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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.4 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 49 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by LuckyLars on 11/10/2023 & rated 91 points: We had this after dinner treating it as a dessert wine. No real sign of aging in the colour; still very dark on the rim. The perfume of the wine was intense with noticeable alcohol. Lots of brambleberry fruit, big mouthfeel from the alcohol with little acidity. A little more acidity would have helped with the balance. Still an enjoyable wine. (194 views) | | | Tasted by pilot360 on 10/16/2018: Smelled like new sneakers , with a good background of dark fruit.
Not complex. It is, what it was. (1543 views) | | | Tasted by Feliciafiver on 7/6/2017: Still quite good (1893 views) | | | Tasted by Jmac56 on 2/17/2016 & rated 90 points: Showing some age but opens up nicely after 15 minutes. (2443 views) | | | Tasted by timewithwine on 1/21/2015: CORKED, AND BADLY SO. With BBQ/barbeque (647 views) | | | Tasted by Jmac56 on 2/19/2014 & rated 94 points: Great bottle- full of fruit, leather and tannin. Deep purple with no sign of age. (3217 views) | | | Tasted by Jmac56 on 11/23/2013 & rated 92 points: Despite a crumbly cork, still full bodied and full flavoredwith no signs of being past. (3085 views) | | | Tasted by timewithwine on 5/26/2013: Four years has passed since last pulling a cork on this wine. The wine is heady with a sweet bouquet of Zin funk, vanilla, rhubarb and coffee. Bold flavors of those notes sweep across the palate. A saddle leather quality adds on the palate. The alcohol (15.9%) powers some heat, but the sweetness offsets the heat on the ribs. Ridge’s Late Picked wines don’t thrill me, but even so, this works well enough with smoked ribs, but then what wouldn’t? Throwing some chunks of sediment. A blend of 78% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah, and 2% Carignane. Approx. 0.2% RS. With pork ribs, rubbed with some heat and brown sugar and smoked for several hours. Recommended. (358 views) | | | Tasted by Alex H on 2/13/2013 & rated 87 points: Superbole ripe black fruits. Dark brooding fruits with v8 capacity but definitely not over the top. Gob smacking powerful fruits with some pain grille. (3430 views) | | | Tasted by Paul S on 2/12/2013 & rated 89 points: CNY Dinner 2013 - Welcoming the Year of the Snake (William & Gina's): This is such a strange wine – as if a Zinfandel needs further help with size, sweetness or alcohol. The nose was certainly big, with swirls of glycerol weaving its way through sweet notes of black fruit and kirsch. The palate then picked up where the bouquet left off. Warm, effusive, and choked full of big, black fruited notes dosed with liberal amounts of spice. There was nothing subtle about the wine, though I must say it was rather surprisingly balanced. A strange animal, and something that only a maker like Ridge would have succeeded in keeping honest perhaps. Not quite my thing, but there were a few on the table that enjoyed it. I dare say it has quite a bit of room to improve in the bottle as it shades the last vestiges of baby fat over the next few years as well. (3826 views) | | | Tasted by The Drunken Cyclist on 6/21/2012 & rated 93 points: Retail ~$30? I paid $17. I have mentioned here several times, I think, that I am somewhat of an anomaly in that I like to have some age on my Zins. I feel like that allows the fruit to subside a bit and allows a little more of the complexity to come through. Great theory. Well, if my theory is true this wine was initially a HUGE, overwhelming bowl of craziness because for an 11 year old wine, this had incredible fruit. I normally do not like the big fruity wines, but this one was beautifully composed (maybe the age?); there was nice balance and although integrated, still some tannin on the back end. Wonderfully delicious, especially since I have another two bottles down in the cellar. Outstanding. 93-94 points.
www.thedrunkencyclist.com (545 views) | | | Tasted by MrAhi on 2/6/2011 & rated 93 points: Big zin with pronounced alcohol and rounded berry fruit trailing into fig and a hint of raisin in the finish. Thick, juicy and port-like, but maintains some of the big fruit of a more youthful wine.
Deep Red to Purple.
Thick/Slow legs.
Aromas of Blackberry, Black currant (cassis), and Alcohol Heat.
Flavors of Black currant (cassis), Blackberry, Fig, and Alcohol Heat in the finish.
Full bodied, juicy.
Medium finish. (3195 views) | | | Tasted by NotNYC on 2/5/2011: Certainly worth the wait- PnP- huge nose, bit of bricking, and still somewhat vibrant and healthy. Previous experience Had me expecting more of a raisin quality, but that wasn't showing much. Drank more like an excellent well aged zin- which it was. (2333 views) | | | Tasted by jmht on 4/30/2010 & rated 88 points: Pretty similar to my prior TN in 2008-- alcohol, strawberry jam, red fruits, huge fruits, spice, and alcohol, BUT... alcohol seems less intrusive now and better integrated despite its 15+% label. Zinberry to the max... I'd still choose Geyserville any day over this style. (2549 views) | | | Tasted by smokie on 3/20/2009 & rated 91 points: Still a beast, but a nice beast. Classic zinberry nose and palate. A touch of heat. Nice long finish. I don't know if it is better than the last one I had 4 years ago, but dang nice! (2837 views) | | | Tasted by dboutt on 3/1/2009 & rated 90 points: Whoa! A fruit bomb with a lot of heat on the nose and palate. Still it is a very nice wine to enjoy on a Saturday night. (2814 views) | | | Tasted by timewithwine on 1/9/2009: The Late Picked Ridge wines don’t do a lot for me. The RS is not something I usually enjoy. But coming in late from a school function and not yet having had dinner, a dram of something port-like didn’t sound half bad. From the bottle this looks so young, what with a purple rim and even darker core. This doesn’t look like a 8.5 year old wine. A very perfumed wine with sweet smells of Zin funk, vanilla, rhubarb, leather and coffee. And while the flavors are bold, it is the mouthfeel that really powers this wine. While ripe, the tannins are big; not bruising, but just powerful. “Massive” is not an overstated descriptor when considering adjectives that might apply to the palate. At 15.9% alcohol, the heat on the finish is not surprising. However, the heat is neither huge nor heavy, but just noticeable. A wee bit of shadow from sediment clung to the shoulder. No need to pull another of these for several years unless you just enjoy youthful Zins. 15.9% alc. A blend of 78% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah, and 2% Carignane. Approx. 0.2% RS. With Blue cheeses (Roaring 40s, Cambozola) and Pyrenees Peppercorn) and crusty bread. Recommended. (361 views) | | | Tasted by slippytoad on 8/17/2008 & rated 94 points: Fantastic with ribs! (2491 views) | | | Tasted by timewithwine on 8/1/2008: A vibrant young purple blend of 78% Zin, 20% Petite Sirah and 2% Carignan. Rhubarb, mocha and definite Draper perfume. (I always hesitate to use that term. I don’t know that I would divine such a hint if tasted double blind, but this had a distinct element to it that the Pagani and Ponzo of last week didn’t have.) Despite the alcohol checking in at 15.9% alc., it doesn’t show it. The wine, although not seamless, is almost so and incredibly balanced between the fruit, tannins and alcohol. Not a grain of sediment. With 3 of these left, there is no need to touch another for 4 to 5 years. If only I can keep my hands off these. With Stilton and Valderon blues and Ossau Iraty. Quite good with the Ossu and Stilton. Highly Recommended. (355 views) | | | Tasted by jmht on 7/4/2008 & rated 87 points: Nose of alcohol, strawberry jam, palate of red fruits, huge fruits, spice, and alcohol. Alcohol is VERY noticeable here, but in all other respects, it is a hedonistic wine-- appropriate I guess for July 4. (I'll take Geyserville anyday over this bottle.) (2488 views) | | | Tasted by dougsmith on 7/29/2007 & rated 88 points: Deep ruby color. Nose of charcoal smoke, cassis, strawberry jam, oatmeal and quite a bit of alcoholic heat. On the palate the heat is there as well; this is quite smooth otherwise with good acid balance and cassis flavors. Doesn't entirely hang together due to the "late picked" character but if you can get past the alcohol it's not half bad. (2992 views) | | | Tasted by tthorn on 6/27/2007 & rated 89 points: A huge, ripe, fruity alco-bomb. Not much on the nose due to the alcohol, but lots of black fruits and a little chocolate is the M.O. here. (3114 views) | | | Tasted by EricB on 8/29/2006 & rated 80 points: Big fruit bomb - raisiny prune / plummy fruit with very high alcohol. Melllows out after opening, and balances out, but still very strong fruit. (3370 views) | | | Tasted by twoamps on 6/25/2006 & rated 87 points: very jammy to the point of overripeness. Not much zin spice. Chewy. Held up well, though. (905 views) | | | Tasted by rmodak on 4/20/2006 & rated 90 points: Very ripe pruny fruit, but is redeemed by firm structure good underlying minerality. Huge improvement after an hour decant. (3970 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, January/Febuary 2004, IWC Issue #112
(Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel York Creek Late Picked) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Ridge Producer website | Wikipedia
Ridge Vineyards is a California winery specializing in premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay wines. Ridge produces wine at two winery locations in northern California. The original winery facilities are located at an elevation of 2,300 feet (700 m) on Monte Bello Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA near Cupertino, California. The other Ridge winery facilities are at Lytton Springs in the Dry Creek Valley AVA of Sonoma County.Zinfandel ZAP: Zinfandel Advocates & Producers | Varietal character (Appellation America) | Wikipedia-ZinfandelYork CreekRidge Vineyards has a nice graphic showing the location of their Napa vineyards: York Creek and Dynamite Hill.
York Creek Vineyard, high atop Spring Mountain overlooking the Napa Valley. Zinfandel and petite sirah vines, planted 1970-1990.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Spring Mountain DistrictWikipedia article on the Spring Mountain Distric AVA. |
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