Tasted alongside the Ridge 2017 Buchignani Zinfandel and showing very well at a decade. The tannins have softened up a lot but it has stayed very fresh. Primary notes of fruit have mellowed a lot and it’s now dominated by a sweet note of vanilla and sandalwood, tobacco, and cacao nib. This is the oldest Ridge Zinfandel I’ve had before and it’s clear this has a lot more life left.
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After tasting a young Portuguese red that was fresh and vibrant, this seemed a bit old and tired. Having tasted a number of more-or-less decade-old Zins in the last year, I'm finding they just aren't as good as they were when young due to a consistent lack of acidity. Drink up.
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The cruise ship had a recent Lytton Springs listed but was out. However this was an fully acceptable substitute and shocked me that an ATP wine like this would be on board.
Tasted from Riedel Bordeaux glass. Full mature zin nose. Tobacco leaf, chocolate, dark dried cherries with a bit of freshness left, and a nice background of American oak spices, and that Draper perfume. Palate is at that perfect point. The fruit is starting to dry, the oak spices are at that right balance of age and fresh. Dark dried cherries, juicy black currants, a bit of leather, violets, and a bit of black pepper and herbs. The Carignane has kept the acidity and tannins fresh in this. Moderate angular tannins bring in a light black tea note. Nice long mature finish of cocoa, leather, dark dried cherries, American oak without a big herbal profile.
Maybe I need to just forget that my ATP bottles arrived and let them age. This was wonderful and fit the meal perfectly.
Day 2: not as complex. But didn't fall apart. PnP this and enjoy on the same night
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Excellent mature zin. Decanted for an hour and at first sip it revealed mostly earthy flavors with hints of leather and tobacco. Oak and spice. After a little more time the wine opened up even more to reveal some red fruit flavor. Overall just a pleasurable wine. Most likely this is at it peak now but will probably drink well for another 2-3 years.
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The oak is still kind of overwhelming this wine. It's really hard to get to the fruit at all on the nose. The palate is more lively that way. This doesn't really show much maturity even 8 years out. The fruit shows decent richness with a glycerin like feel in the midpalate. Could use a tad more acidity. But there is room for that oak to soak in if it ever will for those adventurous enough to keep waiting. This drinks like an experiment that never came together.
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Opened 3 hours. Color is deep red. On the nose: cherry, plum , spice and vanilla. On the palate: Concentrated Blackberry, plum, lots of Asian spice, hint of dark chocolate and vanilla. Terrific mouthfeel and length. Hedonistic but not jammy. This wine is exceptional. It is drinking well but has lots of life ahead. It’s a rainy fall day today and this Zin is really hitting the spot. I have 3 more bottles and will put into the weekend instead of weekday rotation. This wine is special.
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A wonderful Zin from Ridge. Opened up after breathing in the bottle for about an hour. The nose made us thing we were in the Northern Cal. wine country. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like cherry. It tastes like cherry and black currant (cassis). The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
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Wonderful, just the right amount of pepper, spice and everything nice, that you would expect in a zinfandel. Ridge has dome a very good job here, and this wine is drinking perfect now! We enjoyed this bottle with a Mexican meal...work great.
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Showing really well. Ripe but rustic qualities. Creamy creme de cassis and plum elements with light gray pepper spice on the nose. Medium bodied palate with nice mouth feel on the finish. Darker fruit again with a creme de cassis quality. Very very nice.
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Not typically a fan of buchignani or the carignane additions, but this was very nice. Full-bodied, spicy, but intriguing integrated fruit. Good finish.
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Rich garnet color. Vegetables and leather on the nose. Deep dark fruits (I might just have figs on my mind) with light acidity, green peppers and some leather.
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Amazing! A little right at first, but as it opened up all the beautiful red fruit notes sang! Great hints of spice as well! Good acidity levels made this a nice beef pairing. This could easily go another 1-2 years.
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Warning: I've been cooking Indian food all day so my taste buds may be a bit out of whack. Nice nose of plum and gingerbread - very Zin-forward, but with a hint of black pepper. Medium to full-bodied, balanced acidity, no real tannins to speak of. Straightforward Zin notes, mirroring the nose; nothing over-the-top or out of the ordinary. A good, solid Zin from Ridge, ready to drink.
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Consumed at horizontal tasting of 2013 Ridge Zin's. This wine compared to 2013 Mazzoni Home Ranch and 2013 Carmichael. Group consensus preferred the Carmichael to both the Buchignani (although a close call) and the Mazzoni.
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I'm a solid 92 on this. I opened it because I was making Shrimp Parm for the 2nd time and was pretty sure that the tweaks I'd made over Emeril's recipe were going to put this over the top and wanted a solid Zin to pair with it but didn't want to burn a bottle that I knew was amazing just in case I failed. This wine delivered the goods as well as my tweaks on the Parmesan. Deep and inky with a very long finish. It screwed my dinner up a little because I would lust for another bite of shrimp but the wine kept going--would have almost been better with something I didn't like for dinner so that I could enjoy the finish longer. I'd say this has some time to cellar but it's drinking so beautifully now that I wouldn't sweat it too much. Drink now or later. You can't go wrong with this wine. Oh, and the swallow I saved to taste during notes isn't the same as what came out of the cellar. It's faded over the past 3 hours. So, don't decant. Open and enjoy.
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Served with grilled New York strip steak, roast broccoli, tomato salad. Look: medium-dark purple/ruby. Smell: dark fruit, blueberry, hint of more beneath. Taste: dark, dry, big and full. moderate tannin and acid. Rich, enjoyable, very nice, great with the meal. I believe this one has the legs to continue for some time.
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Late ATP arrival of a 2013 zin in 2018. I guess it was released when it was ready. It’s ready and will age. Big Wine. Almost thought they snuck some Petite Sirah in its so big. Very tasty.
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This hasn’t been my favorite of the ATP releases, but this one got my attention: it’s a juicy wine with berry and currant, unusually hedonistic for Ridge but with classic zin spice. Outstanding effort.
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Without specific notes, this was quite awesome with smokey BBQ wings spiced with Penzy's Northwood Fire and transformitive with food. After the wings were long gone the Carignan flavor was prominent, which is fine if you know what to expect. Overall well made!
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Purple and inky. Super sweet compelling aromas of slate, cracked black pepper, dark black cherry, cloves. Very pure, smooth and silky cream based tree bark, honey, sappy syrup of cherry liquor. Touch of oak. Massive multi minute finish. This is a thrill and handily beats the '03 Turley Moore Earthquake.
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Dinner at Basanti (Basanti): Green notes of dill on the nose. Lots of fruit but kind of reserved at the same time. Plenty of tannin for a Zin blend without much Petit Sirah in it. Sweet oak notes on the palate confirm that this shows more oak than the winemaker notes would seem to indicate. I had a similar experience with another of their 2013's. This wine honestly seemed a bit closed as it seemed to have some fruit density. Just lacked in expression. The overtness of the wood is a bit worrisome. I'm guessing leave it be for a few more years and see if the fruit awakens and swallows up some of those oaky notes. The structure would indicate that is a possibility.
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A Tasting at Ridge (Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs Estate): Barrel sample. Really bright and fruit-forward with aromas of boysenberry, raspberry and red fruit with a fun grapey/jammy edge to it. Full and exuberant with an abundance of bright red fruit on the palate. Has just a faint meaty quality on the finish. I loved this. 92+ pts.
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2/12/2023 - ethanwade Likes this wine:
Tasted alongside the Ridge 2017 Buchignani Zinfandel and showing very well at a decade. The tannins have softened up a lot but it has stayed very fresh. Primary notes of fruit have mellowed a lot and it’s now dominated by a sweet note of vanilla and sandalwood, tobacco, and cacao nib. This is the oldest Ridge Zinfandel I’ve had before and it’s clear this has a lot more life left.
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1/29/2023 - Lcampbell0416 Likes this wine:
Fantastic good blend between earthy and fruit. Good with Moussaka
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11/6/2022 - MRichman wrote:
Very nice and holding up really well.
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6/29/2022 - oakville72 Likes this wine: 89 Points
After tasting a young Portuguese red that was fresh and vibrant, this seemed a bit old and tired. Having tasted a number of more-or-less decade-old Zins in the last year, I'm finding they just aren't as good as they were when young due to a consistent lack of acidity. Drink up.
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4/22/2022 - ChateauShiny Likes this wine: 92 Points
The cruise ship had a recent Lytton Springs listed but was out. However this was an fully acceptable substitute and shocked me that an ATP wine like this would be on board.
Tasted from Riedel Bordeaux glass. Full mature zin nose. Tobacco leaf, chocolate, dark dried cherries with a bit of freshness left, and a nice background of American oak spices, and that Draper perfume. Palate is at that perfect point. The fruit is starting to dry, the oak spices are at that right balance of age and fresh. Dark dried cherries, juicy black currants, a bit of leather, violets, and a bit of black pepper and herbs. The Carignane has kept the acidity and tannins fresh in this. Moderate angular tannins bring in a light black tea note. Nice long mature finish of cocoa, leather, dark dried cherries, American oak without a big herbal profile.
Maybe I need to just forget that my ATP bottles arrived and let them age. This was wonderful and fit the meal perfectly.
Day 2: not as complex. But didn't fall apart. PnP this and enjoy on the same night
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12/10/2021 - boozebythecreek Likes this wine:
Excellent mature zin. Decanted for an hour and at first sip it revealed mostly earthy flavors with hints of leather and tobacco. Oak and spice. After a little more time the wine opened up even more to reveal some red fruit flavor. Overall just a pleasurable wine. Most likely this is at it peak now but will probably drink well for another 2-3 years.
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11/13/2021 - WetRock wrote:
The oak is still kind of overwhelming this wine. It's really hard to get to the fruit at all on the nose. The palate is more lively that way. This doesn't really show much maturity even 8 years out. The fruit shows decent richness with a glycerin like feel in the midpalate. Could use a tad more acidity. But there is room for that oak to soak in if it ever will for those adventurous enough to keep waiting. This drinks like an experiment that never came together.
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6/14/2021 - CJM wrote: 90 Points
Clear, deep garnet with some rim browning. Tar, chocolate, boysenberry. No acids, low tannins. leather. Long balanced finish
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5/10/2021 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite the solid wine. Probably top 25% of Ridge zins.
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12/13/2020 - WineJ2019 Likes this wine: 91 Points
In a good spot, drinking well now. Balanced and more restrained Zin.
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9/23/2020 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened 3 hours. Color is deep red. On the nose: cherry, plum , spice and vanilla. On the palate: Concentrated Blackberry, plum, lots of Asian spice, hint of dark chocolate and vanilla. Terrific mouthfeel and length. Hedonistic but not jammy. This wine is exceptional. It is drinking well but has lots of life ahead. It’s a rainy fall day today and this Zin is really hitting the spot. I have 3 more bottles and will put into the weekend instead of weekday rotation. This wine is special.
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8/25/2020 - Jeff Ferrante Likes this wine: 97 Points
A wonderful Zin from Ridge. Opened up after breathing in the bottle for about an hour. The nose made us thing we were in the Northern Cal. wine country. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like cherry. It tastes like cherry and black currant (cassis). The body is full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
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8/17/2020 - Mortgage92 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful, just the right amount of pepper, spice and everything nice, that you would expect in a zinfandel. Ridge has dome a very good job here, and this wine is drinking perfect now! We enjoyed this bottle with a Mexican meal...work great.
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4/19/2020 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Showing really well. Ripe but rustic qualities. Creamy creme de cassis and plum elements with light gray pepper spice on the nose. Medium bodied palate with nice mouth feel on the finish. Darker fruit again with a creme de cassis quality. Very very nice.
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1/4/2020 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Not typically a fan of buchignani or the carignane additions, but this was very nice. Full-bodied, spicy, but intriguing integrated fruit. Good finish.
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12/6/2019 - Alro Likes this wine: 93 Points
So much better with a few years on these.....just top shelf!
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11/28/2019 - Alro Likes this wine: 92 Points
Carignane (mis-entered) this wine clearly has legs to go the distance....easily going another 4-5 years....
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7/31/2019 - rbfleming Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rich garnet color. Vegetables and leather on the nose. Deep dark fruits (I might just have figs on my mind) with light acidity, green peppers and some leather.
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5/26/2019 - Ben D Likes this wine: 97 Points
Amazing! A little right at first, but as it opened up all the beautiful red fruit notes sang! Great hints of spice as well! Good acidity levels made this a nice beef pairing. This could easily go another 1-2 years.
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4/27/2019 - Guy Des Rosiers Likes this wine: 86 Points
Warning: I've been cooking Indian food all day so my taste buds may be a bit out of whack. Nice nose of plum and gingerbread - very Zin-forward, but with a hint of black pepper. Medium to full-bodied, balanced acidity, no real tannins to speak of. Straightforward Zin notes, mirroring the nose; nothing over-the-top or out of the ordinary. A good, solid Zin from Ridge, ready to drink.
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4/19/2019 - rbfleming wrote: 92 Points
Spices and berries. Still yummy.
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4/17/2019 - bjschmitt Likes this wine:
Consumed at horizontal tasting of 2013 Ridge Zin's. This wine compared to 2013 Mazzoni Home Ranch and 2013 Carmichael. Group consensus preferred the Carmichael to both the Buchignani (although a close call) and the Mazzoni.
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4/7/2019 - wirelesswine wrote: flawed
Corked...just enough to make it a drain pour.
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2/4/2019 - WineAttic Likes this wine: 92 Points
I'm a solid 92 on this. I opened it because I was making Shrimp Parm for the 2nd time and was pretty sure that the tweaks I'd made over Emeril's recipe were going to put this over the top and wanted a solid Zin to pair with it but didn't want to burn a bottle that I knew was amazing just in case I failed. This wine delivered the goods as well as my tweaks on the Parmesan. Deep and inky with a very long finish. It screwed my dinner up a little because I would lust for another bite of shrimp but the wine kept going--would have almost been better with something I didn't like for dinner so that I could enjoy the finish longer. I'd say this has some time to cellar but it's drinking so beautifully now that I wouldn't sweat it too much. Drink now or later. You can't go wrong with this wine. Oh, and the swallow I saved to taste during notes isn't the same as what came out of the cellar. It's faded over the past 3 hours. So, don't decant. Open and enjoy.
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11/4/2018 - rbfleming Likes this wine: 90 Points
Purple. Dark berries, nutmeg. Lovely big wine, ready to drink or give it a few years.
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8/19/2018 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 91 Points
Served with grilled New York strip steak, roast broccoli, tomato salad.
Look: medium-dark purple/ruby.
Smell: dark fruit, blueberry, hint of more beneath.
Taste: dark, dry, big and full. moderate tannin and acid. Rich, enjoyable, very nice, great with the meal.
I believe this one has the legs to continue for some time.
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8/5/2018 - Birorganic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Late ATP arrival of a 2013 zin in 2018. I guess it was released when it was ready. It’s ready and will age. Big Wine. Almost thought they snuck some Petite Sirah in its so big. Very tasty.
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7/21/2018 - Rich S Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice traditional zin from Ridge. Good balance of spice, dark red fruit and toasty oak. Smooth mouthfeel and nice finish.
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7/8/2018 - aaronmphoto Likes this wine: 91 Points
Was absolutely delicious — ate with pulled chicken tacos. Also drank on its own. Opened up beautifully — not too fruity, nice light flavor.
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6/11/2018 - pgm wrote: 92 Points
This hasn’t been my favorite of the ATP releases, but this one got my attention: it’s a juicy wine with berry and currant, unusually hedonistic for Ridge but with classic zin spice. Outstanding effort.
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5/22/2018 - Frijole wrote:
deep dark burgundy red, medium clarity, silvery amber hue
Nose: blackberry, plum, chocolate, vanilla, dust, green pepper, earth, oak
Pal: blackberry, plum, chocolate, vanilla, silver, tobacco, cigar, cola, wet earth, green pepper, silver, oak
Feel: medium, round, savory, acidic
Finish: medium, long
T8
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5/21/2018 - psundberg Likes this wine: 91 Points
Without specific notes, this was quite awesome with smokey BBQ wings spiced with Penzy's Northwood Fire and transformitive with food. After the wings were long gone the Carignan flavor was prominent, which is fine if you know what to expect. Overall well made!
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5/4/2018 - mzimberg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Purple and inky. Super sweet compelling aromas of slate, cracked black pepper, dark black cherry, cloves. Very pure, smooth and silky cream based tree bark, honey, sappy syrup of cherry liquor. Touch of oak.
Massive multi minute finish. This is a thrill and handily beats the '03 Turley Moore Earthquake.
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5/3/2018 - WetRock wrote:
Dinner at Basanti (Basanti): Green notes of dill on the nose. Lots of fruit but kind of reserved at the same time. Plenty of tannin for a Zin blend without much Petit Sirah in it. Sweet oak notes on the palate confirm that this shows more oak than the winemaker notes would seem to indicate. I had a similar experience with another of their 2013's. This wine honestly seemed a bit closed as it seemed to have some fruit density. Just lacked in expression. The overtness of the wood is a bit worrisome. I'm guessing leave it be for a few more years and see if the fruit awakens and swallows up some of those oaky notes. The structure would indicate that is a possibility.
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4/5/2018 - MRichman wrote:
Rich for a Ridge. Dark fruit with black tar, licorice, smoke. Very nice. Full flavored. Drink or hold.
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4/18/2017 - R Hyde wrote: 92 Points
We had it April 2017 and it is ready and terrific! RH
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5/7/2014 - thelostverse wrote: 93 Points
Barrel sample at winery. Bright red fruits and ample acidity. First time with this vineyard, but I will be seeking these out going forward.
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5/7/2014 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
A Tasting at Ridge (Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs Estate): Barrel sample. Really bright and fruit-forward with aromas of boysenberry, raspberry and red fruit with a fun grapey/jammy edge to it. Full and exuberant with an abundance of bright red fruit on the palate. Has just a faint meaty quality on the finish. I loved this. 92+ pts.
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