Community Tasting Note
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wine247365 Does not like this wine:
August 7, 2015 - So, I'm not familiar with any Sonoma Zin's, so my impressions of this are as a newb. This came in a Zin 4-pack from Ridge and is the 2nd one I've tasted from the Dry Creek Valley AVA. This is definitely my least favorite of the three. I started drinking it after about 15 minutes in the decanter. While not an overly focused tasting, it had decent aromatics, but on the palate it came across as thin, simple, a hollow mid-palate, a bit vegetal, acidic, not ripe, with a short finish. I was surprised it was a Cali Zin, so if you're looking for that...stay away from this creation. Maybe they were experimenting trying to make an Old World style Zin? I'm not sure of what the weather was like in '12 in Dry Creek, but this gave the impression of a cool year with less-ripe grapes. 14.4% ABV. Since the blending was only 70% Zin, maybe it was the influence of the other varietals impairing the Zin. I'll be curious to see if this improves with age, but my sense is that there is not enough going on right now for anything to develop. I have no idea how this has a CT rating of 90.5 as that implies excellent. Since it's from Ridge, of course it's well-made, but to add a little diversity to the tally I'm going to input a score of 78 at the high end of the Average category.
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7 Comments
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Slaz commented:
8/9/15, 8:29 PM - I've been tracking/tasting Ridge's Lytton Spring since at least 2006 vintage. The wine is remarkable but not in its youth (and it's not your average Zinfandel). That's in large part due to the addition of Petite Sirah to the blend, in my opinion, plus the art of winemaking at Ridge. In my experience, the wine starts to shine after 3+ years post-release. Compare the following two of my notes for Ridge LS 2006, purchased in Dec. 2011: 1) "Tasted fairly closed up even after generous decanting. Lots of raspberry notes on the palate. The remaining fruit is muted. Likely to need much more cellaring. (Dec. 2011)"; 2) "What a wonderful example of how much better wine gets in three years. Delightful, with complex honey notes on the palate. Excellent balance and structure. Very good and can easily cellary for a few more years. Buy more if possible. (Dec. 2014)"
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wine247365 commented:
8/10/15, 7:58 PM - Slaz...thanks for your comment. As you noted in your 1st TN, I thought the fruit was muted, as well. I wonder if our vintages were similar in any fashion. But, I suspect that w/my bottle of the '12 that in 2 more years (like your 1st TN five yrs after the vintage) my impressions would not have changed. I find it very interesting that your '06 became worthwhile 8 yrs after the vintage...for a Zin no less. When I had the East Bench last month, although I didn't write a TN, I recall it being more like a typical Zin (not from Lodi). If I ever get to Sonoma, I'll have to try and find this AVA and see if Lytton Springs seems different. I wonder if my experience could be due to some bottle variation. Last thoughts...if this stuff only becomes drinkable I certainly wish enough people, or perhaps even Ridge, felt strongly enough about it to kick the beginning of the Drinking Window to 2020, from its current 2015. I think I'll go be the first to make the change. Thanks again for your input about this one!
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Slaz commented:
8/11/15, 11:19 AM - Likewise, wine247365, thanks for your tasting note. I greatly appreciate the diversity of notes and perspectives here on CT. Regarding the East Bench, I haven't had a chance to try it, but it's definitely true in my experience that some of Ridge's Zin blends are more approachable than others (e.g., Three Valleys has consistently been more approachable than both Lytton Springs and Geyserville). As for CT's drink dates, I find them very rough and often misleading; I routinely update them myself (but individual updates don't seem to affect the CT's recommended "drink dates" much, as far as I can tell). Lastly, Lytton Springs can certainly be enjoyed sooner, in my opinion, it is simply that the wine becomes much more impressive and enjoyable after at least 5-6 years post-vintage.
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lockestep commented:
8/25/15, 10:29 AM - Chiming in here...the Lytton is crafted for the cellar, and a less than stellar showing at this point for the 12 is not out of character. Though I am a bit surprised that it came off as thin. Typical is a full bodied simple plum fruit note, lots of acid and structure dominating the experience. The Three Valleys is built for more immediate gratification, and the East Bench is approachable young. You are right about the Old World mentality, that is what Ridge is after with their wines. Even the Chard is meant for the cellar.
If you own any more Lytton or Geyserville sit on them for a few years and I think you will be much happier with the wine. -
wine247365 commented:
10/20/15, 5:43 PM - Lockestep and Slaz...apologies for not getting back to you both sooner! And, thanks again for your in-depth comments especially about Ridge Zin's! In contemplating your responses, it caused me to reflect more on the wines and in the course of that, I remembered that when Ridge shipped, the temperatures hit 95 degrees along one of the routes; I'm only a 1 day drive. Because of that, I opened the East Bench Zin after a week or two and while there was significant signs of seepage, the wine tasted fine. I opened another one a few weeks later and it was fine as well. But, as this was the 3rd one from the box I wonder if the heat could have damaged this one? I looked up cooked wine characteristics and it doesn't seem to be what I experienced, but...
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Slaz commented:
10/24/15, 8:35 PM - Opinions about heat damage to wine vary quite a bit. A couple of years ago I had the "fortune" of tasting a case of wine that got misplaced by UPS and traveled at random for several weeks in summer heat, before finally arriving at my home. The online merchant was kind enough to allow me to sample wines before accepting them back. Because a number of bottles in the case had wines that I had previously tasted, I was able to note the difference in taste. Many, but not all, bottles tasted significantly worse, with dull fruit and little going on. Of the damaged bottles, only two had any sign of seepage.
Getting a couple more bottles of the same wine would give you an ultimate test of whether the bottle was damaged or not. -
wine247365 commented:
11/16/15, 5:48 PM - Thanks, Slaz. What you've described "...tasted significantly worse, with dull fruit and little going on." doesn't sound too different from some of TN "...on the palate it came across as thin, simple, a hollow mid-palate, a bit vegetal, acidic, not ripe, with a short finish." Given the possible heat damage, I'd now remove my initial score, but I just tried and it's locked up.