Annual Caroling & Chili Party (R&D's): Youthful color with dark zin fruit and peppery spice on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied and balanced, finishing with good length. Always reliable and a crowd pleaser. (R&D)
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Medium dark ruby red. Decanted for sediment and tasted from a PnP. Lots of fine sediment in the bottle.
Beautiful nose. Stewed cherries, cherry liquor, fresh blackberries, violets, and clove-driven spiced cocoa. Medium bodied, nice bright acidity, and a ton of structure. Bright fresh plums, dried blackberries and cherries, a bit of raspberry liquor, sweet baking spices with nutmeg and cloves coming to the top, a bit of leather, a hint of violets. A lot of structure from the angular tannins, although they feel a bit softer as the wine gets more air. Tannins dry out the mouth leading to a persisting finish of dried blueberries, minerals, leather, violets, and black pepper.
I can’t imagine this getting any better than this. There’s a constant battle between blue fruits from the PS vs the red fruits from the Zin going on. Just lovely.
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The beverage manager at the club requested to taste zinfandel so I thought I would pull a couple that she was not likely to have had before. Our last bottle, gently double decanted off its sediment two hours before it was poured with our entrees. Youthful dark color. Opens with a sweet grapey note, would have guessed this was much younger than ten. There's also blue fruit, floral and milk chocolate notes. Medium-bodied. The palate is chock full of wonderful zin fruit with hints of spice in the finish. Drinking so very well right now...gorgeous. 92-93 for me, 93 for Domino, and T's favorite as well.
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A bit of a disappointment. JO says this will evolve an soften over the next ten years. Maybe to the downside. A tad watery with tired fruit. The last ounce or so was a bit better with a decent nose on night two, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
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well cellared for its life. could easily have gone another couple, but that was my last... Plenty of fruit on the palate, long dreamy finish! just tasty!
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Started out muted, but after about 30 minutes in the glass it brightened up and added depth as well. Black fruit on the nose and in the mouth, a bit of tobacco leaf, finishing with a spicy herbal note. Still drinking well, but it’s time.
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Getting a little long in the tooth. Soft fruit. Very good, but I wouldn't hold this too long. Doesn't have the grip or structure of Lytton Springs bottling.
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Opaque purple. Raspberries, plums, and some herbal Draper perfume on the nose. Full body, juicy. Plums, tart raspberries, and piney herbs on the palate. Medium-low tannin, medium-high acid that lingers. Berries and pine sap through the medium-long finish. Yummy.
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With stuffed pork chops, roast carrots, salad. Look: sediment on side of the bottle. Opaque garnet, touch of purple at rim. Smell: prune, raisin, black cherry? Darker than last bottle. Taste: dark fruit, then acid, moderated tannin. A big dark fruit taste, but somehow accompanied by a soft mouth feel - Petite Sirah moving to the front? Nice wine.
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Decanted briefly before dinner. Notes of blue and black fruit give way to raspberry liquer. Has a terrific florally overtone with peppery spice underneath. Loads of raspberry and briary red fruit- ripe and juciy- with a lush midpalate. Terrific fruit with a lingering, pepper-tinged finish. 91 for Domino, 92-93 for me.
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This is evolving at a slower pace than I expected. The wine is still quite tannic considering its age. It has a pungent nose of dark fruits, evergreen and some Christmas spice. The fruit on the palate is rich and tangy, resembling under-ripe plums. Unfortunately this was my last bottle, but if I had another, I would wait a year or two before opening. I would expect another 4-5 years out of this, right in line with John Olney's estimate on the back label.
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With cheese pizza (caramelized onions, sautéed pepper, and mushrooms). Robust but not opaque garnet - lovely. Cherry and plum nose, lovely and enticing. Dry, medium weight, some nice mouth-watering acid, plum and bright cherry. Slightly earthy. I agree with AllRed on the elegant finish, long and ending on a sweet (but not sugary)note. This bottle drinking nicely.
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The winemaker's note on the Ridge website says that the zinfandel parcels used for this wine were held out of the 2010 Lytton Springs bottling due to elevated tannin, and I did find my first two bottles of this wine (opened in early and late 2014) too firm for full enjoyment. I was a bit apprehensive about opening a 3rd bottle after only another 11 months in the cellar, but I was pleased to find the rough edges have softened and the wine has started to become more plush in texture. This is a dark, brooding zin (probably on account of the 25% petite sirah) with a fabulous nose and a good finish. One more year and I think this will be at peak. Really glad to have one more bottle left.
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37th Annual Zinfandel Retrospective - the 2010s (R&D's): Purple ruby color. Opens with floral notes followed by cherry, grapey dark fruit and minerals. Adds a nice peppery note as it opens. Flavors of blue fruit, boysenberry, cherry and pepper. Finishes with plenty of fruit and good length. 92+ pts.
My #1, Domino's #2 Group #6, 44 pts
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Decided to check in on this wine, and it really hasn't budged since first trying it early this year. The nose is expressive with rich high-toned black fruit and evergreen, but the palate remains rather tight. It's enjoyable now, especially with food, but I'd prefer to wait until it unwinds a bit more before opening another, say, another year or even two. The blend is 25% petite sirah, and that firm 2010 PS fruit from the LS estate may be holding this one back. Some patience is required.
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Finishing up the last half of the bottle from two nights ago, and this has really held up well and even improved. Black cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, violets and blueberry jam on the nose. Flavors of black raspberry, chocolate-covered cherries, white pepper and blueberry. There's an elegance to the finish that I really love, lingering for well over a minute. A fantastic vintage for this wine.
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Black raspberry, cherry and boysenberry notes with a nice peppery undertone. Lovely jammy red and black fruit on the palate, with a spice note on the finish. Juicy and forward; terrific. 92-93 pts.
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Tasted at Ridge Geyserville. Deep purple color. Beautiful nose with plenty of Zin aromatics (plum, cherries), but also some additional complexity coming from Petite Sirah, pepper and some minerality too. Medium-full bodied with good medium acidity and medium+ tannin adding some grip. Good length. A really great Zin but it was outperformed by Lyttons Springs and Geyserville we had in the same tasting.
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I opened the first of my four bottles, realizing it was probably premature given the structure of the vintage and having read some prior reviews. Decanted for one hour. The nose offers aromas of blackberry, zin-berry and a pungent spice note that I associate with garrique/evergreen. The oak is fairly restrained. It's a deep wine (on account of 25% petite sirah) that blankets the palate with medium-soft tannins, which, along with its bracing acidity, bodes well for medium-term aging. Enjoyable now if you don't mind your wines a bit on the firm side, but I will try to wait a good 1-2 years until I pop another.
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Stunning to smell, with violets and blueberries. Carries over to the palate, with blue and red fruit, a hint of vanilla, violets, with the right amount of acid. No sweetness. 25% Petite Sirah.
Stunningly good. I'm surprised by the low scores.
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Aromas of red berry preserves and vanilla with a hint of wet earth. Sweet and spicy on the palate with dark red and black berry flavors and hints of vanilla and nutmeg. Good acidity keeps it from being cloying. Tannins are soft but noticeable. Drink now or hold.
Killed a baby tonight, but it was a good infanticide. Burst of dark blackberry fruit to the senses! Enticing nose of brambly fruit with a very strong tannic backbone from the 25% petite sirah. Built for the cellar. Another awesome ATP selection from Ridge.
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12/9/2023 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Annual Caroling & Chili Party (R&D's): Youthful color with dark zin fruit and peppery spice on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied and balanced, finishing with good length. Always reliable and a crowd pleaser. (R&D)
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1/14/2023 - ChateauShiny Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium dark ruby red. Decanted for sediment and tasted from a PnP. Lots of fine sediment in the bottle.
Beautiful nose. Stewed cherries, cherry liquor, fresh blackberries, violets, and clove-driven spiced cocoa. Medium bodied, nice bright acidity, and a ton of structure. Bright fresh plums, dried blackberries and cherries, a bit of raspberry liquor, sweet baking spices with nutmeg and cloves coming to the top, a bit of leather, a hint of violets. A lot of structure from the angular tannins, although they feel a bit softer as the wine gets more air. Tannins dry out the mouth leading to a persisting finish of dried blueberries, minerals, leather, violets, and black pepper.
I can’t imagine this getting any better than this. There’s a constant battle between blue fruits from the PS vs the red fruits from the Zin going on. Just lovely.
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7/3/2022 - casjf Likes this wine: 89 Points
Strawberry and raspberry flavors. Pairing with steak fajitas was okay, but not ideal.
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4/30/2022 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Seemed to hit the spot. The PS must give it the structure. Full-bodied, complex integrated fruit, quite smooth, nice finish.
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3/18/2022 - marksfamily Likes this wine:
Enjoy now. Long finish. Drinks like a cab.
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12/13/2020 - AllRed wrote:
The beverage manager at the club requested to taste zinfandel so I thought I would pull a couple that she was not likely to have had before. Our last bottle, gently double decanted off its sediment two hours before it was poured with our entrees. Youthful dark color. Opens with a sweet grapey note, would have guessed this was much younger than ten. There's also blue fruit, floral and milk chocolate notes. Medium-bodied. The palate is chock full of wonderful zin fruit with hints of spice in the finish. Drinking so very well right now...gorgeous. 92-93 for me, 93 for Domino, and T's favorite as well.
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10/22/2020 - dabovino Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking very nicely at this stage. Fruit is still very much there, well balanced. I would describe it as a rather elegant zin.
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10/21/2020 - dabovino wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful zin at its peak. Love California.
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7/9/2020 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 89 Points
A bit of a disappointment. JO says this will evolve an soften over the next ten years. Maybe to the downside. A tad watery with tired fruit. The last ounce or so was a bit better with a decent nose on night two, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
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4/20/2020 - bbmd10 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Love this with pasta.
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4/5/2020 - Guarded by Griffs wrote: 88 Points
It was old, but still going. The wine took an hour in a decanter to open up. Still had fruit. Good balance of tannins and acid.
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12/22/2019 - Alro Likes this wine: 92 Points
well cellared for its life. could easily have gone another couple, but that was my last... Plenty of fruit on the palate, long dreamy finish! just tasty!
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11/29/2019 - Alro Likes this wine: 91 Points
classic Lytton fruit, well constructed and drinking beautifully, longgg finish! ....enjoy now and for another 4-5 years
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5/29/2019 - pgm wrote: 91 Points
Started out muted, but after about 30 minutes in the glass it brightened up and added depth as well. Black fruit on the nose and in the mouth, a bit of tobacco leaf, finishing with a spicy herbal note. Still drinking well, but it’s time.
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4/14/2019 - MRichman wrote:
Getting a little long in the tooth. Soft fruit. Very good, but I wouldn't hold this too long. Doesn't have the grip or structure of Lytton Springs bottling.
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12/25/2018 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 90 Points
Opaque purple. Raspberries, plums, and some herbal Draper perfume on the nose. Full body, juicy. Plums, tart raspberries, and piney herbs on the palate. Medium-low tannin, medium-high acid that lingers. Berries and pine sap through the medium-long finish. Yummy.
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12/15/2018 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 90 Points
With stuffed pork chops, roast carrots, salad.
Look: sediment on side of the bottle. Opaque garnet, touch of purple at rim.
Smell: prune, raisin, black cherry? Darker than last bottle.
Taste: dark fruit, then acid, moderated tannin. A big dark fruit taste, but somehow accompanied by a soft mouth feel - Petite Sirah moving to the front?
Nice wine.
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3/18/2018 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Decanted briefly before dinner. Notes of blue and black fruit give way to raspberry liquer. Has a terrific florally overtone with peppery spice underneath. Loads of raspberry and briary red fruit- ripe and juciy- with a lush midpalate. Terrific fruit with a lingering, pepper-tinged finish. 91 for Domino, 92-93 for me.
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10/26/2017 - CJM wrote: 85 Points
Clear deep garnet. Violet, black cherry, plum. Low acids, medium to high tannins. Prune. Medium balanced finish
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6/4/2016 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is evolving at a slower pace than I expected. The wine is still quite tannic considering its age. It has a pungent nose of dark fruits, evergreen and some Christmas spice. The fruit on the palate is rich and tangy, resembling under-ripe plums. Unfortunately this was my last bottle, but if I had another, I would wait a year or two before opening. I would expect another 4-5 years out of this, right in line with John Olney's estimate on the back label.
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3/18/2016 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 92 Points
With cheese pizza (caramelized onions, sautéed pepper, and mushrooms).
Robust but not opaque garnet - lovely.
Cherry and plum nose, lovely and enticing.
Dry, medium weight, some nice mouth-watering acid, plum and bright cherry. Slightly earthy. I agree with AllRed on the elegant finish, long and ending on a sweet (but not sugary)note.
This bottle drinking nicely.
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10/6/2015 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine: 92 Points
The winemaker's note on the Ridge website says that the zinfandel parcels used for this wine were held out of the 2010 Lytton Springs bottling due to elevated tannin, and I did find my first two bottles of this wine (opened in early and late 2014) too firm for full enjoyment. I was a bit apprehensive about opening a 3rd bottle after only another 11 months in the cellar, but I was pleased to find the rough edges have softened and the wine has started to become more plush in texture. This is a dark, brooding zin (probably on account of the 25% petite sirah) with a fabulous nose and a good finish. One more year and I think this will be at peak. Really glad to have one more bottle left.
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5/24/2015 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
37th Annual Zinfandel Retrospective - the 2010s (R&D's): Purple ruby color. Opens with floral notes followed by cherry, grapey dark fruit and minerals. Adds a nice peppery note as it opens. Flavors of blue fruit, boysenberry, cherry and pepper. Finishes with plenty of fruit and good length. 92+ pts.
My #1, Domino's #2
Group #6, 44 pts
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11/7/2014 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decided to check in on this wine, and it really hasn't budged since first trying it early this year. The nose is expressive with rich high-toned black fruit and evergreen, but the palate remains rather tight. It's enjoyable now, especially with food, but I'd prefer to wait until it unwinds a bit more before opening another, say, another year or even two. The blend is 25% petite sirah, and that firm 2010 PS fruit from the LS estate may be holding this one back. Some patience is required.
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8/11/2014 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Finishing up the last half of the bottle from two nights ago, and this has really held up well and even improved. Black cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, violets and blueberry jam on the nose. Flavors of black raspberry, chocolate-covered cherries, white pepper and blueberry. There's an elegance to the finish that I really love, lingering for well over a minute. A fantastic vintage for this wine.
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8/9/2014 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Black raspberry, cherry and boysenberry notes with a nice peppery undertone. Lovely jammy red and black fruit on the palate, with a spice note on the finish. Juicy and forward; terrific. 92-93 pts.
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7/2/2014 - cdebeau wrote:
Red & blue fruit. Strong alcohol. Needs more time.
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3/26/2014 - MRichman wrote:
Tasting at Ridge Lytton Springs (Ridge Lytton Springs): Soft with fine, firm, black tannins. Tar, blackberry, espresso. Very good.
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3/11/2014 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 91 Points
Tasted at Ridge Geyserville. Deep purple color. Beautiful nose with plenty of Zin aromatics (plum, cherries), but also some additional complexity coming from Petite Sirah, pepper and some minerality too. Medium-full bodied with good medium acidity and medium+ tannin adding some grip. Good length. A really great Zin but it was outperformed by Lyttons Springs and Geyserville we had in the same tasting.
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2/16/2014 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine: 91 Points
I opened the first of my four bottles, realizing it was probably premature given the structure of the vintage and having read some prior reviews. Decanted for one hour. The nose offers aromas of blackberry, zin-berry and a pungent spice note that I associate with garrique/evergreen. The oak is fairly restrained. It's a deep wine (on account of 25% petite sirah) that blankets the palate with medium-soft tannins, which, along with its bracing acidity, bodes well for medium-term aging. Enjoyable now if you don't mind your wines a bit on the firm side, but I will try to wait a good 1-2 years until I pop another.
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1/9/2014 - Colima74 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stunning to smell, with violets and blueberries. Carries over to the palate, with blue and red fruit, a hint of vanilla, violets, with the right amount of acid. No sweetness. 25% Petite Sirah.
Stunningly good. I'm surprised by the low scores.
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12/7/2013 - MRichman wrote:
High acidity. Not as dense or friendly as other vintages. Nice floral notes, but a bit angular. A bit disappointing for Ridge.
B/B-
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12/6/2013 - kosinski wrote:
Aromas of red berry preserves and vanilla with a hint of wet earth. Sweet and spicy on the palate with dark red and black berry flavors and hints of vanilla and nutmeg. Good acidity keeps it from being cloying. Tannins are soft but noticeable. Drink now or hold.
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11/20/2013 - markydecker wrote: 90 Points
Killed a baby tonight, but it was a good infanticide. Burst of dark blackberry fruit to the senses! Enticing nose of brambly fruit with a very strong tannic backbone from the 25% petite sirah. Built for the cellar. Another awesome ATP selection from Ridge.
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11/1/2013 - AllRed wrote:
Ridge Vineyards Virtual Winemaker Tasting of the Fall Releases (Our house): Grapey and ripe, with black raspberry and spice aromas. Cherry, raspberry and white pepper flavors with a long finish. Develops a subtle meaty note with air. Nice.
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11/1/2013 - thelostverse wrote: 90 Points
Ridge tasting at Allred's. Notes of brown sugar and blueberry with drying tannins. Tasted alongside an '11 Pagani which was a bit better for me.
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12/29/2012 - affordableCollector wrote: 87 Points
maroon in color. dark red fruit, tobacco, cedar on the nose. cigar, berry, cedar, sweet on the palate. light tannins and acid on the finish.
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