It was so integrated, youthful and vibrant with earth, forest floor, plum fruit, dark currants and old textbook. It had reached that plateau where the secondary character just kicked while the acidity and fruit still uplighted the wine to its brightest.
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Ridge Monte Bello Retrospective (Porter House): This was one of my favorites maybe also because it's such a unique wine. Very crisp and vibrant and peppery and more black fruits. Not quite as complex as some of the others and you can see why it's really meant to be a blending grape, but still it's delicious.
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Blind, I would swear it was an Amarone with its overripe, raisin character. This might be of historical interest to some, and if that style of aged Petit Syrah is your thing, you might like it more than I did. But one sniff and sip was all I needed, or could take.
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Ahhhhh...The Babymaker!!! Consistently one of my favorite 74s, this Petite Sirah from Ridge is massive. If ur looking for a thrill bottle, then find urself one of these testosterone injected juices and thank me later.
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In its youth the sheer power and brooding intensity of Petite Sirah can be quite overwhelming. After nearly five decades of glacial evolution this 46 year old has shed it’s gripping tannins while still stubbornly clinging to it’s primary elements.
Still impressively opaque in appearance the wine offers up a fresh and intensely flavored black and purple fruit core accompanied by savory smoked meat, dark chocolate and graphite. Sauvage aromas reveal signature notes of scorched earth, violets, spices and herbs de Provence.
While certainly mature, this well endowed and virile Petite Sirah is still fully capable of inducing extreme pleasure for many years to come.
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Absolutely on fire bottle that is astonishingly young with abundant fruit richness and still lively underlying structure. Good layers, but still mostly about the dense black fruit with some smoke and meat notes adding interest. Terrific.
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Dinner With Paul Draper in NYC - older vintages of Ridge (Cafe Boulud): Wow, this wine is fascinating to drink as it has aged beautifully and the fierce tannins of this grape have melted away to reveal a balanced, complex wine with dark blue fruits and black spices. It has a lovely velvety texture and finishes with notes of dark blsack earth. A revelation.
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Musty,some corkiness nose...but all thought not. Started out earthy mushroomy...but opened later, and was drinking quite nicely at about the 4hr mark. Leather,aged plum,dark berry,black pepper,meat,old cellar dust. Did start to fad towards the end....but pretty nice for the old fella!
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This bottle showed some significant ullage, and perhaps even a little bit of seepage although the cork seemed sound. Not as vigorous or long as my first experience with this wine, but nevertheless remarkable for its age. This one showed some signs of maturity on the nose, but even so, it could have kept a while longer. Bottles in better condition should be fantastic.
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First Tuesday Ridge Petite Sirah Vertical at Chuck's House. No notes. Amazing for a thirty year old wine. No signs of age. If it hadn't been followed by the 1971, this may have merited a 20/20, but as it was, 19.5/20.
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Blind Petite Sirah and BBQ: Tawny hue in the glass. The nose shows dirt, funk, earth. Slightly Bordeaux-like nose. Rather mature and unyielding. No fruit, just some sweetness from alcohol. Not my thing.
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10/22/2023 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 92 Points
It was so integrated, youthful and vibrant with earth, forest floor, plum fruit, dark currants and old textbook. It had reached that plateau where the secondary character just kicked while the acidity and fruit still uplighted the wine to its brightest.
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1/15/2022 - JonnyG wrote: flawed
VA-marred, whereas the prior bottle I had a few months back was very much alive and fruit-driven.
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11/2/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Ridge Monte Bello Retrospective (Porter House): This was one of my favorites maybe also because it's such a unique wine. Very crisp and vibrant and peppery and more black fruits. Not quite as complex as some of the others and you can see why it's really meant to be a blending grape, but still it's delicious.
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10/21/2021 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 92 Points
Some Interesting Bottles Shared During Thursday Night Football (Los Olivos, CA): Quite the wonder, not only alive but robust and fruit-forward, with rich, earthy black and purple fruit notes and impressive grip. Pure PS as stated on the label? Who knows, but pretty cool.
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2/6/2021 - europat55 wrote: 92 Points
Nose: 93 Palate: 90
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2/6/2021 - europat55 wrote: 93 Points
Nose: 94 Palate: 92
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12/26/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 65 Points
Blind, I would swear it was an Amarone with its overripe, raisin character. This might be of historical interest to some, and if that style of aged Petit Syrah is your thing, you might like it more than I did. But one sniff and sip was all I needed, or could take.
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12/23/2020 - La Flama Blanca Likes this wine: 95 Points
Ahhhhh...The Babymaker!!! Consistently one of my favorite 74s, this Petite Sirah from Ridge is massive. If ur looking for a thrill bottle, then find urself one of these testosterone injected juices and thank me later.
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7/2/2020 - La Flama Blanca Likes this wine: 95 Points
In its youth the sheer power and brooding intensity of Petite Sirah can be quite overwhelming. After nearly five decades of glacial evolution this 46 year old has shed it’s gripping tannins while still stubbornly clinging to it’s primary elements.
Still impressively opaque in appearance the wine offers up a fresh and intensely flavored black and purple fruit core accompanied by savory smoked meat, dark chocolate and graphite. Sauvage aromas reveal signature notes of scorched earth, violets, spices and herbs de Provence.
While certainly mature, this well endowed and virile Petite Sirah is still fully capable of inducing extreme pleasure for many years to come.
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11/4/2018 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Absolutely on fire bottle that is astonishingly young with abundant fruit richness and still lively underlying structure. Good layers, but still mostly about the dense black fruit with some smoke and meat notes adding interest. Terrific.
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10/23/2013 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dinner With Paul Draper in NYC - older vintages of Ridge (Cafe Boulud): Wow, this wine is fascinating to drink as it has aged beautifully and the fierce tannins of this grape have melted away to reveal a balanced, complex wine with dark blue fruits and black spices. It has a lovely velvety texture and finishes with notes of dark blsack earth. A revelation.
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7/2/2013 - chiliman96 wrote: 96 Points
lush, plenty of black fruit left, tannins no longer drying, velvety mouth feel; excellent balance and a long finish; spectacular;
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9/26/2009 - Mrbuzz wrote: 92 Points
Musty,some corkiness nose...but all thought not. Started out earthy mushroomy...but opened later, and was drinking quite nicely at about the 4hr mark. Leather,aged plum,dark berry,black pepper,meat,old cellar dust. Did start to fad towards the end....but pretty nice for the old fella!
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5/15/2006 - jamiekutch wrote:
San Francisco MONSTER Offline - 31 Notes, Pictures & Review of the Evening: Dark black brooding. Thick on the nose and the palate. Mouth coating. Just a baby still.
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10/2/2004 - Spencer wrote: 90 Points
This bottle showed some significant ullage, and perhaps even a little bit of seepage although the cork seemed sound. Not as vigorous or long as my first experience with this wine, but nevertheless remarkable for its age. This one showed some signs of maturity on the nose, but even so, it could have kept a while longer. Bottles in better condition should be fantastic.
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3/3/2004 - Spencer wrote: 98 Points
First Tuesday Ridge Petite Sirah Vertical at Chuck's House. No notes. Amazing for a thirty year old wine. No signs of age. If it hadn't been followed by the 1971, this may have merited a 20/20, but as it was, 19.5/20.
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12/3/2003 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Blind Petite Sirah and BBQ: Tawny hue in the glass. The nose shows dirt, funk, earth. Slightly Bordeaux-like nose. Rather mature and unyielding. No fruit, just some sweetness from alcohol. Not my thing.
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