A bit of a brooding Zin both as to a deep blood red (exhausted of oxygen) color with a distinct opaqueness. Plum and rhubarb dominate the nose and palate followed by bramble berry, and Zin funk. A cinnamon note comes through on the finish along with more brambles. An eye-popping 15.1% alc., which makes me wonder if that doesn’t contribute to the “tiredness” that the palate feels after several sips of this. Heavy sediment. With pork barbeque ribs. 05.29.22. Recommended.
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Didn't take notes (sorry) but it is drinking really well with good age on it. Plenty of structure and complexity with spicy fruit in classic Ridge style.
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The color of ox blood from rim to core. At first taste, I love this wine with its abundant brown sugar, molasses, sweet cherry, sweetened rhubarb with a bit of orange peel tanginess. But as the meal wears on, this tires on the palate (but then it may have been the 3 bourbons I had prior to this and the accumulation of alcohol - this does clock in at 15.1% alc. (!) No doubt the alcohol adds to a perceived sweetness, but not off-puttingly sweet . Tannins are not yet fully integrated but coming along well. Coffee on the finish. Despite the high alcohol, the wine comes across as fairly balanced. A shadow of almost surrounds the shoulder and body. With assorted cheeses (Stilton and truffle cheese) and leftover London broil (beef) and crusty bread. Recommended.
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Classic Ridge Zin. Bright, Vibrant, purple. with 9 years on it you'd think something would fade....not this one....just WOW.....Ridge has a way of making their wines age beautifully.....and when its time to pop one, there it is in all its glory....enjoy now or another 4-6 years she'll still be going!!! Very happy!
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After finishing the Brancaia, we went with some thing that would likely be more sweet to serve as something almost dessert-like. The color of ox blood from rim to core; this is deep and intensely colored. Abundant brown sugar, molasses, sweet cherry, sweetened rhubarb with a bit of orange peel tanginess. The palate is sweet but not off-puttingly sweet like the recent Paso Robles ‘09. Big, but not clunky tannins that seem to be well along the way to fully integrating. Coffee on the finish adds some welcome complexity. Despite the high alcohol, the wine comes across as fairly balanced. But you have to wonder if the alcohol doesn’t add to the sense of sweetness. Sediment abounds. 15.1% alc. (!) With assorted charcuterie, Gorgonzola blue and other cheese and crusty bread. Recommended.
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The East Bench is like making love to a sailor. Up and down yet ultimately serene but troubled. Calm seas with a storm on the horizon. Way too much fruit for an 8 year old Cali Zin but too dry and spocy to be anything but....blackberry, bramble and jammy plum dominate.
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Defying my own advice I went for the PnP route. Hot nose with some green pepper and cherry. Bright popping fruit with some earthy notes and a dry spiciness throughout. This still needs decanting to open up and really stretch.
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Lots of sediment in the bottle. Garnet color. Nose of alcohol and dark fruits. Palate with blackberry, spiced strawberry some heat. Age has mellowed it a bit. Nice tannins. Lovely wine. Drinking well now.
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Straight-down the middle, splits-the-uprights Goldilocks Zin. Not too extracted, not too chewy, just the right amount of fruit and spice and a nice finish to boot. Recognizably Ridge. Now is a good time to drink it.
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With spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce. Opened for only 15 minutes before pour and drink. Ruby red, clear, no longer opaque but still good color. Clean nose, deep fruit (black raspberry, dark cherry, maybe black currant). Jane picks up the fruit, plus some sweet tobacco (?), on the palate. Good balance of acid and fruit. Touch of tannin left. Smoothened out with air even more. Made me wish to have given it more time in air. A really nice Zin - regret drinking the last bottle. However it's pretty much at its peak - so it was time to drink.
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Top sirloin steak, roast carrots, risotto. Pretty ruby. Lovely nose (Jane has strawberry/plum/cherry and more). Very nice wine - very complex. Previous notes stand. Glad I have a bottle left.
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With pizza and Capris salad. purple, bright and clear to the rim, very much alive. Blueberry, dark cherry, plum, and perhaps some lurking anise on the nose. Nice balance, medium weight, some acid and some tannin, good fruit. A touch a spice. Jane got some apricot on the finish. Yummy - drinking very nicely right now.
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Full and open on nose and palate with minimal air time. Blackberry and wild berry fruit notes with licorice and pepper. Zesty and fresh and doubtlessly zinfandel.
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Notes consistent with tasting in July 2014. This vintage stands out for its fresh acidity while being very rich. I love what other varieties like carignane and petite sirah bring to a zin-based field blend, but it sure is fun to drink a 100% zinfandel now and then. Such a vivid Dry Creek Valley zin experience.
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Key point...DECANT!!!!! PnP gives a mess of earthy mush with nothing interesting. I was disappointed. Let air and this one opened like a butterfly from a cocoon. Warm dark berries and cherries sprung out of nowhere with a delightful little spice finish. This just kept getting better and better. Next day it was even nicer (gassed it a bit overnight). Worked with pork and veggies very nicely. Maybe it will open up with age but until this take it out for a walk an hour and a half or so before you want to enjoy.
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Lots of fruit. Took a while to open up, even aerated through a Vinturi. Could use another couple years in the cellar, but great now if you like big jammy wines and are willing to let it sit out for a couple hours.
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Finally opened a second one of these after finding it very tight and closed upon release. Totally different experience this time. Very bright, expressive nose of brambly zin fruit, strawberry/rhubarb and subtle vanilla. Same flavor profile on the palate, with great acidity and fine tannins. The 15.1% alcohol isn't as noticeable as in the 2009 EB (15.2%). I'm guessing another year in the cellar and the tannins hopefully will have pretty much resolved.
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Gorgeous. 100% zinfandel. When does Ridge do 100%? Such a pure expression of the grape. Fills the room with its aroma. Red, tart fruit along with the grapes sweetness and spice. Long. Just wow. Guessing this can easily age for 10 years. 15% ABV.
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Deep red with lots of ripe fruit. Black raspberry, dried rose, blackberry jam. Ripe, rich palate with a bit too much alcohol (although I did have it with a slightly spicy Mexican styled dish which certainly accentuated this). The finish is good other than being a big hot. I think this is a wine to be drank young while the fruit is there to balance the alcohol. With a beef or pork and rich sauce dish, I think this would be better.
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- Brick color and aromas of raspberry and blackberry. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, raspberry and raisin with a medium/full body. Smooth texture with a medium finish - Another great vintage of this wine. Love Ridge.
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Classic flavors of a Dry Creek Valley Zin. Pepper, licorice, layered over brambly fruit with acidity characteristic the 2010 vintage. East Bench has become one of my favorite Ridge bottlings.
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Third bottle...first two were good, although a little on the sweet side for me...not like the killer 09, which has a distinct mourvedre-like pine and herbs to it. This bottle was slightly corked.
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In 2 years likely will be 89-90, but just not feeling the popular 90 point value, esp given the mid range high end price point. Needs a little food and likely at least 1 more year in bottle to be at its best. The other notes all have similar flavour to min taste tonight. Was highly rated in NYT Zin commentary i came across today, and do have the '09 on shelf. Medium bodied, nice acid/tannin that given it a clear backbone and lightly smoked fruity quality. Dark fruit that is, with a little spice and everything nice...pricey, but would buy some for keeping >2 yrs.
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Drank over 2 days side by side with lytton springs zin blend. Jammy grape jelly and black cherry nose leads to a simpler fruit driven zin just a hair behind the Lytton.
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First impression only. Amazing wine, great breadth of flavor, good balanced fruit - first shot on palate said "Oh, I like this - must buy more." Ready to drink now, may gain some depth with a bit of age. This is what a Zinfandel is meant to be.
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Loved this, much more than the 09 which I thought a bit to pruney and hot. This was a bit more precise, classic, and had a great, exotic, slightly lifted nose. Juicy and moreish, to boot.
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A terrific Zinfandel from a difficult vintage. Roasted/baked red and blue tone fruit, spicy, crispy, tart, cranberry, and pepper... nice balance in acid, tannic, fruit... will improve with a year or two in the bottle.
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Very mineral-driven, blackberry fruit, stones, hints of pencil lead, potpourri. Smells good. The flavors on the palate are really young and bright. Under-ripe blackberry, gravel, wood. Very dry, ending tart. This is the least fruit driven Zinfandel I have ever tasted. I like it quite a bit.
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Consumed at Scala's Bistro in SF. Expressive nose of dark fruit and wood. Initial taste is an explosion of spice and dark fruit. Medium to full body with roundness and excellent finish.
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Dense purple; berry nose; tanic, cedar box, dark fruits; mid weight+ finish. The cedar together with the acid bite and lesser emphasis on fruit really hit the target for me. I like my zins of substance sometimes earlier than others. This is drinking now, with the note that you'll have some power in the glass, but will see many years of good drinking. When faced with the 09 and 10 geyser and 09 lytton, I made room to buy two of these at Monte Bello. I will probably replace the ones I drink this early.
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Not as jammy a the Hartford of the bat- but this was wine #5 for the evening, after a very dry 2001 Heitz Cellars Martha's vineyard cab... But one of my favs. Have more of this in the cellar!
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The nose on the 2010 East Bench shows sweet floral notes with crushed blueberry, cinnamon, a hint of vanilla and an airy herbal lift that pulls it from confectionary and allows the bouquet to remain elegant and fresh. On the palate, it shows an intense mix of berries with massive concentration, followed by a note of citrusy acidity that keeps it fresh. The finish is long and shows hints of the structure that is otherwise masked by this wine’s intense fruit. I’m really interested to see how this wine matures over the next 5 – 10 years.
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Tasted from barrel sample. Aromas of fresh cut redwood and raspberries. Bright red plum and currant flavors which quickly develop woody spice notes and more pronounced acidity. Finishes with a good hit of youthful green tannins. Nicely structured and should be quite good when it reaches maturity.
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5/29/2022 - timewithwine Likes this wine:
A bit of a brooding Zin both as to a deep blood red (exhausted of oxygen) color with a distinct opaqueness. Plum and rhubarb dominate the nose and palate followed by bramble berry, and Zin funk. A cinnamon note comes through on the finish along with more brambles. An eye-popping 15.1% alc., which makes me wonder if that doesn’t contribute to the “tiredness” that the palate feels after several sips of this. Heavy sediment. With pork barbeque ribs. 05.29.22. Recommended.
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3/9/2021 - mazik wrote: 90 Points
Still delicious but a bit faded since the last bottle, which I opened five years ago. Possibly overwhelmed by the sweet sticky barbecue sauce.
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8/7/2020 - IAmVintage wrote: 92 Points
Didn't take notes (sorry) but it is drinking really well with good age on it. Plenty of structure and complexity with spicy fruit in classic Ridge style.
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1/10/2020 - timewithwine wrote:
The color of ox blood from rim to core. At first taste, I love this wine with its abundant brown sugar, molasses, sweet cherry, sweetened rhubarb with a bit of orange peel tanginess. But as the meal wears on, this tires on the palate (but then it may have been the 3 bourbons I had prior to this and the accumulation of alcohol - this does clock in at 15.1% alc. (!) No doubt the alcohol adds to a perceived sweetness, but not off-puttingly sweet . Tannins are not yet fully integrated but coming along well. Coffee on the finish. Despite the high alcohol, the wine comes across as fairly balanced. A shadow of almost surrounds the shoulder and body. With assorted cheeses (Stilton and truffle cheese) and leftover London broil (beef) and crusty bread. Recommended.
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9/26/2019 - Alro Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic Ridge Zin. Bright, Vibrant, purple. with 9 years on it you'd think something would fade....not this one....just WOW.....Ridge has a way of making their wines age beautifully.....and when its time to pop one, there it is in all its glory....enjoy now or another 4-6 years she'll still be going!!! Very happy!
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3/1/2019 - timewithwine wrote:
After finishing the Brancaia, we went with some thing that would likely be more sweet to serve as something almost dessert-like. The color of ox blood from rim to core; this is deep and intensely colored. Abundant brown sugar, molasses, sweet cherry, sweetened rhubarb with a bit of orange peel tanginess. The palate is sweet but not off-puttingly sweet like the recent Paso Robles ‘09. Big, but not clunky tannins that seem to be well along the way to fully integrating. Coffee on the finish adds some welcome complexity. Despite the high alcohol, the wine comes across as fairly balanced. But you have to wonder if the alcohol doesn’t add to the sense of sweetness. Sediment abounds. 15.1% alc. (!) With assorted charcuterie, Gorgonzola blue and other cheese and crusty bread. Recommended.
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7/17/2018 - Ecb1456 Likes this wine: 91 Points
The East Bench is like making love to a sailor. Up and down yet ultimately serene but troubled. Calm seas with a storm on the horizon. Way too much fruit for an 8 year old Cali Zin but too dry and spocy to be anything but....blackberry, bramble and jammy plum dominate.
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1/5/2018 - egaible Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very great version. Cherries black, abut of leather AND a bit of citrus.
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2/22/2017 - Ecb1456 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Defying my own advice I went for the PnP route. Hot nose with some green pepper and cherry. Bright popping fruit with some earthy notes and a dry spiciness throughout. This still needs decanting to open up and really stretch.
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1/7/2017 - cgrimes Likes this wine: 90 Points
Lots of sediment in the bottle. Garnet color. Nose of alcohol and dark fruits. Palate with blackberry, spiced strawberry some heat. Age has mellowed it a bit. Nice tannins. Lovely wine. Drinking well now.
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12/31/2016 - phandel wrote:
Super yummy - this has developed nicely! The acid has calmed down, and the raspberries are now front and center.
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4/3/2016 - vino vidi vici Likes this wine:
Now's the time - drink up
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3/18/2016 - mazik Likes this wine: 92 Points
Twoamps below said it all. I'd add that at it's present stage the alcohol is nicely covered.
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1/3/2016 - twoamps Likes this wine: 92 Points
Straight-down the middle, splits-the-uprights Goldilocks Zin. Not too extracted, not too chewy, just the right amount of fruit and spice and a nice finish to boot. Recognizably Ridge. Now is a good time to drink it.
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1/1/2016 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 92 Points
With spaghetti and meatballs in tomato sauce.
Opened for only 15 minutes before pour and drink.
Ruby red, clear, no longer opaque but still good color.
Clean nose, deep fruit (black raspberry, dark cherry, maybe black currant).
Jane picks up the fruit, plus some sweet tobacco (?), on the palate. Good balance of acid and fruit. Touch of tannin left. Smoothened out with air even more. Made me wish to have given it more time in air.
A really nice Zin - regret drinking the last bottle. However it's pretty much at its peak - so it was time to drink.
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9/25/2015 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Top sirloin steak, roast carrots, risotto.
Pretty ruby.
Lovely nose (Jane has strawberry/plum/cherry and more).
Very nice wine - very complex. Previous notes stand. Glad I have a bottle left.
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8/23/2015 - wynnewood500 Likes this wine:
Drinking very well. Too much alcohol for me.
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8/9/2015 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 92 Points
With pizza and Capris salad.
purple, bright and clear to the rim, very much alive.
Blueberry, dark cherry, plum, and perhaps some lurking anise on the nose.
Nice balance, medium weight, some acid and some tannin, good fruit. A touch a spice. Jane got some apricot on the finish.
Yummy - drinking very nicely right now.
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4/18/2015 - patsox wrote: 91 Points
Typical great Ridge zinfandel.
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4/5/2015 - ogres3 wrote: 90 Points
Third wine of the night. Not overly interesting and a bit light for a ridge zin.
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3/11/2015 - gmbdds wrote: 90 Points
Full and open on nose and palate with minimal air time. Blackberry and wild berry fruit notes with licorice and pepper. Zesty and fresh and doubtlessly zinfandel.
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2/28/2015 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine: 91 Points
Notes consistent with tasting in July 2014. This vintage stands out for its fresh acidity while being very rich. I love what other varieties like carignane and petite sirah bring to a zin-based field blend, but it sure is fun to drink a 100% zinfandel now and then. Such a vivid Dry Creek Valley zin experience.
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11/5/2014 - Ecb1456 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Key point...DECANT!!!!! PnP gives a mess of earthy mush with nothing interesting. I was disappointed. Let air and this one opened like a butterfly from a cocoon. Warm dark berries and cherries sprung out of nowhere with a delightful little spice finish. This just kept getting better and better. Next day it was even nicer (gassed it a bit overnight). Worked with pork and veggies very nicely. Maybe it will open up with age but until this take it out for a walk an hour and a half or so before you want to enjoy.
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8/17/2014 - dbrunjes wrote: 91 Points
Lots of fruit. Took a while to open up, even aerated through a Vinturi. Could use another couple years in the cellar, but great now if you like big jammy wines and are willing to let it sit out for a couple hours.
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7/25/2014 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine: 91 Points
Finally opened a second one of these after finding it very tight and closed upon release. Totally different experience this time. Very bright, expressive nose of brambly zin fruit, strawberry/rhubarb and subtle vanilla. Same flavor profile on the palate, with great acidity and fine tannins. The 15.1% alcohol isn't as noticeable as in the 2009 EB (15.2%). I'm guessing another year in the cellar and the tannins hopefully will have pretty much resolved.
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1/8/2014 - Cadby wrote:
2010 Ridge East Bench Zinfandel ++++ $26
Ridge 30 years past. Big bold beasty brambly.
http://8wordsonwine.blogspot.com/2014/01/2010-ridge-east-bench-zinfandel-26.html
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12/30/2013 - jtinto Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gorgeous. 100% zinfandel. When does Ridge do 100%? Such a pure expression of the grape. Fills the room with its aroma. Red, tart fruit along with the grapes sweetness and spice. Long. Just wow. Guessing this can easily age for 10 years. 15% ABV.
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12/29/2013 - jnewman77 wrote:
Deep red with lots of ripe fruit. Black raspberry, dried rose, blackberry jam. Ripe, rich palate with a bit too much alcohol (although I did have it with a slightly spicy Mexican styled dish which certainly accentuated this). The finish is good other than being a big hot. I think this is a wine to be drank young while the fruit is there to balance the alcohol. With a beef or pork and rich sauce dish, I think this would be better.
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6/3/2013 - Gjpass wrote: 92 Points
- Brick color and aromas of raspberry and blackberry. It's balanced and has flavours of blackberry, raspberry and raisin with a medium/full body. Smooth texture with a medium finish - Another great vintage of this wine. Love Ridge.
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4/13/2013 - Fred44 wrote: 94 Points
Blackberry tart. Very structured. Could easily age five years.
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4/7/2013 - mlwhitfi wrote: 93 Points
Classic flavors of a Dry Creek Valley Zin. Pepper, licorice, layered over brambly fruit with acidity characteristic the 2010 vintage. East Bench has become one of my favorite Ridge bottlings.
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1/10/2013 - Mrbuzz wrote: flawed
Third bottle...first two were good, although a little on the sweet side for me...not like the killer 09, which has a distinct mourvedre-like pine and herbs to it. This bottle was slightly corked.
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12/23/2012 - YWG Wine Guy Likes this wine: 88 Points
In 2 years likely will be 89-90, but just not feeling the popular 90 point value, esp given the mid range high end price point. Needs a little food and likely at least 1 more year in bottle to be at its best. The other notes all have similar flavour to min taste tonight. Was highly rated in NYT Zin commentary i came across today, and do have the '09 on shelf. Medium bodied, nice acid/tannin that given it a clear backbone and lightly smoked fruity quality. Dark fruit that is, with a little spice and everything nice...pricey, but would buy some for keeping >2 yrs.
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12/11/2012 - Vervelb wrote: 89 Points
Drank over 2 days side by side with lytton springs zin blend. Jammy grape jelly and black cherry nose leads to a simpler fruit driven zin just a hair behind the Lytton.
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11/3/2012 - bjschmitt wrote: 92 Points
First impression only.
Amazing wine, great breadth of flavor, good balanced fruit - first shot on palate said "Oh, I like this - must buy more."
Ready to drink now, may gain some depth with a bit of age.
This is what a Zinfandel is meant to be.
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10/13/2012 - nieuwoudt Likes this wine: 90 Points
big jammy zin for such young vines... i think it would be even better in 6-12 months
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10/7/2012 - twoamps wrote: 90 Points
good enough fruit, nice spice, sort of an old fashioned zin where the pepper and spice dominates, but in a good way.
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9/13/2012 - yofog wrote: 91 Points
Loved this, much more than the 09 which I thought a bit to pruney and hot. This was a bit more precise, classic, and had a great, exotic, slightly lifted nose. Juicy and moreish, to boot.
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8/22/2012 - Wine Cloud Inc wrote: 91 Points
A terrific Zinfandel from a difficult vintage. Roasted/baked red and blue tone fruit, spicy, crispy, tart, cranberry, and pepper... nice balance in acid, tannic, fruit... will improve with a year or two in the bottle.
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8/10/2012 - gripNsip wrote: 88 Points
Very mineral-driven, blackberry fruit, stones, hints of pencil lead, potpourri. Smells good. The flavors on the palate are really young and bright. Under-ripe blackberry, gravel, wood. Very dry, ending tart. This is the least fruit driven Zinfandel I have ever tasted. I like it quite a bit.
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7/21/2012 - orlypann wrote: 92 Points
Consumed at Scala's Bistro in SF. Expressive nose of dark fruit and wood. Initial taste is an explosion of spice and dark fruit. Medium to full body with roundness and excellent finish.
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7/15/2012 - MattMauldin wrote: 89 Points
Tasted at Lytton Springs. Brambly blueberry nose with spice and black pepper. Juicy wild fruit on the palate with a round structure and a full finish.
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7/1/2012 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dense purple; berry nose; tanic, cedar box, dark fruits; mid weight+ finish. The cedar together with the acid bite and lesser emphasis on fruit really hit the target for me. I like my zins of substance sometimes earlier than others. This is drinking now, with the note that you'll have some power in the glass, but will see many years of good drinking. When faced with the 09 and 10 geyser and 09 lytton, I made room to buy two of these at Monte Bello. I will probably replace the ones I drink this early.
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5/24/2012 - Shawncho wrote: 90 Points
Not as jammy a the Hartford of the bat- but this was wine #5 for the evening, after a very dry 2001 Heitz Cellars Martha's vineyard cab... But one of my favs. Have more of this in the cellar!
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3/27/2012 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 91 Points
The nose on the 2010 East Bench shows sweet floral notes with crushed blueberry, cinnamon, a hint of vanilla and an airy herbal lift that pulls it from confectionary and allows the bouquet to remain elegant and fresh. On the palate, it shows an intense mix of berries with massive concentration, followed by a note of citrusy acidity that keeps it fresh. The finish is long and shows hints of the structure that is otherwise masked by this wine’s intense fruit. I’m really interested to see how this wine matures over the next 5 – 10 years.
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2/3/2012 - kosinski wrote:
Tasted from barrel sample. Aromas of fresh cut redwood and raspberries. Bright red plum and currant flavors which quickly develop woody spice notes and more pronounced acidity. Finishes with a good hit of youthful green tannins. Nicely structured and should be quite good when it reaches maturity.
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1/28/2012 - affordableCollector Likes this wine: 90 Points
dark red in color. mineral, cedar, floral, berry, spice on the nose. pepper, cedar, berry, tart notes on the palate. medium finish.
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