We were also pleased that The Geek was able to join us for the evening.

I'd vacillated between four different Cabernet Sauvignons to open for our guests. Unable to decide, I opted instead for the two Ravenswood single vineyard Zins. It proved to be an appropriate decision, considering the '95 Swan Frati that Mr. Gross brought along.

We exchanged greetings and brief introductions and got right down to enjoying these fine Zins.

First came the '93 Wood Road Belloni. Dark garnet in color, with raspberry/black cherry on the nose and palate, the flavors never did seem to quite open up for this taster. Either that, or it's just a bit fruit shy, at this point. With air, The Geek noted intense cola nuances, while Gross commented on its spicy mushroom elements typical of the Wood Road Belloni bottlings, increasingly dry and chewy. After the next two selections, we returned to this one, and some subtle vanilla oak was starting to show, along with a little tar and earth.

Since both Ravenswood Zins had been decanted, the Dickerson was the obvious next choice, and it was a beauty. Its cherry garnet color was slightly lighter than the Belloni, with a rich dark red Zinberry briar nose that included black cherry/black raspberry and "big cloves" (Gross). The lovely flavors echoed; they were also smoother and more refined that the first wine. Matt noted "sneakers and rubber."

These wines were not hampered with excessive oak; Ravenswood seems to let the fruit speak for itself. Matt preferred the Wood Road, but these Gangsters liked the Dickerson for its expubident fruit.

The '95 Swan Frati is a strapping young brute of a wine; The Director’s first comment was "This'll suck the saliva out o’ your mouth!" Indeed, this inky garnet wine had lots of "lemon squirt acidity." Flavors and aromas were reminiscent of cranberries/plums/ roasted vanilla bean/coffee and hints of lemons and oranges. As this opened, Gross noted a vegetal undertone of green beans. It had a rather lip smacking, astringent finish, due to the considerable tannins and searing acidity. Mr. Gross ventured the opinion that this is best drunk in the next year or so, but I disagreed; it seemed to have plenty of fruit to stand up to the tannic acidity, and should be good for the long haul, which I understand is a hallmark of Swan Zins.

Matt found it interesting that we regularly decant all but the oldest, frailest reds (which I never get my hands on any way). I didn't tell him that I even decant whites, occasionally. }:^)

1995 Pezzi-King Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Estate $20
1995 St. Francis Zinfandel Pagani Reserve $20
1993 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel $23

The Director and I visited our old friends Mr. E and wife Deanna not long ago at their home on Saginaw Bay. Mr. E is responsible for introducing this taster to Zinfandel back in 1976. (Back then, it was those great Burgess models that we loved so much, rather than Mr. Ridge.) He'd been on a self imposed Wine Probation for a while, so we brought along a few of the things we picked up in Sonoma County last summer.

We started with the Pezzi King, a favorite from the Healdsburg adventures, and it was everything we remembered from the previous tastings. A dark garnet turning to purple, this showed ultra-rich, ripe fruit and bouquet. The creamy sweet oak made its presence known immediately, but never overwhelmed. The spectrum of flavors and aromas ran the gamut from blueberry/reduced black raspberry, to a terrific earthy chocolate/mint on the finish. This was absolutely luscious, but we wondered if it wasn't too rich for food.

We moved on to the St. Francis Pagani, and with its obligatory dark garnet color, this again impressed with its BIG flavors and aromas. This taster immediately noted pure raspberry and maple syrup on the nose, while Madame L'Pour smacked her lips and said, "cherry cheesecake," both of us no doubt alluding to the considerable oak. The flavors expanded to include black raspberry/chocolate/pepper. Interestingly, while it was obviously tannic the first four times we'd tasted it, this bottle seemed more closed and in need of bottle age than it had previously. Hmm…

We finished with the '93 Lytton Springs, and it was like heaven. Because of its character and maturity, this was the immediate favorite of us all. The dark garnet has relaxed a little with a few years of age, and the absolutely GORGEOUS bouquet exhibited all of the characteristic "Draper perfume." Supple, rich and lovely, this showed a complexity of flavors and aromas that included spicy dried black cherry/red currant/plum/prune/coffee/ cinnamon/ nutmeg/leather/tobacco/pepper/brown sugar/lavender (pant, pant), and Mr. E noted a finish of chocolate/mint. As this continued to open, it revealed some of that maple surple that we'd noticed so often during our Sonoma pilgrimage. This is a seriously beautiful wine.

This was a special opportunity to repay an old friend for expanding our horizons, and we were happy that it was our turn to say "Hey, try this!"

L to R: Mr. Flippy, ZinFan, Bastardo, Zinchick

During a recent visit from the Canadian contingent, we enjoyed the only ’95 Mr. Ridge Zins that we’d yet to chronicle in these pages, with the exception of the Sonoma Station. (We have tasted the S.S. several times without taking notes. Go figure.)

First came the Ridge York Creek, which The Director and I had enjoyed previously with Dolphin Girl, but which the Canadians had yet to taste. Initial impressions ranged from "spicy and herbaceous" (Mr. Flippy), "dirty socks and buttered popcorn" (Zinchick; I certainly concurred with regard to the ‘buttered popcorn'), and "lotsa spicy pepper and red currant" (C.Z.). Of course, this had all the beautiful oak that so distinguishes Mr. Ridge, with sweet perfumed blue/boysen/raspberry/ chocolate/maple syrup notes in abundance, and a hint of dust on the nose. This was not the least bit hot, despite the 14.5% alcohol, and is remarkably enjoyable right now.

The Paso Robles was another story; while it was certainly approachable, it’s easily the most intense ’95 Ridge Zin that the Gang has tasted (and we’ve tasted all of the regular bottlings that we know of). Despite having essentially the same alcohol level (14.7%), this was hotter than the York Creek, with considerably more tannins and substance to it. It showed the typical Paso Robles "dust" on the nose, with currant/cherry/blue/black/ zinberry/clove flavors and aromas, and serious pepper on the finish. We look forward to seeing how it will develop with great interest. (Special thanks go to Winespec board contributor, osupoke, for picking this up for us in Texas. We never saw any in Day-twah.)

We finished with Mr. Flippy’s ’95 Renwood Eschen, a sweet/dark black raspberry monster that was less complex and more rustic/jammy/spicy than the Ridges, with slightly harder fruit. Zinchick got a cigar box nuance from this, and agreed with this taster that was the most intense wine of the three. Flippy declared it "delightful and delicious; even ze nose eez jammy." An excellent wine that I’ll try again, if I run into it.

I’ve been reading impressive reports on this in the various Internet wineboards for a while, and finally took the opportunity to procure one with an order from the Wine Exchange, to see for myself. Mr. Coffaro said to have it with food because of its youth, but I didn’t listen. We simply gave it 45 minutes in a decanter; then The Director, Dolphin Girl and this taster were treated to an impressive wine indeed.