| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.3 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 39 notes) - hiding notes with no text |
| | Tasted by ogres3 on 3/12/2024: Consumed by the missus, very solid wine, quite drinkable but not notable. (211 views) |
| | Tasted by Goofienewfy on 3/10/2024 & rated 91 points: Deep dark velvet black rasberry. Good acidity and nice coated finish. (174 views) |
| | Tasted by casjf on 1/13/2024 & rated 89 points: Black plum & licorice flavors (276 views) |
| | Tasted by casjf on 9/12/2023 & rated 89 points: Raspberry, licorice and pepper flavors (460 views) |
| | Tasted by rlsimon on 10/11/2022 & rated 90 points: Enjoyed much better than last bottle, especially on night 2. (1178 views) |
| | Tasted by WetRock on 6/14/2022: A bit reduced. Also a bit wrapped up with the structure really stepping forward. The reduction fades and the fruit opens with air. Best on night two. The tannin is stronger than expected. Once the fruit gets there its open and ready to go. This Carignan will never win any complexity contests but its completeness and purity always charms me. A strong vintage for this wine. I'd honestly give it another year if I had another bottle.
Note: The notes below mentioning oak are confusing. Its not something I notice in this vintage and rarely do at all with this bottling. I think Ridge goes mostly neutral here or this just has that fruit that soaks in the wood. (1516 views) |
| | Tasted by Benj on 1/23/2022 & rated 88 points: Hmm. A bit closed off, oak coming through too strongly, fruit way back in the mix, very savory and quiet. My last bottle of this showed a bit better (last year) but also not at the level of other vintages of the Buchignani Carignane, which I've had from right at release up to 10 years old and is capable of elegance, depth, and real verve. This feels like it needs more time for the oak to integrate and the structure to ease up a bit, but doesn't feel like it has the quality of fruit to get there. 2017 was tough - the heat spike brought on sugar ripeness really fast; maybe the rest didn't quite get there in time. Don't get me wrong, this is still a nice wine. The alcohol is effortlessly integrated, the acidity just so, but this effort just lacks the depth and character of other years. Nice with some Bolognese, but ultimately forgettable, and drinking this last bottle of ours makes some much needed space for others. 14.3%, $30. (1690 views) |
| | Tasted by adnorthup on 12/22/2021: 4.5 hour decant. Dark purple fruits, purple flowers and a bit of oak on the nose. Purple and blue fruit, tannins resolving, just a little ripe for me, but we’ll made. (1756 views) |
| | Tasted by rlsimon on 10/9/2021 & rated 89 points: Uneventful, though not unpleasant. (1867 views) |
| | Tasted by StagsAndBears on 8/29/2021 & rated 92 points: Mountain fruits (blueberry and blackberry) leather, tobacco. Brighter than a cab, more weight than a Pinot. Paired with grilled chicken in bourbon berry jam, candied carrots, and risotto. Opened for 30 minutes before drinking. Should be outstanding for Thanksgiving 2021. Other reviews are scattered, but I really enjoyed this one from start to finish. 4 years seems about right. (1581 views) |
| | Tasted by adnorthup on 6/30/2021: decanted 3 hours. Pours that nice translucent violet you expect from carignan. The nose is clouded by oak but some of the sweet red fruit pushes through. The tannins are still pretty tough. The oak is noticeable but not in a totally negative way. There’s fruit sweetness and a hint of those nice ripe berries I would expect, but they’re having a hard time really showing through the oak and tannin. It starts to shine through at the 5 hour mark. Not sure that the tannin and oak will mellow enough in time for the fruit keeps it’s carignan character. (1527 views) |
| | Tasted by bjschmitt on 3/26/2021: Consistent with last bottle. (1513 views) |
| | Tasted by SMHalps on 3/14/2021 & rated 88 points: Included as part of a blind tasting of Spanish wine, this was one of 2 non Spanish wines (both Ridge). Not disliked by the group, but not especially liked. No one was rushing out to get it. My only bottle and I was hoping for more from it. (1553 views) |
| | Tasted by snsharma on 10/31/2020 & rated 88 points: Too young, highly tannic. Try again in 2 years. (1716 views) |
| | Tasted by Cadby on 10/11/2020 & rated 92 points: Earth incarnate. Typical Ridge excellence. Carignane magic
https://www.facebook.com/groups/725450631605331/ (1540 views) |
| | Tasted by rbfleming on 10/3/2020 & rated 89 points: Grapey and hot. Not "typical" for Ridge (1345 views) |
| | Tasted by bjschmitt on 10/3/2020 & rated 90 points: A touch of rusticity, but smoother than expected. (1466 views) |
| | Tasted by ohne_musik on 9/20/2020 flawed bottle: A gift, and sadly, I think the bottle got cooked somewhere along the way. Simple stewed red fruits, a hit of VA, and pretty hollow in the mid-palate. Doesn't have any of the typical qualities I associate with Ridge. (1558 views) |
| | Tasted by brasstab on 8/31/2020 & rated 91 points: Fruity and juicy and just plain scrumptious. But also savory and deep. Whimsy and seriousness all at once. (1234 views) |
| | Tasted by VinoPKM on 7/18/2020 flawed bottle: Carmel and chalk... complete opposite of last bottle... had to be flawed. (1310 views) |
| | Tasted by Tnordstrom on 7/7/2020 & rated 91 points: Love the lovely tannins and juiciness. Baked blueberry and spice on the finish. Got this a through the Ridge wine club. (1239 views) |
| | Tasted by VinoPKM on 5/3/2020 & rated 90 points: 89-90... crisp and bright is this wine. Berry pie in a glass.
Rounded up and needed 45 mins of air to start showing well. Went well with burgers and fries.
Happy with this one. (1459 views) |
| | Tasted by Keith Cooper on 9/29/2019 & rated 89 points: Tasted at the winery. Vines from northern California, about 20 minutes from Lytton Springs. 100% cairgnan. This is a classic Burgundian colour. Fruity and a little dusty on the nose. Complex palate, rich fruit, reminiscent of Christmas cake. Long finish, gum. Good (2132 views) |
| | Tasted by NickA on 9/17/2019 & rated 89 points: Clean and crisp, fresh and bright and generous. Very drinkable and desirable. WOTN at Ridge tasting tonight. (1857 views) |
| | Tasted by Wineloon on 9/17/2019 & rated 92 points: Revelation. Lovely fresh juicy fruit, doesn’t feel like 14.3%. (1854 views) |
| | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
