| | I hopped over to this right after the washington tasting. I had to focus on a few things and whatever was left as this was right at the end of the tasting Ridge - 2007 Ridge Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Nose: full and rich nose with really good depth with tones of meyer lemons, tangerious, orchard fruits, and bits of meringue. A bit tight right now, but has some real good material right now
taste: smooth medium/full feel with rich and fat tones of tropical fruits, tangerines, meyer lemons, and green apples. Really good depth and class on the palate
overall: This will need a couple of years to really get going. The flavors aren't fully showing themselves yet, and there gets the feel that it isn't fully strutting its stuff just yet. What's there right now is extremely good and this could turn out to be a real beauty with another 2-4 years (91 pts.)
- 2007 Ridge Three Valleys - USA, California, Sonoma County
nose: nice and easy nose of red fruits, spice tones and some good tones of red cherries. Not the deepest zin, but it works well
taste: good medium feel with well balanced tones of dark red fruits, red cherries, and some bits of raspberries
overall: a solid zinfandel. Doesn't really do anything special, but is well balanced and does what it aims for fairly well (85 pts.)
- 2007 Ridge Geyserville - USA, California, Sonoma County
nose: well balanced and robust nose of black currants, black cherries, red cherries, and bits of spice tones underneath. Well defined on the nose, but nothing is really jumping out yet
taste: excellent medium/full body with good tannins and delicious tones of black currants, black and red cherries, and some asian spices with a touch of blackberries
overall: This is a quality Geyerville. It won't ever be a real blow away wine, but is a high quality geyserville that should be enjoyable for a good while (90 pts.)
- 2007 Ridge Lytton Springs - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
nose: great nose that has a excellent spicy base with rich tones of black fruits, black and red cherries, and lots of black currants
taste: full bodied and very bold with rich tones of dark spices, black fruits, black cherries, and black currants jam. Extremely dark on the palate and a bit overwhelming right now as there is a bit of heat too that kicks up on the back end
overall: this is extremely good right now if you want a more hedonistic zin. This does feel though like it needs some time to trim some baby fat (91 pts.)
- 2007 Ridge Zinfandel Pagani Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
nose: brooding and bold nose with rich tones of black cherries, spices, black fruits, and blackberries. While its a rich nose, it is balanced at the same time
taste: Full bodied and powerful with bold tones of blackberries, black cherries, and spice tones. It holds the fruit very well on the palate along with some good chewy tannins
overall: A real bruiser of a zin, but still holds a sense of balance as it doesn't go over the top at all (90 pts.)
- 2007 Ridge Zinfandel York Creek - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
nose: silky and rich tones of red and black licorice, anise, black cherries, and loads of asian spices
taste: well balanced and full bodied with polished tones of black licorice, black cherries and a lot of asian spices
overall: This was my personal favorite of the Ridge Zins that were poured. Was still very much a zin, but has a more polished and sleek feel to it (91 pts.)
- 2007 Ridge Zinfandel East Bench - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
nose: very good rich nose filled with tones of black fruits, black licorice, along asian and black spices. The tones are a bit surface tones, though they do balance each other well
taste: full bodied with big tannins and rich tones of black cherries, black fruits, and asian spice tones. Fairly brooding on the palate and there is a touch of heat with it too
overall: Very good right now, this is a bit unforgiving right now and its hard to tell where this is gonna go (88 pts.)
- 2006 Ridge Monte Bello - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
nose: lifting nose with well balanced tones of dark red cherries, sour cranberries, cedar, mint, black currants, and a touch of flowal tones. Has real good purity on the nose with real good depth that helps make a real classy nose
taste: great medium/full feel with big tannins and pure tones of dark red cherries, sour cranberries, mint, cedar, some leather, and black currants. Very polished feel, but comes off as extremely tight and young with medium acidity
overall: A baby, but this has the chance to be a real beauty in the years to come. The tannins are fairly chewy right now, so patience is needed, but one will be very happy to have this in about 13 years (93 pts.)
Ramsay & Rasmussen - 2007 Ramsay Pinot Noir North Coast - USA, California, North Coast
nose: nice nose of dark red cherries, spices and some bits of berry tones
taste: very good medium feel with tones of strawberries, dark red cherries, and a touch of spice tones
overall: a very nice pinot for the money. The tones worked well and hada some good balance too (87 pts.)
- 2007 Ramsay Merlot Napa Valley - USA, California, Napa Valley
nose: soft nose of berries, red currants, and red cherries. A nice and agreeable nose that is well balanced and not too simple
taste: very good medium bodied tones of red currants and red cherries that is nice and easy on the palate
overall: a pretty standard merlot. Good tones that are easy going and nice (85 pts.)
- 2006 Ramsay Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
nose: extremely good nose of red currants, red cherries, and sour berries. Very pungent as it comes out of the glass
taste: well balanced with good medium/full bodied tones of red currants, red cherries and some bits of sour berries. The tannins are pretty big on this right now too
overall: a really enjoyable cab at a good price. Well balanced and can even age a bit as the tannins are big along with the fruit holding back a bit (88 pts.)
- 2006 Kent Rasmussen Pinot Noir Carneros - USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
nose: very good nose of creamed berries, red cherries, cola, and spice tones. Well balanced with nice depth and good forward tones
taste: excellent medium tones of raspberries, cola, red cherries and various berry tones. Good medium acidity gives this a nice spine
overall: Extremely enjoyable. While there is some cola and tart fruit tones on this, its balanced well and isn't too much in that direction (90 pts.)
Spring Mountain Vineyards - 2007 Spring Mountain Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
nose: really good and tart nose of tropical fruit, lemons, and ripe citrus tones. Good depth to go with the tart and fresh tones
taste: excellent light feel with crisp medium acidity and tones of stone fruits and tropical citrus tones
overall: a really good sauvignon blanc with fresh tones on both the nose and palate. Would be great in a warm summer setting (88 pts.)
- 2005 Spring Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
nose: hi-toned and expressive nose of red fruits, red currants, red cherries, and some pretty tones of cedar underneath. Very well balanced and pungent that is very attractive
taste: polished and smooth medium/full feel with good supporting tannins giving into tones of red fruits, cedar, cherries and some bits of currants and spices
overall: a Elegant young cabernet. Has the real pretty mountain fruit nose and palate going very well at this time, and should round out real nicely over the next couple of years (91 pts.)
- 1987 Spring Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
nose: beautiful and wafting nose that is filled with excellent tones of cedar, red fruits, red currants, tobacco, and plush tones of red cherries. Well layered and elegant, this is the kind of nose that you need to spend some time with
taste: pretty and polished tones of cedar, red fruits, tobacco, and red cherry tones all blends well together. Excellent depth and a real lovely medium feel with refined tannins still sticking around
overall: the kind of cab that I'd love to spend some real time with. Has a lot to offer and shows a side that wants to tell you a story (92 pts.)
- 2001 Spring Mountain Vineyard Elivette - USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
nose: elegant and pretty tones of berries, cedar, red fruits, and red cherries all balance out very well together with really good layering on the nose
taste: a real attractive plush medium feel gives into tones of cedar, red fruits and red cherries. Very well balanced and polished on the palate
overall: This has a real elegant style to it. Well balanced with really good fruit flavors blending well together. This is in a really good spot right now (92 pts.)
It would've been nice to have been there longer, but no real complaints as the Ridge lineup was excellent |
