Double decanted and served 90 minutes later. Slight sediment. Dark and deep blue/black color with dense blackberry fruit on the nose and mild oak (no significant American Oak noticeable). Remarkably soft, pleasant fruit for a P.S. (does the 10% Zin do this?), yet still dark and somewhat brooding. Interesting nuances of cloves, tar, leather and tar add to the complexities of this juicy yet structured wine that will clearly last another 5-10 years. 90+ Interestingly, none of the other eight blind tasters guessed the varietal correctly...
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One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Slight sediment in the screen. Wine gave off a deep black raspberry nose during decant. Wine was clear; dark garnet from bowl to rim with no bricking. In the glass: powerful black fruits (one could smell the 10% Zinfandel in the blend) with black pepper and tree bark. In the mouth: deep black fruits and while the tannins were softening, they were not close to being done; acid was just sufficient but the wine's balance did not suffer. About an hour into the meal (two hours after decant) the nose and taste changed to show some black licorice and saddle leather. Medium-long finish originally ending with pepper but later showcasing the licorice. I think this wine needs a couple of more years before it hits its peak. It was a good food wine with smoked beef and zesty sauces.
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Very dark purple-black. Not much going on in the bouquet but definitely dark fruit aroma. Blackberry jam flavours, rich and jammy. Some acidity but it could use a bit more. That said, a very enjoyable glass of wine.
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PNP. 90% Petite Sirah, 10% Zinfandel. This was excellent. Deep, rich, fruity with a healthy dose of American oak. All that I wanted. Drinking well now, not sure if it will ever land. Drink or hold.
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This has certainly improved since my last tasting in 2015 or so. But tannins still remain biting and in the way. The fruit is a dark PS profile, with yet minimal complexity. Not at its peak yet, it seems.
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Beautiful nose of crushed blackberries, cinnamon, and pepper. Spicy and smoky on the palate, with surprisingly fine tannin and just a trace of heat. Well done as always.
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Sampled through Coravin. Sagebrush and Southern California morning fog on the nose. Minty, drying, very tight. Full and jammy. Super tannic. Promising. Definitely hold.
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Always a solid petite, but I think the 2012 is on the milder side and not quite the power finish I recall from previous vintages. Decanted for an hour.
Still pretty tight. Flowers and fruit emerged only weakly upon opening. Several hours of decanting helped open up the wine further, but the fruit remained buried in strong tannins throughout. I'd postpone opening the next bottle until 2018.
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As expected, this is very young and restrained at this age, even after 3+ hours of decanting. (Was unapproachable upon opening, btw.) Right now, it tastes less impressive than Lytton Spring, my favorite Ridge's PS blend, but all components are there. Could (and is likely) to improve significantly after several years of cellaring.
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Showing intense purple fruit, with sweet blueberry and iron minerality, spiced and licorice on mid and back palate, quite restrained by sharp tannins, fading quicker than it should. Nevertheless, is pleasant and ripe enough. 89
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Black core with vivid ruby-purple rim. Clean, developing nose bursting with jammy black and blue fruit, black pepper, black licorice, cedar, juniper, blueberry blossom and melted chocolate. Medium+ intensity and quite beautiful initially but nose fades quite a bit with just 10 minutes in the glass and an unpleasant metallic quality reveals itself. Palate disappoints with rough tannins and much less fruit intensity than the nose. Some ripe black fruit, pepper, leather, and wood. Med acid, medium+ alcohol, medium+ body, medium length with a very drying finish.
I'm a great fan of Ridge wines but this wasn't my style. More of a wine for sniffing than drinking... nose and palate that just weren't running at the same speed. I don't think decanting would help open the wine as the aromas seemed to fade fast. Will revisit in 1-2 years to see if tannins soften to reveal more fruit.
Edit: Revisited wine second day (stored vacuvin in cool room) and nose was still beautiful (with more chocolate and blueberry) but tannins harsh with no fruit on the finish. Raising score 1 point.
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Deep black center, red/purple rim. A little closed, but has black plums, blackberries, kirsch, smoked pork, dried chillies, dark chocolate, touch of saline. Smooth, plums and black cherries, blueberries, milk chocolate, green peppercorns, slight greenness, modest tannin and acid (buried under the body and fruit), good long finish of fruit and herbs. Excellent petite sirah, more mature than expected, drinking well now but probably a bit better in a year or two.
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Nose of dark fruit, blackberry, and plum with a touch of licorice, more of the same on the palate, tasty, fruit forward compared to past vintages enjoyed, went well with the Pork Tenderloin at One Market in SF, improved in the glass over the two hour dinner, 7 of the 8 dining voted it second to the 2012 Geyserville, very tasty but not chewy, needs 3 years to peak, medium/big body, long finish and pleasant aftertaste.
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PHMG WAG: Ridge Vineyards (Monte Lyon): Squid ink in the glass; it offers up ripe blueberry, black plum, black licorice candy, pepper, a hint of violet, and some oak. Lots of time, good QPR.
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Dusty oak and muted aromas at first, then deep plum infused with Asian spice, boysenberry. Very young on the nose but attractive. Full bodied in the mouth, rich red fruit, ripe, good acidity, crisp and fresh. Finishes well with oak, licquorice, acidic lift and a tannic bite. Probably the best "straight" (10% Zin) Petite Sirah I've had.
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Munskänkarna Tyresö: Mörkt blåröd färg. Angenäm doft av svarta vinbär, vanilj, choklad, örter och mörka bär. Stram och kryddig med mycket svarta vinbär även i smaken. Gott!
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A Visit to Ridge, Monte Bello Estate: This pours massively, inky, dark and glass staining. Nose is reminiscent of a modern CdP. Very licorice driven nose: red licorice, black licorice, kirsch and just a touch of tar and pepper in the background. Palate is dense, ripe, and has huge drying tannin on the finish. Alcohol is noted as poking out and being a tad high. Interesting, but not really for me.
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12/2/2022 - BHRH Likes this wine: 90 Points
Double decanted and served 90 minutes later. Slight sediment. Dark and deep blue/black color with dense blackberry fruit on the nose and mild oak (no significant American Oak noticeable). Remarkably soft, pleasant fruit for a P.S. (does the 10% Zin do this?), yet still dark and somewhat brooding. Interesting nuances of cloves, tar, leather and tar add to the complexities of this juicy yet structured wine that will clearly last another 5-10 years. 90+
Interestingly, none of the other eight blind tasters guessed the varietal correctly...
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3/3/2022 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 90 Points
One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Slight sediment in the screen. Wine gave off a deep black raspberry nose during decant. Wine was clear; dark garnet from bowl to rim with no bricking. In the glass: powerful black fruits (one could smell the 10% Zinfandel in the blend) with black pepper and tree bark. In the mouth: deep black fruits and while the tannins were softening, they were not close to being done; acid was just sufficient but the wine's balance did not suffer. About an hour into the meal (two hours after decant) the nose and taste changed to show some black licorice and saddle leather. Medium-long finish originally ending with pepper but later showcasing the licorice. I think this wine needs a couple of more years before it hits its peak. It was a good food wine with smoked beef and zesty sauces.
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4/10/2021 - LuckyLars wrote: 91 Points
Very dark purple-black. Not much going on in the bouquet but definitely dark fruit aroma. Blackberry jam flavours, rich and jammy. Some acidity but it could use a bit more. That said, a very enjoyable glass of wine.
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10/28/2020 - WineCPA wrote: 91 Points
This could go longer based on the structure. But it's great now. Thick dark fruit. Firm tannins.
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5/14/2020 - Jmac56 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice fruit and leather nose. Clearly a zinny sirah with medium body, great balance, fruit- clean with little earth.
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1/16/2020 - timbobwhite Likes this wine: 92 Points
PNP. 90% Petite Sirah, 10% Zinfandel. This was excellent. Deep, rich, fruity with a healthy dose of American oak. All that I wanted. Drinking well now, not sure if it will ever land. Drink or hold.
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1/8/2020 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Another Year, Another Napa (aka Winter in Wineland IV); 1/5/2020-1/11/2020 (Napa/Sonoma California): Interesting - compared to the '09 this is much younger, a bit more heat. Still the peppery. Some of those softer fruits like strawberry. Again quite young.
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1/26/2018 - Slaz wrote: 90 Points
This has certainly improved since my last tasting in 2015 or so. But tannins still remain biting and in the way. The fruit is a dark PS profile, with yet minimal complexity. Not at its peak yet, it seems.
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8/8/2017 - rieslinghoarder Likes this wine: 88 Points
Notes of blackberries, blueberries, and mint. Full body, grippy tannins.
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4/30/2017 - Billigan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beautiful nose of crushed blackberries, cinnamon, and pepper. Spicy and smoky on the palate, with surprisingly fine tannin and just a trace of heat. Well done as always.
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1/22/2017 - Doc90 wrote:
Sampled through Coravin. Sagebrush and Southern California morning fog on the nose. Minty, drying, very tight. Full and jammy. Super tannic. Promising. Definitely hold.
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11/2/2016 - wineotim wrote: 89 Points
Third and last bottle of this for me. This one doesn't have the structure and overall varietal satisfaction that the previous bottles did.
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10/17/2016 - Tyler C Likes this wine: 90 Points
Always a solid petite, but I think the 2012 is on the milder side and not quite the power finish I recall from previous vintages. Decanted for an hour.
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3/27/2016 - Slaz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still pretty tight. Flowers and fruit emerged only weakly upon opening. Several hours of decanting helped open up the wine further, but the fruit remained buried in strong tannins throughout. I'd postpone opening the next bottle until 2018.
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1/15/2016 - BklynNeophyte wrote: 90 Points
Very nice. Lower in alcohol and milder than many PSs.
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8/4/2015 - Slaz Likes this wine: 90 Points
As expected, this is very young and restrained at this age, even after 3+ hours of decanting. (Was unapproachable upon opening, btw.) Right now, it tastes less impressive than Lytton Spring, my favorite Ridge's PS blend, but all components are there. Could (and is likely) to improve significantly after several years of cellaring.
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7/26/2015 - wineotim Likes this wine: 92 Points
Same as previous bottle six months ago...Great Petite Sirah!
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6/6/2015 - kbcadeponei wrote: 89 Points
Showing intense purple fruit, with sweet blueberry and iron minerality, spiced and licorice on mid and back palate, quite restrained by sharp tannins, fading quicker than it should. Nevertheless, is pleasant and ripe enough. 89
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5/15/2015 - JWSOMMERFELD Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Black core with vivid ruby-purple rim. Clean, developing nose bursting with jammy black and blue fruit, black pepper, black licorice, cedar, juniper, blueberry blossom and melted chocolate. Medium+ intensity and quite beautiful initially but nose fades quite a bit with just 10 minutes in the glass and an unpleasant metallic quality reveals itself. Palate disappoints with rough tannins and much less fruit intensity than the nose. Some ripe black fruit, pepper, leather, and wood. Med acid, medium+ alcohol, medium+ body, medium length with a very drying finish.
I'm a great fan of Ridge wines but this wasn't my style. More of a wine for sniffing than drinking... nose and palate that just weren't running at the same speed. I don't think decanting would help open the wine as the aromas seemed to fade fast. Will revisit in 1-2 years to see if tannins soften to reveal more fruit.
Edit: Revisited wine second day (stored vacuvin in cool room) and nose was still beautiful (with more chocolate and blueberry) but tannins harsh with no fruit on the finish. Raising score 1 point.
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4/20/2015 - lockestep Likes this wine: 87 Points
Ridge Tasting with Eric Baugher (State Line, Elkton MD): Deeo color. Very closed, rough tannins dominate. Heavy wine with moderate heat from the alcohol. Straightforward effort.
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2/19/2015 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep black center, red/purple rim.
A little closed, but has black plums, blackberries, kirsch, smoked pork, dried chillies, dark chocolate, touch of saline.
Smooth, plums and black cherries, blueberries, milk chocolate, green peppercorns, slight greenness, modest tannin and acid (buried under the body and fruit), good long finish of fruit and herbs.
Excellent petite sirah, more mature than expected, drinking well now but probably a bit better in a year or two.
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1/30/2015 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose of dark fruit, blackberry, and plum with a touch of licorice, more of the same on the palate, tasty, fruit forward compared to past vintages enjoyed, went well with the Pork Tenderloin at One Market in SF, improved in the glass over the two hour dinner, 7 of the 8 dining voted it second to the 2012 Geyserville, very tasty but not chewy, needs 3 years to peak, medium/big body, long finish and pleasant aftertaste.
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1/25/2015 - wineotim Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pours inky black, very ripe but dry, medium tannins. Glass and teeth staining wine. Outstanding Petite Sirah.
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1/17/2015 - Grinner wrote: 91 Points
PHMG WAG: Ridge Vineyards (Monte Lyon): Squid ink in the glass; it offers up ripe blueberry, black plum, black licorice candy, pepper, a hint of violet, and some oak. Lots of time, good QPR.
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12/21/2014 - Pluecht Likes this wine: 90 Points
big fruit, tight tannins require decanting. Hold
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10/31/2014 - Timbalimba wrote: 91 Points
Dusty oak and muted aromas at first, then deep plum infused with Asian spice, boysenberry. Very young on the nose but attractive. Full bodied in the mouth, rich red fruit, ripe, good acidity, crisp and fresh. Finishes well with oak, licquorice, acidic lift and a tannic bite. Probably the best "straight" (10% Zin) Petite Sirah I've had.
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10/22/2014 - WineCPA wrote: 91 Points
Rich, dark fruit. Firm tannins but drinking well now.
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10/17/2014 - Spencer wrote:
Very drinkable at this age for a Ridge PS. Balanced. Should age well, but no harm drinking now.
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10/5/2014 - MRichman wrote:
Tasting at Ridge Lytton Springs (Ridge Lytton Springs): Black, tacky acidic tannins. Sweet core. Good.
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9/26/2014 - Silveradoup wrote: 92 Points
Awesome, will last for EVER!
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9/21/2014 - larseman Likes this wine: 89 Points
Munskänkarna Tyresö: Mörkt blåröd färg.
Angenäm doft av svarta vinbär, vanilj, choklad, örter och mörka bär.
Stram och kryddig med mycket svarta vinbär även i smaken. Gott!
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8/20/2014 - Wine Canuck wrote: 87 Points
A Visit to Ridge, Monte Bello Estate: This pours massively, inky, dark and glass staining. Nose is reminiscent of a modern CdP. Very licorice driven nose: red licorice, black licorice, kirsch and just a touch of tar and pepper in the background. Palate is dense, ripe, and has huge drying tannin on the finish. Alcohol is noted as poking out and being a tad high. Interesting, but not really for me.
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