Dark ruby, even has some purple hue on the rim, 98% opaque Intoxicating ridge zin nose, starts with ink, longan fruit, sweetest batch blackberries, wet brambles On the palate, fully energetic, blackberries Great structure, at peak now Med++ finish
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Rich, unctuous, big mullberry and ripe elderberry, that as it opens has great texture and core of minerals and fungus that get over played by the fruit. Given time, this might show a bit more, but that might defeat the purpose. Drink now.
I don't like its sweetness, but it's quality and paired well with spicey guacamole with fermented habenero salsa. Couldn't think of anything else that would go well with such non-wine food. But this worked. 1.6% water additions? Late harvest at 11 Oct from 85 year old vines. Wow, for such a hot year.
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If all the Ponzo bottlings from Ridge tasted as good as the ‘13, I would be a very happy Ponzo drinker. This vintage of Ridge Ponzo consistently performs with every bottle. Ox blood at its core with red raspberry at the rim. As I’ve noted previously, “Draper perfume, plum, Dr. Pepper, spicy Zin funk and pepper.” Beautiful on the nose and palate with a finish of Zin funk and coffee. A very complete pour. A blend of 93% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah . 14.8% alc. With pork ribs from Mill Street Grill. The wine was good; sorta over Mill Street Grill. Recommended.
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Drink now—2019. Low tannin, low sugar with some nice flavor that wasn’t there 2 years back. Neither dry nor sweet. I think the P.Sirah is showing a bit. Generic, non-berry fruit coming through taste, with sugar on nose. Maybe licorice or anise? Raw mild tobacco? No mineral or earth, but some mature plants.
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Served with pork tenderloin and orzo stuffing, with salad. Look: medium garnet (perhaps fading a bit over the last 16 months). Smell: mild raspberry, perhaps plum, somewhat muted. Taste: acid remains, fruit flavor is dim and mixed, with somewhat acerbic finish. After 2 hours things calmed down a bit. It seems this bottle at least has faded over the bottle we tasted 16 months ago.
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Sixteen months ago when tasting this wine, I noted, “Cherry red at the rim; ox blood at the core; and translucent throughout; rather stunning in the glass. The bouquet is all about Draper perfume, plum, Dr. Pepper, spicy Zin fun and pepper. The nose is big; the biggest I can recall of any Ponzo Zin. The bouquet translates completely on the palate with loads of perfume, ripe plum and all the spiciness of Dr. Pepper, funk and pepper filling the mouth. Black cherry joins the fray. It all culminates in a finish of coffee.” While the wine may have smoothed out a bit since then, it still speaks the same zippy language. This is one of the few Ponzo’s that performs up to the name of Ridge. A blend of 93% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah . 14.8% alc. With Pierce’s pork BBQ. Recommended.
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This wine was dark and no garnet on the rim. The nose was muted as was the palate. Herbal nose with varnish notes. Medium light not the briary notes i was looking for. In retrospect, Ridge zins have this big history but i found this wanting more.
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Biggish black/blue fruit with curiously green features...meaning someone slipped a veggie into the pie (or jam). So that's interesting. Blood, cocoa, cherry notes, too. Kind of a curiosity, which isn't meant as a knock, just an observation. Avoids the massive, obvious Zin trap, and for that I can tip the hat.
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Served with Spaghetti with fresh tomato/garlic sauce. Reasonably dark crimson, good consistency to rim. Blackberry/raspberry nose. Palate was dark fruit consistent with nose, nice acid, indistinct tannin. Decent finish. Went well with dinner. Drink now - probably best with food. Give it some time to open up.
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Not even 6 months later and opening another bottle. Lucious blackberries and bramble on the nose. Some pencil shaving qualities as well. Juicy and slightly heavy on the alcohol, silky tannins.
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Cherry red at the rim; ox blood at the core; and translucent throughout; rather stunning in the glass. The bouquet is all about Draper perfume, plum, Dr. Pepper, spicy Zin fun and pepper. The nose is big; the biggest I can recall of any Ponzo Zin. The bouquet translates completely on the palate with loads of perfume, ripe plum and all the spiciness of Dr. Pepper, funk and pepper filling the mouth. Black cherry joins the fray. It all culminates in a finish of coffee. A blend of 93% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah . 14.8% alc. With homemade pork BBQ. Recommended.
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Big fruited in a forward sense yet that fruit is already showing some recession. This seems like the fruit is backing off where it might have been out of the chute when you get that fleshy fun. This lacks that fleshiness already. It also lacks some acidity. There is a bit of tannin and a wee bit 'o heat but nothing you wouldn't expect. I'm betting this was best closer to release given the shape of the fruit which seems to be advancing already. Given that I wouldn't hope for much improvement. There is certainly a chance this could give a few years of more lean, elegant goodness but I was wishing I had tried it a couple years ago. A good wine but wanting. Drink now.
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Definitely drank waaay too young. I like most of my Ridge's with a bit of age on them but it sounded good tonight so I pulled this. Slightly riper than normal but. It overdone. Bramble, a little black pepper, dark red fruit. Slightly sweet on the palate and smooth but a little disjointed in a sense that you could tell this needs time to really shine. Solid grip and acidity on the back-end. This will be better in 5-7 years once it's settled in.
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Our first Ridge (courtesy of Grapes, White Plains) (Landmarc): From one of the 40 Zinfandel sites that Ridge has collected over the years (this one located in Paso Robles). The wine is a bit hot and definitely more of a bright fruit. Raspberry, hints of spice, quick finish. The type of wine that was created to be had at a BBQ or something similar. Drank next to a Petit Sirah and I just liked the toughness of that one a bit better although this was very quaffable.
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The 2013 Ridge Ponzo is 93% Zinfandel and 7% Petite Sirah. Deep purple with no sediment at this point. Medium strong bouquet suggesting raspberry, blueberry, and warm spices. On the palate, it suggests ripe berry fruit, prunes,and a dash of pepper. This is not a complex wine nor a wine for the cellar, but for short-term drinking with comfort foods it's very enjoyable.
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Don't really drink young wines but needed something for a Sunday night with Chinese and sandwiches. This fit the bill. Ripe red fruit, lighter than some zins with just a hint of pinot. Not overly complex or interesting, bu fit the bill.
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Dark red-violet color.Heavily cloaked in oak char and chocolate, riper fruit nose than usual from Ponzo. On arrival, low tannin, low-medium acidity; low energy. A little boring, too oaky. Finishes short, more oak juice than zinfandel. Not my style at all.
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Pop and pour. Plums and a little tar on the nose. Redder fruits for a zin, with nice acidity. A bit of tomato on the palate? Finish a little thin, but opens up with time. Would pair with many meals.
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Aroma: cherries, rose petals, almond blossom. Palate: spicy plum and cherry with medium body and low to moderate acidity. Moderate tannin. Restrained and elegant. Drink now or hold.
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8/9/2023 - affordableCollector wrote: 90 Points
dark ruby, garnet rim, in color. raspberry, cranberry, blackberry, turned earth, wet forest floor, iron, spice, pepper, clove, cedar. cranberry juice, blackberry, wet earth, on the finish.
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5/21/2023 - chicsucre wrote:
Dark ruby, even has some purple hue on the rim, 98% opaque
Intoxicating ridge zin nose, starts with ink, longan fruit, sweetest batch blackberries, wet brambles
On the palate, fully energetic, blackberries
Great structure, at peak now
Med++ finish
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6/13/2022 - affordableCollector wrote: 91 Points
rich, ruby, in color. raspberry, cranberry, blackberry, black cherry, garrigue, wet earth, pepper, spice, iron. sweet spices, plum, warm earth, on the finish.
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11/21/2021 - Keelaay Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still hanging in there - and more so than some of it’s brothers with longer life expectancy (eg Paso). Drink now or hold your peace!
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12/15/2020 - Fractalage Likes this wine:
Rich, unctuous, big mullberry and ripe elderberry, that as it opens has great texture and core of minerals and fungus that get over played by the fruit. Given time, this might show a bit more, but that might defeat the purpose.
Drink now.
I don't like its sweetness, but it's quality and paired well with spicey guacamole with fermented habenero salsa. Couldn't think of anything else that would go well with such non-wine food. But this worked.
1.6% water additions?
Late harvest at 11 Oct from 85 year old vines. Wow, for such a hot year.
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5/8/2020 - Peianzhu Likes this wine: 90 Points
Like a slightly flat tire. But still good to ride.
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3/23/2020 - peruvianprince Likes this wine: 90 Points
Balanced. Smooth. Well integrated
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9/15/2019 - timewithwine wrote:
If all the Ponzo bottlings from Ridge tasted as good as the ‘13, I would be a very happy Ponzo drinker. This vintage of Ridge Ponzo consistently performs with every bottle. Ox blood at its core with red raspberry at the rim. As I’ve noted previously, “Draper perfume, plum, Dr. Pepper, spicy Zin funk and pepper.” Beautiful on the nose and palate with a finish of Zin funk and coffee. A very complete pour. A blend of 93% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah . 14.8% alc. With pork ribs from Mill Street Grill. The wine was good; sorta over Mill Street Grill. Recommended.
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9/12/2019 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Chocolate, black zin fruit and blueberry notes. Mixed red and black fruit on the palate with hints of peppery spice and bramble on the finish.
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3/19/2019 - MikeLovesRed Likes this wine: 86 Points
Wine took around an hour to decant an open fully. Light fruity notes and a round mouth feel. A pleasant wine alone or with mildly flavored foods.
Wonderful and bright bouquet, and a dark ruby color made this a fun wine to share with friends.
Drink soon. It’s over the hill now and is ready to be enjoyed.
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2/26/2019 - JM_IS Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drink now—2019. Low tannin, low sugar with some nice flavor that wasn’t there 2 years back. Neither dry nor sweet. I think the P.Sirah is showing a bit. Generic, non-berry fruit coming through taste, with sugar on nose. Maybe licorice or anise? Raw mild tobacco? No mineral or earth, but some mature plants.
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2/24/2019 - thelostverse wrote: 90 Points
General impression only. I thought this was drinking well and paired nicely with a grilled rib-eye.
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1/6/2019 - bjschmitt wrote: 86 Points
Served with pork tenderloin and orzo stuffing, with salad.
Look: medium garnet (perhaps fading a bit over the last 16 months).
Smell: mild raspberry, perhaps plum, somewhat muted.
Taste: acid remains, fruit flavor is dim and mixed, with somewhat acerbic finish. After 2 hours things calmed down a bit.
It seems this bottle at least has faded over the bottle we tasted 16 months ago.
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11/18/2018 - timewithwine wrote:
Sixteen months ago when tasting this wine, I noted, “Cherry red at the rim; ox blood at the core; and translucent throughout; rather stunning in the glass. The bouquet is all about Draper perfume, plum, Dr. Pepper, spicy Zin fun and pepper. The nose is big; the biggest I can recall of any Ponzo Zin. The bouquet translates completely on the palate with loads of perfume, ripe plum and all the spiciness of Dr. Pepper, funk and pepper filling the mouth. Black cherry joins the fray. It all culminates in a finish of coffee.” While the wine may have smoothed out a bit since then, it still speaks the same zippy language. This is one of the few Ponzo’s that performs up to the name of Ridge. A blend of 93% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah . 14.8% alc. With Pierce’s pork BBQ. Recommended.
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11/17/2018 - wine-enthusiast wrote: 85 Points
This wine was dark and no garnet on the rim. The nose was muted as was the palate. Herbal nose with varnish notes. Medium light not the briary notes i was looking for. In retrospect, Ridge zins have this big history but i found this wanting more.
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2/15/2018 - CJM wrote: 87 Points
Clear garnet with rim browning. Rubber, red cherry, vanilla. Low acids, medium tannins. Cinnamon. Short balanced finish.
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1/29/2018 - jeffal66 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Biggish black/blue fruit with curiously green features...meaning someone slipped a veggie into the pie (or jam). So that's interesting. Blood, cocoa, cherry notes, too. Kind of a curiosity, which isn't meant as a knock, just an observation. Avoids the massive, obvious Zin trap, and for that I can tip the hat.
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1/8/2018 - EMichels wrote: 88 Points
(Old note - tasting date not accurate) Great nose; Fresh; Strong berry; A bit of dust on finish
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8/12/2017 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 88 Points
Served with Spaghetti with fresh tomato/garlic sauce.
Reasonably dark crimson, good consistency to rim.
Blackberry/raspberry nose.
Palate was dark fruit consistent with nose, nice acid, indistinct tannin.
Decent finish.
Went well with dinner. Drink now - probably best with food. Give it some time to open up.
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7/26/2017 - rieslinghoarder Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not even 6 months later and opening another bottle. Lucious blackberries and bramble on the nose. Some pencil shaving qualities as well. Juicy and slightly heavy on the alcohol, silky tannins.
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7/5/2017 - timewithwine wrote:
Cherry red at the rim; ox blood at the core; and translucent throughout; rather stunning in the glass. The bouquet is all about Draper perfume, plum, Dr. Pepper, spicy Zin fun and pepper. The nose is big; the biggest I can recall of any Ponzo Zin. The bouquet translates completely on the palate with loads of perfume, ripe plum and all the spiciness of Dr. Pepper, funk and pepper filling the mouth. Black cherry joins the fray. It all culminates in a finish of coffee. A blend of 93% Zinfandel, 7% Petite Sirah . 14.8% alc. With homemade pork BBQ. Recommended.
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5/14/2017 - WetRock wrote:
Big fruited in a forward sense yet that fruit is already showing some recession. This seems like the fruit is backing off where it might have been out of the chute when you get that fleshy fun. This lacks that fleshiness already. It also lacks some acidity. There is a bit of tannin and a wee bit 'o heat but nothing you wouldn't expect. I'm betting this was best closer to release given the shape of the fruit which seems to be advancing already. Given that I wouldn't hope for much improvement. There is certainly a chance this could give a few years of more lean, elegant goodness but I was wishing I had tried it a couple years ago. A good wine but wanting. Drink now.
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4/16/2017 - drivingrain wrote: 91 Points
With charcoal rotisserie leg of lamb. Juicy. Cherry licorice with spice. Recommended.
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2/25/2017 - rieslinghoarder Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium body, red fruit dominates with touch of heat from the alcohol. Nice long finish.
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12/11/2016 - yonster24 wrote:
Definitely drank waaay too young. I like most of my Ridge's with a bit of age on them but it sounded good tonight so I pulled this. Slightly riper than normal but. It overdone. Bramble, a little black pepper, dark red fruit. Slightly sweet on the palate and smooth but a little disjointed in a sense that you could tell this needs time to really shine. Solid grip and acidity on the back-end. This will be better in 5-7 years once it's settled in.
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12/8/2016 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
"Better than average" from the missus. Not overly complex and a bit juvenile and immature (the wine, not the missus.)
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10/23/2016 - MichielV wrote: 89 Points
Drank a glass a night cap. This is very drinkable but could use a bit more time in bottle. Great fruit / good Ridge zin.!!
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6/19/2016 - chanote44 Likes this wine: 89 Points
A slightly sweet, brambly, high toned Zin from the Russian River. This wine has no hard edges and is drinking nicely at this time.
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6/7/2016 - LEEJV123 wrote: 88 Points
Medium body, subtle, round
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4/25/2016 - bambie321 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Graphite and slightly soapy nose. Easy to drink with a little bite on the end.
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4/23/2016 - Cmainardi wrote: 88 Points
Early drinker. Easy drinker. Crowd pleaser.
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4/20/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Our first Ridge (courtesy of Grapes, White Plains) (Landmarc): From one of the 40 Zinfandel sites that Ridge has collected over the years (this one located in Paso Robles). The wine is a bit hot and definitely more of a bright fruit. Raspberry, hints of spice, quick finish. The type of wine that was created to be had at a BBQ or something similar. Drank next to a Petit Sirah and I just liked the toughness of that one a bit better although this was very quaffable.
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4/16/2016 - ProfBainbridge Likes this wine: 88 Points
The 2013 Ridge Ponzo is 93% Zinfandel and 7% Petite Sirah. Deep purple with no sediment at this point. Medium strong bouquet suggesting raspberry, blueberry, and warm spices. On the palate, it suggests ripe berry fruit, prunes,and a dash of pepper. This is not a complex wine nor a wine for the cellar, but for short-term drinking with comfort foods it's very enjoyable.
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3/22/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Very sandy soil which gives it 95th at the note or as others say blueberry fruit. Dark ripe blueberry.
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2/22/2016 - hawkeye54 wrote: 90 Points
Ripe red fruits, medium body. Drinks nicely with or without food.
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2/18/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Added 9% petite. They are fruity but they are also dry. Just a touch of stem.
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1/24/2016 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Don't really drink young wines but needed something for a Sunday night with Chinese and sandwiches. This fit the bill. Ripe red fruit, lighter than some zins with just a hint of pinot. Not overly complex or interesting, bu fit the bill.
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12/5/2015 - Hodby wrote: 83 Points
Dark red-violet color.Heavily cloaked in oak char and chocolate, riper fruit nose than usual from Ponzo. On arrival, low tannin, low-medium acidity; low energy. A little boring, too oaky. Finishes short, more oak juice than zinfandel. Not my style at all.
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11/17/2015 - Brandy2426 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pop and pour. Plums and a little tar on the nose. Redder fruits for a zin, with nice acidity. A bit of tomato on the palate? Finish a little thin, but opens up with time. Would pair with many meals.
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10/12/2015 - Grillgod wrote: 90 Points
Plum and Dark fruit with red cherry on the palate. Nice balance compared to most Zins
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9/29/2015 - sonomadoc Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very good, and only going to get better over the next few years.
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9/9/2015 - MRichman wrote:
Bright with warm cherry, baking spices. Lighter than many of the other Ridge wines. Good.
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8/29/2015 - kosinski wrote:
Aroma: cherries, rose petals, almond blossom.
Palate: spicy plum and cherry with medium body and low to moderate acidity. Moderate tannin. Restrained and elegant. Drink now or hold.
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