the initial impression on the nose and palate was chocolate/ coffee/nutmeg, and a little brown sugar and earth. It was less tannic than the earlier vintage, and as it continued to open, it took on a nice plum note, which reinforced its Rhone-like quality. The Geek described it as "…like a little puddle of fruit, lying on a board." Though the ’93 seemed the better wine initially, the younger bottling grew on us. Both were highly rated by critics, having been selected to consecutive Wine Spectator Top 100 lists, among other accolades. However, there has been considerable commentary in various Internet wine bulletin boards and discussion groups regarding the impressions that the ’94 Ridge zins generally seem to have fallen somewhat short of past efforts. While there may be a case made for this, the ’94 Geyserville is not one to dismiss lightly. The older model was slightly better, in this taster’s opinion, but The Geek and Madame L’ Pour seemed to prefer the other. No matter, both provided a very special tasting experience that won’t be soon forgotten.
1990 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel
$16 During a recent get together, I pulled out some treats for our Canadian cohorts, and we wasted no time getting right to them. They were enjoyed with serious New York strips, courtesy of the Canucks. Canadian Zinfan described the 1990 Ridge Lytton Springs as "almost perfect…; it doesn't get better," and he was correct. As absolutely ravishing as it was, it could easily go a few years longer in "the cellar," but why wait. (It was my last, I might add. This is the wine that hooked The Director and this taster on "Mr. Ridge," about five or six years ago. We tasted more than a few over those years.) Dark garnet, with no perceptible brick to speak of, this has all of the lovely, intense, spicy, perfumed blue/black/raspberry flavors and aromas that have come to be associated with the signature Paul Draper style. CZ, ever the perceptive one, also noted "limestone/moss/ white brick/chalk dust, with black currant jam in the background." There is a very good reason that this has been a favorite in our house for some time now, and it was the best wine of the three. A deep, serious Zinfandel.
In unison, we inquired, "What's a Smarties?" (We don't do Candy much at our house.) CZ replied, "You don't know what Smarties are? We just happen to have some!" And, sure enough, he produced a small package of the confection in question, which this taster declined to try. Madame accepted a sample, however, and compared them to M&Ms. Smarties or Reese's notwithstanding, this is a lovely Zinfandel that seems more in the claret style than the models from the early '90's. Give it a few years to come together; it’s gonna be a beauty. All agreed that the 1995 Pagani is richer, and showing better than the Geyserville. With its obligatory dark garnet color and a mouthfeel that CZ described as "smooth as suede" (despite the 15.2% alcohol), it has to be the most approachable Pagani upon release yet. Flavors and aromas include big zinberry/chocolate/coffee/ candied violet, in that inimitable Draper style. The only negative whatsoever was that it doesn't have the extra depth of the '90 LS. (I tend to sip slowly, so I still had a good half glass of that left, and did indeed compare the two.) Still, this is a minor complaint. This easily qualifies as a "desert island" selection in this taster’s notebook, and Wine Probation has been violated in order to secure some for "the cellar."
And also plus there's more… 1994 Ridge Lytton Springs Reconsidered $25.00 We tasted this upon release in the Detroit area and were NOT impressed. Subsequent conversations with Canadian Zinfan and contributors to various Internet wineboards tended to confirm our impressions that this (and other ’94 Ridge Zins) just wasn’t up to this producer’s usual lofty standards. This notion has also been reinforced by the fact that this can still be found in a few outlets, when later vintages are long gone. Noting this, I’ve continued to wonder if it has undergone any favorable development as it’s aged. So, when I ran into some that was obviously well stored, in an out of the way shop in a sleepy backwater town in mid-Michigan, I decided to give it another try. Typical dark garnet, with a plum/black cherry/sweet oak/brown sugar/bit of barnyard nose, this doesn’t show as much of the "Draper perfume" as one might expect, but it’s attractive nonetheless. The flavors echo, but at first the finish is shorter than your average Mr. Ridge. However, like the ’94 Geyserville, it continues to open with air, taking on length of finish and some blue/raspberry/nutmeg/coffee/hint o’mint characteristics. And, like that same Geyserville, it has a certain Rhone-like quality about it. After sipping this slowly over several hours, this taster must admit that there is more to it than there appeared to be at first. While it still may not be as good as the rest of the Ridge Lytton Springs of the ‘90’s, this is one that gives much pleasure; perhaps it is a good idea to give it a minimum of an hour in a decanter before drinking. Or maybe a few more years in the cellar to see what develops. 1994 Ridge Zinfandel Paso Robles Dusi Ranch $23.00 The only bottle of this that I was able to get my hands on, this dark garnet was similar to many of the other ’94 Ridge Zins in that it was less rich and bumptious than one usually expects from these folks. Still, it showed subtle oaked vanilla/blueberry overtones to the somewhat restrained plum/raspberry/brown sugar flavors and aromas. A green streak of bellpepper evaporated with air and was replaced with a touch of chocolate. And of course, there was a whiff of that typical Paso Robles "dustiness." A slightly port-like texture was noted on the palate, as well. This will improve with at least a few years in the cellar.
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