Powerful notes of plum fruit, American oak, peppery spice and loamy earth. I love the structure here, especially the acidic lift, even if a bit of alcoholic heat peaks through on the finish. Seems to have definitely entered a less exuberant, more sullen phase than it was a year ago, but still excellent.
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Appears to have lost some of the fruit power it had a year ago, in more of a sullen phase. Cherry fruit, mineral and oak. Quite bright acidity and medium tannins; still strongly-structured. Just a bit unexpressive at the moment.
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With gnocchi and brussel sprouts. Fun, solid wine that doesn’t have the harshy peppery Zin characteristics as some other Ridge-s. Great structure and length. Fun wine worth the $$
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Quite feral on the nose. Pure black fruit, brambly and full of undergrowth with great minerality and a solid structure. Finishes quite stony and meaty, maybe a touch too much oak if we’re quibbling (may integrate in time).
Really demands air, was overly oaky and one-dimensional on opening but the fruit and complexity is really coming out after 2 hours. Great.
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Plum candy nose. Ripe, dark red fruit that swerves into pruney character. Fruit almost feels raisined. Mineral undertone. Soft and plush, lacking some degree of backbone and cut. Medium, pruney character.
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Color is a deep purple-burgundy red. Aroma is mocha, dark chocolate, raspberries, wood, earth, hot. Richly bodied with plenty of acidity and smooth tannins. Hot finish.
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PnP. Color is deep ruby. On the nose: Classic mixed black and red berries and a hint of vanilla. On the palate: Rick black and red berries, vanilla, a bit of cola, baking spices and some plum. Really rich flavor profile. I think needs a few years to really come together but this is really good.
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Blackberry pie nose, jam and vanilla spice. A slight earthy aroma keeps it interesting
Ripe enough to cause the perception of sweetness (but not actual residual sugar) on the palate, vanilla oak and aggressive jammy black fruit. Peppery oak and complex earthyness akin to savory olives. Sweet entry but finishes well balanced. Medium, fine tannin with electric acidity - and no sense of heat or weight despite the alcohol % and ripeness.
Finish is slightly earth and with pepper, dark fruit. Liquorice. Long, impeccably well balanced; stunning given high 14.7% alcohol. This big wine has the stuffing to age. Its ripeness and the purity of black fruit is a sign this is made from 100% Zinfandel from a warm site; very different than Ridge’s Carignane/Zin blends (e.g. Mazzoni) that turn out redder, crunchier and more tart. What's incredible is the extraordinary effort by the winemakers to keep this wine lithe and balanced. Extraordinary finesse - a great wine.
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Deep purple. Jammy blackberry, bramble, black cherry, black pepper, vanilla, butterscotch, toast. Dry, medium plus acidity, tannins, and body, with high alcohol.
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Clear ruby Black raspberry nose Lightly sweet/tart blackberry fruit Medium bodied, nice wine, clearly alcohol in the finish, but plenary of fruit to cover. Serve on the cool side. Nice stuff and not the syrupy Dusi’s of the 1990s
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I was pretty excited to try this one. My first opening of the ATP. When I popped the cork, I got a touch of oak on the nose (That toasted flavor I get from bourbon) but on the flavor I get a pretty balanced flavor with not too much popping out. Reminds of me my memory of Amarone? Had that kind of raisiny concentration? Maybe? Really enjoyed it. Wasn’t sure what to expect but enjoying in the second day
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This was odd upon opening, where I got a whiff of something that reminded me of TCA. It was quite subtle and seems to be gone after being open 24 hours. What's left is a classic Paso Zin. The nose is still a bit reserved showing whiffs of classic Zinberry and oak. Mild to medium tannin. Solid acidity which is actually a bit more prominent than usual. Again with a classic, dusty Paso red fruited Zin profile on the palate. The extraction level here is low as is the fruit density so I think the winemaker note is a bit optimistic on the aging window. The structure sure supports bottle aging. I just don't think there is the kind of fruit to make that worthwhile. Good.
Very dark ruby color. The nose is very nice on this: strong and good notes of blackberries and dark cherries, very ripe and inviting, fruit sweetness but not too sweet with some leather and light earth. On the palate the wine is not too fruit forward or overextracted, it has good structure and holds together well, well balanced, clearly new world, tannins are not very prominent—dominant experience is that of fruit but not flabby. It is clearly new world. Low minerality. There are notes of pepper and spice that went well with a Thai ginger fish and veg dish. $33 From ATP Ridge club. Drinking very well now and wouldn’t wait too long on this one, maybe 2-3 years tops.
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Decanted 2 hours. Dark ruby with a bit a purple in color. Lovely nose of blackberries, blueberries, vanilla, umami, flowers, a bit of pork fat, and a nice balance of American oak spices – tarragon, dill, and black pepper. Full bodied, bright medium high acid, and very primary right now. Palate is lighter than the nose presents. Plums, blackberries, raspberries, and a bit of cranberry all haloed by the American oak. There’s a bit of green to the palate that I can’t quite put my finger on. Moderate tannins help bring in some minerals, a bit of cocoa, and much needed structure. Long spicy finish of vanilla, peppercorns, and herbs all underscored by a blackberry fruitiness.
My hopes were not high given my past experiences with the Benito Dusi/Dusi Ranch bottles. That’s why I opened this one up so early from the fall ATP pickup. Instead, I am treated to a very layered wine with nuance at every sip. This is structured well enough that it will most likely benefit from aging.
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5/4/2024 - wchrisw wrote:
This was okay. It hit and missed with the pizza we ordered.
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4/13/2024 - JLCFan wrote: 90 Points
Powerful notes of plum fruit, American oak, peppery spice and loamy earth. I love the structure here, especially the acidic lift, even if a bit of alcoholic heat peaks through on the finish. Seems to have definitely entered a less exuberant, more sullen phase than it was a year ago, but still excellent.
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1/27/2024 - JLCFan wrote: 87 Points
Appears to have lost some of the fruit power it had a year ago, in more of a sullen phase. Cherry fruit, mineral and oak. Quite bright acidity and medium tannins; still strongly-structured. Just a bit unexpressive at the moment.
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1/23/2024 - MichielV wrote: 91 Points
With gnocchi and brussel sprouts. Fun, solid wine that doesn’t have the harshy peppery Zin characteristics as some other Ridge-s. Great structure and length. Fun wine worth the $$
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10/7/2023 - JLCFan wrote: 92 Points
Quite feral on the nose. Pure black fruit, brambly and full of undergrowth with great minerality and a solid structure. Finishes quite stony and meaty, maybe a touch too much oak if we’re quibbling (may integrate in time).
Really demands air, was overly oaky and one-dimensional on opening but the fruit and complexity is really coming out after 2 hours. Great.
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9/26/2023 - brasstab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking like a cool climate Syrah. But also completely California.
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8/5/2023 - JLCFan Likes this wine: 88 Points
Plum candy nose. Ripe, dark red fruit that swerves into pruney character. Fruit almost feels raisined. Mineral undertone. Soft and plush, lacking some degree of backbone and cut. Medium, pruney character.
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6/30/2023 - Klensing Likes this wine:
Buy again
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6/10/2023 - jh773 wrote:
Color is a deep purple-burgundy red. Aroma is mocha, dark chocolate, raspberries, wood, earth, hot. Richly bodied with plenty of acidity and smooth tannins. Hot finish.
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6/8/2023 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP. Color is deep ruby. On the nose: Classic mixed black and red berries and a hint of vanilla. On the palate: Rick black and red berries, vanilla, a bit of cola, baking spices and some plum. Really rich flavor profile. I think needs a few years to really come together but this is really good.
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4/9/2023 - JLCFan wrote: 93 Points
Blackberry pie nose, jam and vanilla spice. A slight earthy aroma keeps it interesting
Ripe enough to cause the perception of sweetness (but not actual residual sugar) on the palate, vanilla oak and aggressive jammy black fruit. Peppery oak and complex earthyness akin to savory olives. Sweet entry but finishes well balanced. Medium, fine tannin with electric acidity - and no sense of heat or weight despite the alcohol % and ripeness.
Finish is slightly earth and with pepper, dark fruit. Liquorice. Long, impeccably well balanced; stunning given high 14.7% alcohol. This big wine has the stuffing to age. Its ripeness and the purity of black fruit is a sign this is made from 100% Zinfandel from a warm site; very different than Ridge’s Carignane/Zin blends (e.g. Mazzoni) that turn out redder, crunchier and more tart. What's incredible is the extraordinary effort by the winemakers to keep this wine lithe and balanced. Extraordinary finesse - a great wine.
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3/5/2023 - Daltond333 wrote:
Deep purple. Jammy blackberry, bramble, black cherry, black pepper, vanilla, butterscotch, toast. Dry, medium plus acidity, tannins, and body, with high alcohol.
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1/30/2023 - theebigjuan Likes this wine: 89 Points
Not over the top, which is a compliment from me regarding Zin. Some earth provides depth. Body is M+ and the finish is long and relatively crisp.
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1/27/2023 - ppassera Likes this wine:
Good!
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12/7/2022 - cos65 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Clear ruby
Black raspberry nose
Lightly sweet/tart blackberry fruit
Medium bodied, nice wine, clearly alcohol in the finish, but plenary of fruit to cover. Serve on the cool side.
Nice stuff and not the syrupy Dusi’s of the 1990s
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11/25/2022 - Abludwig Likes this wine:
I was pretty excited to try this one. My first opening of the ATP. When I popped the cork, I got a touch of oak on the nose (That toasted flavor I get from bourbon) but on the flavor I get a pretty balanced flavor with not too much popping out. Reminds of me my memory of Amarone? Had that kind of raisiny concentration? Maybe? Really enjoyed it. Wasn’t sure what to expect but enjoying in the second day
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11/10/2022 - WetRock wrote:
This was odd upon opening, where I got a whiff of something that reminded me of TCA. It was quite subtle and seems to be gone after being open 24 hours. What's left is a classic Paso Zin. The nose is still a bit reserved showing whiffs of classic Zinberry and oak. Mild to medium tannin. Solid acidity which is actually a bit more prominent than usual. Again with a classic, dusty Paso red fruited Zin profile on the palate. The extraction level here is low as is the fruit density so I think the winemaker note is a bit optimistic on the aging window. The structure sure supports bottle aging. I just don't think there is the kind of fruit to make that worthwhile. Good.
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10/27/2022 - Brendel wrote: 90 Points
Two hour decant.
Very dark ruby color. The nose is very nice on this: strong and good notes of blackberries and dark cherries, very ripe and inviting, fruit sweetness but not too sweet with some leather and light earth.
On the palate the wine is not too fruit forward or overextracted, it has good structure and holds together well, well balanced, clearly new world, tannins are not very prominent—dominant experience is that of fruit but not flabby. It is clearly new world. Low minerality. There are notes of pepper and spice that went well with a Thai ginger fish and veg dish.
$33 From ATP Ridge club. Drinking very well now and wouldn’t wait too long on this one, maybe 2-3 years tops.
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9/17/2022 - ChateauShiny Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Dark ruby with a bit a purple in color. Lovely nose of blackberries, blueberries, vanilla, umami, flowers, a bit of pork fat, and a nice balance of American oak spices – tarragon, dill, and black pepper. Full bodied, bright medium high acid, and very primary right now. Palate is lighter than the nose presents. Plums, blackberries, raspberries, and a bit of cranberry all haloed by the American oak. There’s a bit of green to the palate that I can’t quite put my finger on. Moderate tannins help bring in some minerals, a bit of cocoa, and much needed structure. Long spicy finish of vanilla, peppercorns, and herbs all underscored by a blackberry fruitiness.
My hopes were not high given my past experiences with the Benito Dusi/Dusi Ranch bottles. That’s why I opened this one up so early from the fall ATP pickup. Instead, I am treated to a very layered wine with nuance at every sip. This is structured well enough that it will most likely benefit from aging.
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6/24/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
On day two fresh and lots of ripe fruit. Smells great, on day two a little bit dried out on the palate.
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