Community Tasting Note

timewithwine wrote:

Saturday, January 23, 2016 - Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel Jimsomare Ranch Santa Cruz Mtns. 2009

The wine is big in color, big on the nose and lumbers around the palate like a bull; a very big bull. But even bulls can exude a brawny elegance and rough hewn grace. This is such a wine. Rhybarb, Zin funk Draper perfume on the nose and the palate, where black pepper - black pepper by the handful - is thrown in. But there is something odd and powerful on the mid-palate. Iodine? Root beer? Something unique but not quite identifiable. Cocoa comes through on the finish as the wine opens up. The wine smooths out over time, but it remains a big wine. Some heavy sediment in the final pour. 15.7% alc. (!) In the final analysis, the wine is just too big for the meal pairing. Recommended.

Ridge Vineyards Zinfandel York Creek Spring Mountain, Napa, Ca., 2006

My how time has been a friend to this wine. The fruit is sweet, deep and intense without being jammy or overly ripe. The tannins are smooth; the acidity vibrant and crisp. This almost all Zin (Zinfandel (99%) and Petit Sirah (1%)) shows what can be accomplished with York Creek fruit. While the wine takes some time to awaken, it shows plum, Dr. Pepper, rhubarb, Zin funk, black pepper, and a long finish of mocha. Balanced and elegant after seemingly being borne of a rude beginning according to my initial notes from a bottle several years ago. 14.8% alc. Recommended.


Both Zins served side by side with beef and pork sausage chili and quietly observing what would have been my father’s 98th birthday. 01.23.16.

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