Medium red color, limited transparency. Aromas of red berries, chocolate, vanilla, and a little sweet cinnamon. Palate is initially chocolate with blackberry and raspberry carrying into a medium finish. The chocolate notes distract, to my tastes. Structurally fine, but the flavors aren't as sharp as I'd like them to be. Drink.
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P&P - Impressive. Cracked this w a half thought that it would be off, dead. Dark purple, nice. Smells like a perfectly ripe Zin w some creme de la something in there. Love the mouthfeel, good weight, finishes a bit bright, then some nice tannins and lingering strawberries pie cherries and the like, some pumpkin pie spices thrown in. This is in a great place and I think on first sips this has some development ahead.
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PnP into 2 375s. First glass poured right away. Medium transparent ruby in color. This wine is quite good. Smells of sweet berry fruit with a whiff of oak. Tastes of spicy red fruits with some brown sugar. Tannins are resolved. Nice smooth wine with a bit of creaminess from the malo and oak. I don't thinik it gets any better from here. Drink up!
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I visited the old Nervo tasting room 20 plus years ago when the wine sucked and the place was coated in business cards stuck to the walls and ceilings. Ridge is doing a good job with these grapes, at least in 2005. Spicy, grape nose with pepper, blueberry and moderate tannins in the wine. Probably giving all it will, drink now, but a good mouthful and nicely ripe without been overly so, or underripe, for that matter
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Cherry, plum, and smoke flavor. Another layer of berries and spice lingers afterward. Very smooth with soft tannins on the back of the tongue. A very, very impressive Zinfandel.
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Deep Garnet, slightest brink at the miniscus, but still very lively. Subdued nose, fruit (perhaps rasberry) and black pepper. Smoot, almost silkey mouth feel, spice and fruitl almost explode in the mouth, going to a long finish. Great depth.
Unfortunately my last bottle.
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Vic and I disagreed a bit on this one. I gave an 88 while he went 92. I should have known when he drank more than his share of the bottle cause he never does that.
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Medium red color. Nose of Draper spice, red berries, a hint or earth, and bright cherry. On the palate, this is well integrated and medium weight, showing cherry and berry fruit notes, ripe tannins, and a medium finish. Good now. Drink or hold.
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For the notes I think CO Chris nailed this one. See his entry date 4/25/09. Enjoyable wine, but not the most complex. There are better zins, and there are better Ridge zins.
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Not bad. Spicy plum makes for a good anchor, but the whole package ends up brown sugar blurry as Chris describes below. Not up to the level of other Ridge cuvees at the same price.
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Our last wine for Mother's Day. Very dark color. Nose is not that strong. Red fruit, cherry, lot of spice, a bit of blueberry. An interesting blend of mostly Zinfandel with a little bit of Petite Sirah and Carignan. The fruit was a bit light and I thought that the spiciness was a bit too strong for the fruit, but not really out of balance. My wife thought this was raw and needed time in the bottle, but I did not think so.
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After the steely spice blows off the initial nose, this is a wine that's just loaded with what feels like young, juicy red fruits... think cherries with just a subtle hint of zin's typically spicy/jammy heritage. Feels lighter on the zin characteristics than most, but I just really enjoyed the balance of this wine. Tannins and acids are ever so slightly soft, and it paired exceptionally well with butternut squash risotto with carrots and bacon.
A surprise from the cellar, and I'm not sure I agree with any of the other tasting notes here. "Simple" is overstating it a bit, I think. "Straightforward, yet slightly subversive" is perhaps a description of it that works better for me. :-)
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14.8% alc...last bottle...the nose starts very spicy, very zinfandel, there is a interesting high-toned minerality...medium-bodied, plenty of oak, to me to the demise of the fruit in the beginning...let's see where this goes in a couple of hours...the fruit becomes very sweet on the nose, the brambly side starts to fade, spice, brown sugar - on the palate the wine doesn't evolve much, the only thing that happens different from the opening is heat begins to show through. This was never a show stopper, nor that much of a QPR. Decent, middling. Glad to have moved through my two.
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This is a solid, if unexceptional effort from Ridge. I'm a big fan of some of their smaller productions, but the QPR on this is not very good. The wine seems very one dimensional, lacking the depth and complexity of offerings like their Buchignani. Overall I'd say I'm a bit disappointed and definitely will not be buying.
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14.8% alc...first bottle tasted of this release...meaty, petrol on the nose, forward and giving...jammy red fruit on the palate - not overly complex, but good.
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7/5/2014 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Fairly rich, bramble and red fruit. Good, but with less complexity and interest than other Ridge wines.
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9/12/2012 - guitarguy wrote: 86 Points
Light and a bit fruity. Lacked depth and definition. Probably past due.
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8/22/2012 - lolo66 wrote: 90 Points
quite nice, a bit ripe, but decent acidity.
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6/19/2012 - fredb wrote:
Medium red color, limited transparency. Aromas of red berries, chocolate, vanilla, and a little sweet cinnamon. Palate is initially chocolate with blackberry and raspberry carrying into a medium finish. The chocolate notes distract, to my tastes. Structurally fine, but the flavors aren't as sharp as I'd like them to be. Drink.
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6/18/2012 - benkearney wrote:
No great notes as it was one of many. I do recall lots of pepper and some creaminess. An enjoyable bottle of wine.
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3/16/2012 - tplskylrk wrote:
P&P - Impressive. Cracked this w a half thought that it would be off, dead. Dark purple, nice. Smells like a perfectly ripe Zin w some creme de la something in there. Love the mouthfeel, good weight, finishes a bit bright, then some nice tannins and lingering strawberries pie cherries and the like, some pumpkin pie spices thrown in. This is in a great place and I think on first sips this has some development ahead.
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2/6/2012 - winemaker wrote: 91 Points
PnP into 2 375s. First glass poured right away. Medium transparent ruby in color. This wine is quite good. Smells of sweet berry fruit with a whiff of oak. Tastes of spicy red fruits with some brown sugar. Tannins are resolved. Nice smooth wine with a bit of creaminess from the malo and oak. I don't thinik it gets any better from here. Drink up!
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1/14/2012 - winemaker wrote: 90 Points
Nice Zin. Brambly fruit. Hides its alcohol well. Drinking very well right now.
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10/3/2011 - guitarguy wrote: 90 Points
I visited the old Nervo tasting room 20 plus years ago when the wine sucked and the place was coated in business cards stuck to the walls and ceilings. Ridge is doing a good job with these grapes, at least in 2005. Spicy, grape nose with pepper, blueberry and moderate tannins in the wine. Probably giving all it will, drink now, but a good mouthful and nicely ripe without been overly so, or underripe, for that matter
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9/17/2010 - marksfamily wrote: 89 Points
Cherry, plum, and smoke flavor. Another layer of berries and spice lingers afterward. Very smooth with soft tannins on the back of the tongue. A very, very impressive Zinfandel.
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9/11/2010 - bjschmitt wrote: 89 Points
With grilled pork tenderloin and broccoli
Deep Garnet, slightest brink at the miniscus, but still very lively.
Subdued nose, fruit (perhaps rasberry) and black pepper.
Smoot, almost silkey mouth feel, spice and fruitl almost explode in the mouth, going to a long finish.
Great depth.
Unfortunately my last bottle.
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4/24/2010 - dublwrap wrote: 91 Points
Excellent structure with deep dark fruit.
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4/2/2010 - jrlamia wrote: 89 Points
Dark color, stewed fruit nose. Good balance, food friendly, easy to drink.
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3/4/2010 - VinoPKM wrote:
Wine gods and me must have drank this- damn WCC can't even remember this one. LOL
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1/11/2010 - sithinfiltrator wrote: 90 Points
Vic and I disagreed a bit on this one. I gave an 88 while he went 92. I should have known when he drank more than his share of the bottle cause he never does that.
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12/23/2009 - John Dunlap wrote: 85 Points
Just average.
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12/12/2009 - sachsen wrote: 83 Points
stewed & pruney.
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11/25/2009 - fredb wrote:
Medium red color. Nose of Draper spice, red berries, a hint or earth, and bright cherry. On the palate, this is well integrated and medium weight, showing cherry and berry fruit notes, ripe tannins, and a medium finish. Good now. Drink or hold.
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11/22/2009 - Jazzman wrote: 88 Points
For the notes I think CO Chris nailed this one. See his entry date 4/25/09. Enjoyable wine, but not the most complex. There are better zins, and there are better Ridge zins.
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7/11/2009 - ogres3 wrote:
Would lump this with one of the better ATP releases. Not earthshattering, but very good.
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7/7/2009 - silton wrote: 88 Points
Not bad. Spicy plum makes for a good anchor, but the whole package ends up brown sugar blurry as Chris describes below. Not up to the level of other Ridge cuvees at the same price.
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5/10/2009 - J @ y H @ c k wrote: 90 Points
Our last wine for Mother's Day. Very dark color. Nose is not that strong. Red fruit, cherry, lot of spice, a bit of blueberry. An interesting blend of mostly Zinfandel with a little bit of Petite Sirah and Carignan. The fruit was a bit light and I thought that the spiciness was a bit too strong for the fruit, but not really out of balance. My wife thought this was raw and needed time in the bottle, but I did not think so.
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4/27/2009 - damntall wrote: 91 Points
After the steely spice blows off the initial nose, this is a wine that's just loaded with what feels like young, juicy red fruits... think cherries with just a subtle hint of zin's typically spicy/jammy heritage. Feels lighter on the zin characteristics than most, but I just really enjoyed the balance of this wine. Tannins and acids are ever so slightly soft, and it paired exceptionally well with butternut squash risotto with carrots and bacon.
A surprise from the cellar, and I'm not sure I agree with any of the other tasting notes here. "Simple" is overstating it a bit, I think. "Straightforward, yet slightly subversive" is perhaps a description of it that works better for me. :-)
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4/25/2009 - CO CHRIS wrote:
14.8% alc...last bottle...the nose starts very spicy, very zinfandel, there is a interesting high-toned minerality...medium-bodied, plenty of oak, to me to the demise of the fruit in the beginning...let's see where this goes in a couple of hours...the fruit becomes very sweet on the nose, the brambly side starts to fade, spice, brown sugar - on the palate the wine doesn't evolve much, the only thing that happens different from the opening is heat begins to show through. This was never a show stopper, nor that much of a QPR. Decent, middling. Glad to have moved through my two.
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4/11/2009 - cmclean wrote: 87 Points
Good but simple. I'm glad I didn't pay much for it. Went well with braised short ribs and duck confit. Juicy, pleasant, good enough.
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2/26/2009 - Caring_Bear wrote: 88 Points
This is a solid, if unexceptional effort from Ridge. I'm a big fan of some of their smaller productions, but the QPR on this is not very good.
The wine seems very one dimensional, lacking the depth and complexity of offerings like their Buchignani.
Overall I'd say I'm a bit disappointed and definitely will not be buying.
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2/23/2009 - CO CHRIS wrote:
14.8% alc...first bottle tasted of this release...meaty, petrol on the nose, forward and giving...jammy red fruit on the palate - not overly complex, but good.
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12/26/2008 - VinoPKM wrote: 90 Points
No real notes- but this was a good classic Ridge Zin. Easy drinking. Best notes I can offer after roughly 11-12 bottles among family since 12/24.
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