Bottle: Purchased on release for $8.50. Stored in a passively cooled cellar (aka my basement). Bottom neck fill. Cork saturated 1/3rd.
Color: Beautiful ruby with garnet rim. It just glows!
Nose: Wow! Huge, complex nose of berry cobbler, vanilla, earth, tobacco.
Palate: Big and juicy on the palate. Bursting with fruit. Blackberries and plums. Good balancing acidity with a bit of tannin on the finish.
Feel like the other half of the bottle will be better tomorrow night.
Going through a mixed case of Ridge Zins from the mid '80s that I squirreled away 30 years ago has been fun. So far, this might be the best of the lot.
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From 375. For a 25+ year old wine this was still lively. Popped and poured. Initially some alcohol on the nose which quickly blows off leaving aromas and flavors of tart cherries, strawberries, and leather. Unfortunately, the wine lost complexity and length the longer it was open. Drink soon.
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Impromptu Copains at Fratello's (Fratello's San Clemente): Bright brambly nose smelling much of Zinberry. Very bright on the palate, clean and lean with powerful acidity behind cherry fruits. Very good and showing more clearly like a Zin than other aged examples have to me. Not just holding up but doing very well. Very good.
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Copain Offline @ Fratello's In The South OC (Fratello's Laguna Niguel): This was the kick off to the Copain dinner. Man, for 25 years old, still fresh. If bagged and served blind, then asked to guess vintage, I would have never got close to offering a vintage guess of this age. Fresh nose, even a bit of cobbler. Strawberry fruit, hints of herb and maybe some sigar leaf but the latter in the background. Very nice and fresh--bravo.
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Pizza night with best friends (Our House): Great wine. Out of the glass it was not as strong as one would hope, but then again what would someone expect after 25 years. The fruit is still there!
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decanted for sediment, but sadly, not very well. Some fine particulate in the wine remained. nose: reminded me of chapstick, plus a fair amount of dark spice. palate: the acidity is keeping this alive - smooth from age, with faint red and black fruits. The spice faded with air, but was initially very nice. Overall, this wine is hard to evaluate given the conditions, but I'd say drink if you got 'em.
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Still dark and youthful, a bit cardboardy on the mid-palate, but plenty of berries, lush, sweet oaky finish, long, balanced - I'm not sure that the last ten years have improved this wine in any way, but it's still very much alive
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UK wine-pages Geyserville Vertical (London): This is more like it. Very good indeed. Quite a simply fruity nature with spritzy rhubarb. A voluptuous palate and finish. Great body, but no supermodel
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5/14/2019 - meniscus Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bottle: Purchased on release for $8.50. Stored in a passively cooled cellar (aka my basement). Bottom neck fill. Cork saturated 1/3rd.
Color: Beautiful ruby with garnet rim. It just glows!
Nose: Wow! Huge, complex nose of berry cobbler, vanilla, earth, tobacco.
Palate: Big and juicy on the palate. Bursting with fruit. Blackberries and plums. Good balancing acidity with a bit of tannin on the finish.
Feel like the other half of the bottle will be better tomorrow night.
Going through a mixed case of Ridge Zins from the mid '80s that I squirreled away 30 years ago has been fun. So far, this might be the best of the lot.
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2/20/2012 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 88 Points
Blind Tasting 1980-87 Ridge Geyservilles (Rich & Peggy's House, Los Altos, CA): Baked cherry and raspberry nose. Light to medium body with low to medium acidity. Plum, maturing, past its prime. (my 5th, group's 6th)
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3/18/2011 - psrv wrote: 86 Points
From 375. For a 25+ year old wine this was still lively. Popped and poured. Initially some alcohol on the nose which quickly blows off leaving aromas and flavors of tart cherries, strawberries, and leather. Unfortunately, the wine lost complexity and length the longer it was open. Drink soon.
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10/9/2010 - Old Tasting Notes wrote: 84 Points
Odd, almost minty nose, Sightly off note to it, but big spicy eucalyptus touch to it, not really loving it though.
Ridge Tasting
10/9/10
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12/23/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Impromptu Copains at Fratello's (Fratello's San Clemente): Bright brambly nose smelling much of Zinberry. Very bright on the palate, clean and lean with powerful acidity behind cherry fruits. Very good and showing more clearly like a Zin than other aged examples have to me. Not just holding up but doing very well. Very good.
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12/23/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Copain Offline @ Fratello's In The South OC (Fratello's Laguna Niguel): This was the kick off to the Copain dinner. Man, for 25 years old, still fresh. If bagged and served blind, then asked to guess vintage, I would have never got close to offering a vintage guess of this age. Fresh nose, even a bit of cobbler. Strawberry fruit, hints of herb and maybe some sigar leaf but the latter in the background. Very nice and fresh--bravo.
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11/27/2009 - jlgnml wrote: 92 Points
Pizza night with best friends (Our House): Great wine. Out of the glass it was not as strong as one would hope, but then again what would someone expect after 25 years. The fruit is still there!
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1/11/2009 - tarheel17 wrote:
decanted for sediment, but sadly, not very well. Some fine particulate in the wine remained.
nose: reminded me of chapstick, plus a fair amount of dark spice.
palate: the acidity is keeping this alive - smooth from age, with faint red and black fruits. The spice faded with air, but was initially very nice. Overall, this wine is hard to evaluate given the conditions, but I'd say drink if you got 'em.
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7/24/2008 - simba-mk@cox.net wrote: 84 Points
drinkable but fading
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10/30/2005 - Rupert wrote: 88 Points
Still dark and youthful, a bit cardboardy on the mid-palate, but plenty of berries, lush, sweet oaky finish, long, balanced - I'm not sure that the last ten years have improved this wine in any way, but it's still very much alive
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7/24/2004 - thewinelake wrote: 90 Points
UK wine-pages Geyserville Vertical (London): This is more like it. Very good indeed. Quite a simply fruity nature with spritzy rhubarb. A voluptuous palate and finish. Great body, but no supermodel
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