The Ravenswood Library Wines

M/M Blue Oval's
Tasted Saturday, February 29, 2020 by AllRed with 165 views

Introduction

There was no doubt that at some point after the library release, a few of us who participated would need to get together and pull some corks to see how the wines have held up. The answer- just fine. These drank very well, especially when paired with dinner. A testament to provenance and why it is worth the premium for that guarantee.

Flight 1 - Warm ups (2 Notes)

With some cheeses, pate and baguette.

Flight 2 - From the library (8 Notes)

Shortly after we arrived, we pulled the corks on these wines and just let them breathe in bottle. I had seen BO a month or so earlier and gave him our bottles so they could be stood up to allow sediment to settle without being disturbed by travel. TLV's bottles had also been standing from some time, allowing sediment to accumulate in the bottom of the bottle. We didn't experience and sediment issues, and the corks came out in great shape, most via a regular ah-so (though we all had a Durand ready just in case). Pours were gentle to as not to stir the fine sediment that had accumulated.

M/M Blue Oval made a terrific smoked Texas dry-rub beef rib roast, served with roasted potatoes and a multitude of grilled vegetables. M/M TLV brought a salad and we were good to go. We just randomly tasted and worked through the wines with dinner, enjoying great conversation along the way.

A gentle, slow oxygenation period is best for these bottles, which really began to open and sing after sitting open for a couple of hours than having a couple of ounces poured off here and there. Many gained strength during the course of the evening, perhaps four hours or so total with the reds. I don't think we finished a single bottle, though we did come close on a couple. Assuming our sample of seven of these wines from the library is representative, these are in terrific shape and represent a pretty good value for what they are. It was a pleasure to taste some of these old treasures from Joel's past. My only regret was missing out on the Monte Rossos.

  • 1987 Ravenswood Zinfandel Cooke 88 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

    Courtesy of tlv. Opens with notes of dark zin fruit and berries which follow through on the palate. There's just a hint of bouillon in the finish. With more air, notes of raisin, leather and dark berry fruit. A hint of raisin on the palate too now, along with a black cherry element and the bouillon has disappeared. Balanced. Raspberry flavors by the end of the evening. I typically do not care for raisin notes in my wine, but here they are subtle and married with other fruit and thus work quite well.

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  • 1992 Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon Gregory Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

    Deep core, bricking at the meniscus. Red berry and black currant, with hints of leather and cedar. Well-balanced. Really nice fruit remains on the palate, ending with good length. Remains pretty consistent throughout the evening, just a very nice mature cabernet. 90/91 pts-beyond this is bordering on the ridiculous.

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  • 1994 Ravenswood Zinfandel Cooke 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

    Showing good color for its age. Dark fruit and peppery spice on the nose and palate. Not at all overdone or overly ripe as this vintage can often be. I went back to this bottle time and again, finding plenty of fruit and only subtle hints of raisin towards the end of the evening, though here again, the raisin qualities are not distracting. Raspberry and chocolate naunces as well. Some of the last sips were the best and most complex. Excellent.

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  • 1999 Ravenswood Zinfandel Big River 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    Courtesy of Blue Oval. Bright red berry fruit aromas follow on the palate, joined by warm spice tones. Develops a terrific wild strawberry note, perhaps even some blueberry too. Has a very enjoyable candied red zin fruit palate. Very fresh and vibrant. One of the stars in tonight's lineup.

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  • 1995 Ravenswood Rancho Salina Vineyards 92 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

    Courtesy of Blue Oval. Notes of red currant, plum and spice. Plum and macerated berry fuit with hints of tobacco and cedar as well. Nearly equal parts sauvignon and franc rounded out with merlot. Drinking very nicely. Complete and balanced. This bottle came the closest to being finished by the end of the evening.

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  • 1990 Ravenswood Merlot Sonoma County 91 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County

    Courtesy of tlv. Opens with something a little meaty, along with dark fruit, leather and plum. Fully-integrated. Flavors of red berry fruit and cedar. Has a plush merlot texture. Excellent, and drinking nicely. I went back to it for one of my last sips of the evening, this showed Bordeaux-ish qualities and just a subtle hint of brett, with more dark fruit than red by the end of the night. Would love to sneak a bottle of this into one of our double blind tastings and see how tasters react to it.

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  • 1993 Ravenswood Zinfandel Cooke 89 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

    Courtesy of tlv. Opens with a hint of raisin, along with cooked red berry fruit and white pepper. Nice mature brambly fruit on the palate. Doesn't change much during the course of the evening, but remains forward and fruit-driven. Very nice. 89+ pts.

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  • 2015 Once & Future Wine Zinfandel Frank's Block Teldeschi Vineyard 90 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

    Courtesy of tlv. Just what you want in a young zin- blue and black fruit, brambleberry and pepper. Peppery dark fruit on the palate. Balanced; not overly hot or raisiny. Excellent.

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Flight 3 - Dessert wines (4 Notes)

All courtesy of our host, paired with a delightful Sauternes cake.

  • 2003 Château Rieussec 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Courtesy of BO, this was the last of which hadn't been used up in the Sauternes cake. Good golden color with notes of pineapple, tropical fruit and caramel apple. Nice weight on the palate. Flavors of honeyed stone fruit and ripe apricots. Long finish.

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  • 2001 Château Rieussec 96 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Standard bottle, courtesy of our hosts. Ripe peach, pineapple and apricot with honey undertones. The strength of the '01s is of course that terrific vein of acidity that prevents the loads of ripe fruit from being cloying. Apricot, peach and marmalade flavors with hints of candied citrus peel. Long finish.

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  • 2003 Château de Fargues 93 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    From 375ml courtesy of our hosts. Deep color. Loads of ripe tropical fruit abound, along with honey, marmalade and pineapple. Rich and layered, with a long finish.

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  • 2007 Sine Qua Non Grenache To The Rescue Vin de Paille 95 Points

    USA, California

    Very generous of M/M Blue Oval to share this little gem. Mixed red and black fruit has a sweet grapey note mixed in as well. Chambord, blueberry and sweet dark fruit with good underlying acidity. Sweet but never cloying, with a lingering finish. Terrific.

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Closing

Many thanks to our generous hosts, M/M Blue Oval, for taking the initiative to organize this event. A very memorable evening, indeed.

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