Really great nose of dried cherries and sweet dark fruits. Great mouthfeel. The sweetness from residual sugar others have mentioned. Great fruit - medium finish. Was really surprised it is still drinking this well. This was a nice surprise for a Monday.
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Even young, this was basically sugar, fruit, and alcohol. To the extent that it worked, it depended on the fruit being lush enough to make the sugar palatable. The couple times I tried it young, it was hit or miss whether it worked or not and could change over a glass, let alone a bottle, as temperature changed and your body adjusted to the sugar. When it worked, it was fun. When it didn’t, it was undrinkable.
Not working today and glad this is my last bottle.
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big plum, stewed strawberry in the nose, medium finish with a short sweetness at the end.
Agree with previous reviewers who cited ridge bottle notes -immediately thought maybe this should be a dessert wine. This not my preferred ridge profile because it feel like syrup in my mouth and the flavor profiles dissolve quickly.
Paired with a Belgian dark chocolate filled with black currant ganache!
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The last bottle of this turned into a sweet gloppy mess. Please drink this as a dessert wine. Sweet plum, black cherry, hint of tar. But the sugar is just too much for me. Not consistent with the previous bottles.
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Unbelievable, drinks better on the 4th day after opening. Was just going to cook with the leftover bottle, but had a taste and it was great! High alcohol content not as apparent, some of the "edge" has smoothed out. Still big fruit.
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With grilled flank steak, roast broccoli, and mixed rice. Clear, bright medium-dark ruby. Plum, Zin fruit, good nose again with touch of spice. Dry, medium weight, long in length going almost sweet in mid-palate, and dark at the end. Big wine (alchohol), but no bite. Neither sublime nor refined, but certainly full. In the end, though, a bit wearing on the palate.
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Dark red color, nearly opaque. Sweet cherry, blueberry, raspberry aromas with vanilla and a hint of plum. Palate has some grape notes, but is more on the really ripe red and blue fruit spectrum, with blueberry pie and cherry preserve dominating leading into a medium finish. This stays fresh enough to avoid being overly jammy or stewed for my tastes, but the ripeness is there. The alcohol level is masked by all of the fruit, but this isn't my favorite Ridge style choice. Drink or hold.
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Ridge's bottling notes state that this was produced from very ripe grapes, with a heavy oak regimen to try to counteract the high level of residual sugar and heavily concentrated fruit. They certainly didn't overstate any of those points. This is big, oaky and sweet.
The nose is full of heavy oak notes, with tar, leather, char and vanilla. A big burst of plummy, raisiny fruit cuts through the wood tones. Lots of sugar on the palate, just short of cloying. Heavy vanilla, concentrated dark fruit, thin tannins. Finishes hot, reflective of the higher alcohol level.
Definitely not my preferred style of zin. Those who like big, juicy, concentrated zins will enjoy this more than I did.
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A little too much RS for my taste, but an interesting wine and I think its worth trying. I love Ridge's willingness to do something completely different.
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Not one of the well balanced Zins that Ridge is known for. As others have said, this is very sweet. Definitely could be had for dessert. Raisins and sweet dark cherry, cola. The sugar makes it one dimensional. That being said, it's still tasty and worth drinking in the next year or two.
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This bottle tonight really tasted sweet. Too sweet for me. Great fruit flavors, but the sweetness on the finish came across like a dessert wine and this wine is 15.2% abv. These must have been super ripe grapes when picked. I am not a fan of late picked zins and this one should have been labeled Late Picked since it is so sweet.
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Wonderful blackberry and tobacco nose with a jammy, licorice-infused palate and lingering luscious mouthfeel. It was a beautiful, exotic and perfectly balanced wine.
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I love sweet German Riesling. I've had a problem with other (dry) vintages of the Ridge Old School Zin, as Ridge intentionally uses the ripest grapes in this bottling and I generally find the wine unbalanced. Solution? Spätlese Zin. :-) I don't think I'd try pairing this with food, but as a hanging out after dinner or around the fire wine, this really does work. The sugar rounds out the mouthfeel in a way that complements the ripe grapes and just tastes good.
Edit: Dropped score from 91 to 89. The first note was the sugar talking. :-) There are moments when you really crave a rich over-the-top wine and, when you do, this one definitely hits the spot. If you have any left, though, it's not very likely you'll be ready for it again the next day. Use this one wisely.
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This wine was delicious. This wine was popped and poured. Shared between 6 people and disappeared super fast. Definitely big fruit, spices and a tasty long finish.
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Liked this better when tasting at the Ridge's mountaintop winery last November. Dark Zinfandel fruit with sweet overtones and rather exotic spiciness. Very thick, some tannins and clearly noticeable residual sugar.
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Don't think I could drink this with dinner, but was great over a couple nights as a post-dinner bottle when we weren't in the mood for a 'real' dessert wine.
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With the amount of residual sugar in this (around 2%), it's like a light dessert wine. Very smooth and an easy drinker, fair amount of vanilla. Hardly any tannins to speak of. The sweetness, I think, is balanced by the ripeness of the fruit (very luscious) and the wine's silkiness. If it were a little thicker, it could easily be mistaken for a late-harvest zin. Difficult to pair with food, might go well with chocolate.
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Very upfront fruit with sweet and ripe blackberry, blueberry, and dark cherry. The residual sugar in this almost makes it a desert wine. Candied and fun to drink, but very intense.
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On call so the missus drank. Enjoyed very much. Liked the fruit but didn't find the "sweet" aspect of the other reviewers. She puts in the top 25% of Ridge zins.
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I tasted this at the winery and it is very sweet which is not my taste. Leans towards cola, raisin, licorice, and chocolate without much balance. I would pair this with a chocolate dessert and not food. Not what I would expect from a Ridge Zinfandel and I'm glad I tasted it before I opened to drink with a meal. Tastes more like a late harvest wine or port then a Zin.
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Popped and poured. Nose of plum, dark cherry, cassis and licorice. This is a BIG zin. High alcohol, but it is a well made wine and doesn't come off as hot. Taste of blackberries, plums, black pepper. Full mouthfeel. Smooth rounded tannins. Long, slightly dry finish. This is a very well-made wine. 50+5+11+16+8
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Cedar and spice box aromas contrasted with very rich jammy flavors. Limited acidity making it taste almost sweet. Very soft tannins. It will be interesting to see how this ages. Given its almost port-like taste, it might make for a difficult food pairing. No numerical rating because of all the uncertainty.
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2/28/2022 - Jonesdnm@gmail.com Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really great nose of dried cherries and sweet dark fruits.
Great mouthfeel. The sweetness from residual sugar others have mentioned. Great fruit - medium finish. Was really surprised it is still drinking this well. This was a nice surprise for a Monday.
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1/10/2021 - Rdavis4cellar Likes this wine: 90 Points
It was sweet, but not too sweet, as that cut the heat well with the cayenne and black pepper grilled ahi we drank it with
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7/13/2020 - PVJC Does not like this wine:
Crazy sweet and rich. Somewhat passable as an after dinner drink but not a wine to drink with dinner.
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12/30/2019 - ajfret01 Likes this wine:
Stewed fruits and bramble. Still rich, luscious, and enjoyable.
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6/3/2019 - Samadhi Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still so much fruit and body. Drinking very well. Wish I had more!
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9/17/2018 - rhanke wrote:
jammy
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7/12/2018 - missionpk Does not like this wine:
Even young, this was basically sugar, fruit, and alcohol. To the extent that it worked, it depended on the fruit being lush enough to make the sugar palatable. The couple times I tried it young, it was hit or miss whether it worked or not and could change over a glass, let alone a bottle, as temperature changed and your body adjusted to the sugar. When it worked, it was fun. When it didn’t, it was undrinkable.
Not working today and glad this is my last bottle.
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11/18/2016 - casjf wrote: 89 Points
A bit syrupy. Black cherry & plum predominate.
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12/27/2015 - wagging_tail wrote: 86 Points
big plum, stewed strawberry in the nose, medium finish with a short sweetness at the end.
Agree with previous reviewers who cited ridge bottle notes -immediately thought maybe this should be a dessert wine. This not my preferred ridge profile because it feel like syrup in my mouth and the flavor profiles dissolve quickly.
Paired with a Belgian dark chocolate filled with black currant ganache!
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1/22/2015 - WineCPA wrote: 80 Points
The last bottle of this turned into a sweet gloppy mess. Please drink this as a dessert wine. Sweet plum, black cherry, hint of tar. But the sugar is just too much for me. Not consistent with the previous bottles.
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8/15/2014 - ajfret01 Likes this wine:
Maturing nicely.
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7/5/2014 - Blue Shorts wrote: 92 Points
Still a great, albeit huge wine. Great taste of cherry and strawberry and every dark fruit imaginable.... all in a big, alcoholic brew.
I'm not a big Zin fan, but this really is good.
It still has the tannins and acid to be a great wine.
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4/27/2014 - OliverHM wrote: 90 Points
Unbelievable, drinks better on the 4th day after opening. Was just going to cook with the leftover bottle, but had a taste and it was great! High alcohol content not as apparent, some of the "edge" has smoothed out. Still big fruit.
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1/26/2014 - bjschmitt wrote: 88 Points
With grilled flank steak, roast broccoli, and mixed rice.
Clear, bright medium-dark ruby.
Plum, Zin fruit, good nose again with touch of spice. Dry, medium weight, long in length going almost sweet in mid-palate, and dark at the end. Big wine (alchohol), but no bite. Neither sublime nor refined, but certainly full. In the end, though, a bit wearing on the palate.
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12/10/2013 - fredb Likes this wine:
Dark red color, nearly opaque. Sweet cherry, blueberry, raspberry aromas with vanilla and a hint of plum. Palate has some grape notes, but is more on the really ripe red and blue fruit spectrum, with blueberry pie and cherry preserve dominating leading into a medium finish. This stays fresh enough to avoid being overly jammy or stewed for my tastes, but the ripeness is there. The alcohol level is masked by all of the fruit, but this isn't my favorite Ridge style choice. Drink or hold.
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10/20/2013 - stvjackson wrote: 85 Points
Ridge's bottling notes state that this was produced from very ripe grapes, with a heavy oak regimen to try to counteract the high level of residual sugar and heavily concentrated fruit. They certainly didn't overstate any of those points. This is big, oaky and sweet.
The nose is full of heavy oak notes, with tar, leather, char and vanilla. A big burst of plummy, raisiny fruit cuts through the wood tones. Lots of sugar on the palate, just short of cloying. Heavy vanilla, concentrated dark fruit, thin tannins. Finishes hot, reflective of the higher alcohol level.
Definitely not my preferred style of zin. Those who like big, juicy, concentrated zins will enjoy this more than I did.
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10/11/2013 - GrapesRGreat wrote: 86 Points
A little too much RS for my taste, but an interesting wine and I think its worth trying. I love Ridge's willingness to do something completely different.
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9/21/2013 - skp88 wrote: 87 Points
Like cough syrup. Definitely a cocktail wine
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8/11/2013 - WineCPA Likes this wine: 88 Points
Not one of the well balanced Zins that Ridge is known for. As others have said, this is very sweet. Definitely could be had for dessert. Raisins and sweet dark cherry, cola. The sugar makes it one dimensional. That being said, it's still tasty and worth drinking in the next year or two.
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6/9/2013 - winemaker wrote:
This bottle tonight really tasted sweet. Too sweet for me. Great fruit flavors, but the sweetness on the finish came across like a dessert wine and this wine is 15.2% abv. These must have been super ripe grapes when picked. I am not a fan of late picked zins and this one should have been labeled Late Picked since it is so sweet.
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6/4/2013 - DMerrill Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful blackberry and tobacco nose with a jammy, licorice-infused palate and lingering luscious mouthfeel. It was a beautiful, exotic and perfectly balanced wine.
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5/26/2013 - ajfret01 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Big rich and jammy. Well integrated tannins with a nice long finish.
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4/27/2013 - missionpk wrote: 89 Points
I love sweet German Riesling. I've had a problem with other (dry) vintages of the Ridge Old School Zin, as Ridge intentionally uses the ripest grapes in this bottling and I generally find the wine unbalanced. Solution? Spätlese Zin. :-) I don't think I'd try pairing this with food, but as a hanging out after dinner or around the fire wine, this really does work. The sugar rounds out the mouthfeel in a way that complements the ripe grapes and just tastes good.
Edit: Dropped score from 91 to 89. The first note was the sugar talking. :-) There are moments when you really crave a rich over-the-top wine and, when you do, this one definitely hits the spot. If you have any left, though, it's not very likely you'll be ready for it again the next day. Use this one wisely.
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11/22/2012 - winemaker wrote: 91 Points
This wine was delicious. This wine was popped and poured. Shared between 6 people and disappeared super fast. Definitely big fruit, spices and a tasty long finish.
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6/12/2012 - rhanke wrote: 89 Points
much better than the bottle I had before. Fruit was not as overpowering and did not find it super sweet. Just right.
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5/26/2012 - Antti wrote:
Liked this better when tasting at the Ridge's mountaintop winery last November. Dark Zinfandel fruit with sweet overtones and rather exotic spiciness. Very thick, some tannins and clearly noticeable residual sugar.
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5/1/2012 - hjrich wrote:
Think Amarone.
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3/25/2012 - kurishin wrote: 87 Points
Big Zin fruit bomb. Complexity is not the strong suit here.
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2/18/2012 - PVJC wrote:
Don't think I could drink this with dinner, but was great over a couple nights as a post-dinner bottle when we weren't in the mood for a 'real' dessert wine.
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1/25/2012 - chukon99 wrote: 89 Points
With the amount of residual sugar in this (around 2%), it's like a light dessert wine. Very smooth and an easy drinker, fair amount of vanilla. Hardly any tannins to speak of. The sweetness, I think, is balanced by the ripeness of the fruit (very luscious) and the wine's silkiness. If it were a little thicker, it could easily be mistaken for a late-harvest zin. Difficult to pair with food, might go well with chocolate.
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12/27/2011 - rhanke wrote: 85 Points
This zin was too sweet for my taste
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11/14/2011 - ecola Likes this wine: 87 Points
Very upfront fruit with sweet and ripe blackberry, blueberry, and dark cherry. The residual sugar in this almost makes it a desert wine. Candied and fun to drink, but very intense.
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10/1/2011 - ogres3 wrote:
On call so the missus drank. Enjoyed very much. Liked the fruit but didn't find the "sweet" aspect of the other reviewers. She puts in the top 25% of Ridge zins.
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9/25/2011 - sdhoxie@hotmail.com wrote: 93 Points
Excellent taste. Very smooth. Fruit forward but very balanced. Quick to the taste without very much lingering after the swallow...
93pts
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8/28/2011 - fullpour wrote:
Sweet? Yeah. Think of it as dessert wine and you're good to go.
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8/25/2011 - Chriskrueger wrote: 82 Points
Very disapointing - shockingly sweet
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7/6/2011 - MilesOfDenver wrote: 85 Points
Sweet prunes, but not overpoweringly so.
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6/22/2011 - pete s. wrote: 84 Points
Tasted at the winery. Just not my style. Too syrupy and cooked with a lingering sweetness that I didn't enjoy.
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4/7/2011 - jrlamia wrote: 88 Points
Very sweet so not a good pairing with a meal at this time. However, the berry and spice are strong so a few more years may help mellow out.
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3/13/2011 - Chefneil Does not like this wine: 70 Points
I tasted this at the winery and it is very sweet which is not my taste. Leans towards cola, raisin, licorice, and chocolate without much balance. I would pair this with a chocolate dessert and not food. Not what I would expect from a Ridge Zinfandel and I'm glad I tasted it before I opened to drink with a meal. Tastes more like a late harvest wine or port then a Zin.
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2/8/2011 - Blue Shorts wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. Nose of plum, dark cherry, cassis and licorice. This is a BIG zin. High alcohol, but it is a well made wine and doesn't come off as hot. Taste of blackberries, plums, black pepper. Full mouthfeel. Smooth rounded tannins. Long, slightly dry finish. This is a very well-made wine.
50+5+11+16+8
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12/3/2010 - kosinski Likes this wine:
Cedar and spice box aromas contrasted with very rich jammy flavors. Limited acidity making it taste almost sweet. Very soft tannins. It will be interesting to see how this ages. Given its almost port-like taste, it might make for a difficult food pairing. No numerical rating because of all the uncertainty.
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