11/12/2022 - CamWheeler wrote:

A monster tasting at Laszlo's: Blind. Redcurrant, blackberry, gravel and plums on the nose. Tannins are purposeful, with lovely acidity and drive. Super structured still, this needs another 10-15 years easily.

2/21/2024 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

Slow-O 2 hours, superb showing. A fair amount of sediment, as expected; good fill/cork. My final bottle, sadly, and this continues to show at a superb level. Full bodied with an elegant entry, full middle and long finish. Highly perfumed and graceful from first to last glass. Pure joy. There's still a good number of years ahead for those that have cellared this carefully. highly recommended

2/17/2024 - Mandamus Likes this wine:

Same as previous. Current bottle was half-full for over 6 months. Little to no noticeable change having tried it again over the past couple of days. (Rating suppressed—see other reviews; done to prevent my multiple notes on this bottle overly influencing reviews.)

2/1/2024 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine:

From a magnum. One-hour decant through a screened and aerating funnel. Classic lead pencil aroma during decant. Wine was clear; dark crimson bowl to a very slight brick rim. After resting, the wine was classic Bordeaux: black currant and lead pencil in both the nose and the mouth. Smooth in the mouth, tannins in full retreat. The wine gained a little weight during the evening and this was just a lovely Bordeaux with a long finish that made me wish I had another!

7/14/1993 - bestdamncab Likes this wine:

Chateau Mouton Rothschild (Hi-Time Wine Cellars, Costa Mesa, Ca.): Very rich nose, simple fruit, very big nose, big body, lovely, well balanced, elegant taste, great taste, long finish, big finish. Listed $169.

1/27/2024 - Vinnut Likes this wine:

Deep, dark reddish-purple in color with ever so-slight clearing at the edges. Full, fragrant, attractive nose of dark fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries & plums with overtones of floral, spice & earthy/dusty notes, loam, briary/bramble, a bit of dark cocoa & coffee, minerals & a slight touch of oak/vanilla in the background. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe dark fruit flavors of dark cherries, boysenberries & plums with spices, cocoa, minerals & a hint of oak/vanilla. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing but at 7 years of age, it is approaching its peak of development. Although it may hold here for several more years, I doubt will develop further with additional aging. A blend of 68% Zinfandel, 18% Carignane, 12% Petite Sirah & 2% Alicante Bouschet. It's wonderful how Ridge wines age so well.

1/15/2024 - CubFan4Life Likes this wine:

Very good, but price difference between this and something like Grahams non vintage port is mind boggling. Not with the price IMO.

1/15/2024 - MRonan83 wrote:

Anyone feel the new release price on the Elysian is high along with other releases? Years past they have flown off the “shelf” with an allocation of 3 max but now with an allocation of 6, you can still buy. It never use to get to second tier allocation available. I’d love to support Mike and Leah because they are great people and at this price it’s becoming unobtainable for their long time supporters. Just me thinking this?

12/25/2023 - dbkitc wrote:

The wine of the night. Great Alsacien Riesling. Intensity, balance, purity.

11/14/2023 - La Grappe wrote:

This particular (half) bottle had a very deep colour, bronze. It had fairly rich barley sugar fruit, a touch of lemon and a reasonably long finish. It seemed to have aged prematurely, and other half bottles of this that I have had recently were much fresher. Probably not a representative example, but perfectly good to drink.

9/25/2023 - caroleandjay Likes this wine:

My last of these.
Some of my "go to" reviewers have a very different opinion of this wine. In general, I have found the 2014 Reynvaans to be much more "elegant" than any other year. The funk is minimal, and they are much lighter compared to the normal power of fruit, meat and olive tones. I feel like this is from Devison, or Paxsa/Billo in terms of style.
If you are expecting the traditional Reynvaan, you may be disappointed. If you are willing to see it as a more elegant version, you may appreciate it.

6/25/2023 - Teaky Likes this wine:

Dark fruited nose, of plum, blackberry and a kind of generic grape, has a round mouthfeel, this reminds me a bit of a petite sirah but without the tannins, back of the bottle says that it's from vines planted in the 1880s, so I'm guessing it's a field blend. Don't get as much bramble and red fruited notes as I would expect from a zinfandel. Occasionally get some green notes, not herbal though, maybe eucalyptus? Reminds me a bit of right bank bordeaux without the tannins. Was very enjoyable and easy to drink, low acidity, not very tannic with a medium length finish. Don't notice any oak influence. Nice!

6/8/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

Wine Workshop: Chateau Margaux (Gabriel Kreuther): Really if I were picking vintages of wines from Bordeaux I think these would have been the ones since they seem to be all of the best ones and then a lot of my favorites that seem to be growing in popularity but don’t have the same level of press. Some years ago we did a horizontal of ‘86 and I always really appreciated that one and in that I quite appreciated the Margaux. Here the wine is a bit different esp coming on the heels of the 85. I get a lot more woodsy and wood spice and maybe a touch herbal. Fruit muted. There’s a strength too to this wine. Give it more time.

2/12/2023 - Matt3568 wrote:

Shy, reductive nose. Dark fruits, sour cherries, raspberries, a green savoury note. Acidity on the higher side with good weight and concentration. My first experience with this producer and not sure I buy into the hype. Maybe the few more bottles in the cellar will change my mind down the line?

1/26/2023 - DougSamuel Likes this wine:

Papera Ranch is one of my favorite sites for Zinfandel as it allows for such an explosion of fruit with acidity and structure.

This particular one didn't hit that mark for us. Still a nice drink (90-91 points) with raspberry, cranberry, and savory herbs. An interesting trend in Zins has been the pendulum swinging away from the ripe, opulent fruit to more structured and lean. IMO, this one has swung a touch too far for my taste. At least on this night - a snow day - I reached for this for an after playing in the snow with the kids and was hoping for a hearty wine. This was enjoyable and easy to drink, but didn't have the ripeness I prefer. It's possible it will benefit from a decant or I might have liked it better a year or more ago.

12/5/2022 - jonahfactor Likes this wine:

Similar to my previous notes …. Decant for two hours; she’s still tight. But offers up an abundance of black and blue fruits with some wildflowers and tar notes in the bouquet. Superbly balanced even though this offering is still young. Drink now to 2035, easily. Outstanding.

11/26/2022 - SlappyCellars wrote:

There was a time that Ridge was our go-to wine. The first thing that struck me upon tasting this wine was the lack of what I called dimension. Beth noted that there weren’t separate flavors like a bass note, or a snare hit, or a cymbal crash. The wine was just there. Even after being opened for an hour, it still seemed flat, and mildly acidic.

3/11/2022 - FelineAvenger Likes this wine:

Poured a quick taste with aerating spout upon opening. Smooth, no heat, but pretty closed, not much flavor at all. Decanted. After about 1-1.5 hours in decanter started to taste strong cherry notes. After 3 hours total in decanter, more balanced, complex flavors including black fruits. Enjoyable enough, but given what was needed to get it to its potential, and given other wines we like as much (and less expensive), not really a re-buy for us at nearly $60 a bottle.

1/9/2022 - Tony Poli Likes this wine:

We had friends over for pork stew, which was great comfort food on a cold night. This was up a point from our last bottle. Nose had a bit more of the Syrah stink that I get from the Rhone, but with plenty of New World sweetness. Seems to be evolving in a positive direction. Again, great QPR, we and our guests loved it.

9/27/2021 - Raizes Likes this wine:

成熟浓郁的黑樱桃果味和少许的香料烤肉气息，浓郁厚实的滋味被同样厚实的单宁包裹着，缓慢呈现的层次感更像一道肉眼牛排而非勃艮第的红酒。酒精感较强，结构结实，略显粗犷。

12/27/2021 - timcardk wrote:

Not settled after transport ? Strange one dimensional fruit and ackward tannins. Driven from Berlin to Copenhagen on December 22.

12/31/2021 - jonLiechty Does not like this wine:

This wine was dead and gone :(

12/31/2021 - timtom Likes this wine:

Opened this over the 2003 to serve with paella on NYE because of some of the negative reviews that found it past its prime. I was concerned to find some cork leakage when I removed the foil, but the cork came out intact and my first sniff of the bottle detected only a hint of funk. Poured at the table after a 2 hour decant to smiles all around. Dark fruit dominates the nose with hints of baking spice and forest floor. Bright acidity up front proceeds to peppery spice and a long tobacco finish. An excellent, well-integrated wine that should continue drinking well for 5+ years. I wish I had another bottle!

12/23/2021 - Al Ehrhardt wrote:

The last vintage I had of the Dollar Bills Only was 2001. Pulled a bottle with Aroy Thai takeout. Nice enough for $14. Good cherries, raspberries, decent enough mid-week pinot.

6/26/2021 - pepmi wrote:

I have to admit that my first 3-4 bottles of the 2013 Spottswoode had me question my sanity to committing to a purchase of a full case. The wines were dense, packed with dark fruit and lacking in any of the elegance I recall from this notable winery.

Spottswoode was one of the few remaining California wines I drank -- along with Forman, Corison and Montelena from time to time. Once you have the Napa cabs from the early nineties burnt into your cranial hard drive, everything since feels like a big let down.

I decanted this wine and let it sit for about 30 minutes. The squid ink blackness of the color stood in sharp contrast from the aged Nebbiolo we had the evening before. I prepared for another disappointment.
The good news is that the wine has settled and lost some of its youthful masculinity. I'm not sure th wine is worth $175.00 a bottle but it was at least drinkable.

6/5/2021 - Decanting Queen wrote:

I knew this was too young to enjoy, and that I probably would not like it, but curiosity got the best of me.
I deliberately tasted at different points over 6 hours, and it was at its best by the end. Put the last half bottle in a 375 for tonight—I would be shocked if it has fallen apart as it seemed to still be opening up and changing at the end of the night last night.
On PnP dark inky and purple. Very little aroma, maybe some reticent fruit and hints of something chalky. Bigger on the palate, some darker fruit, minerals, mouth filling, but a slight metal note on the palate that was not pleasant.
After 60 min decant much more drinkable. The metal note is gone. More aroma—floral, berries, hints of green herbs, hints of tobacco. Lingering finish and mouth coating tannins.
Fast forward to the last glass of the night—Now very open, dark berries, cassis, tobacco, graphite, plenty of tannin and acid. This was drinkable and good, but unmistakeable a ‘too young’ 2018. I believe and I hope this will evolve over the years, open up and integrate more. For now there is something still missing, perhaps it is what other reviewers have referred to as the plush velvetiness. When I drink this wine I am still thinking about the components and trying to figure it out, it is missing that integrated plushness to make me think ‘wow.’

2/13/2021 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine:

Very nice stuff. Was interesting to compare to the 2018 Ridge 'Three Valleys' Zin (although that's a blend, with the majority zin- not sure about this one.) The Ridge won out slightly, but this was still solid- although I should say this felt like a lot more of a "typical" zinfandel, which isn't usually my jam (JAMMY!! GET IT??) The Ridge was cooler, more blue fruit, vanilla, florals, very "pure"- this had sunny red fruits and a slightly more rustic feel to it. The oak components were different, but about the same quality.

Sweet, pretty and bouncy nose of strawberry or raspberry jam, interesting in that it smells "fresh" but still very much like preserves- the fruit itself isn't baked or hot, it's just showing more like a marmalade than anything else. Eventually almost showed enough depth to evoke a fruit liqueur such as Chambord. If you like the cute jammy thing, this does it very well- reminded me of a Turley Dusi vineyard zin that cost nearly 3x as much. The Turley was much more intense of course, but this showed a very similar profile, right down to the dark red fruit preserves and interesting oak nuances of cinnamon and caramel corn.

Palate is about the same as the nose, pretty homemade jam but with a bright energy that makes it feel pretty rather than cloying. Solid medium acidity, and surprisingly chalky tannins.

Brighter and more red-fruited than the Bedrock 2017, which was a darker and earthier wine, maybe more complex, but also less expressive.

Good QPR in the low $20 range, maybe not the best in the $30 range, unless you're into Zin a little more than I am.

1/5/2021 - meatbomb013 Likes this wine:

Decanted for 60 minutes.
Fabulous new world wine with old world bones. A wonderful wine experience with primary cabernet fruit and very little secondary cab characteristics. Blue and black fruit, baking spice, and forest floor. Tannins are very well integrated. Finish is long and pleasing.
I don’t have many bottles of Montebello but I will be searching for more.

11/28/2020 - Tony Poli Likes this wine:

Definitely California, but a nicely structured Syrah. I didn’t get as much Viognier as some other reviewers. QPR is wonderful, I have had northern Rhône’s at three times the price that I wish were this good.

11/10/2020 - winepaw Likes this wine:

Outstanding WA Syrah. Rich and full bodied with lots of dark berry fruit and savory spice. Very well balanced. Paired well with savory rack of lamb with sweet potato puree.

11/8/2020 - Night Train Does not like this wine:

I bought three of these, and the first two were pretty good. This one, however, reminded me more of the Lytton (and Geyserville) bottles from 2009, 2010, and 2011 - dull, flat, muddy, and pruney. I haven't bought any Ridge zins since this one, and this one reinforced my decision not to.

9/6/2020 - Charlie N Likes this wine:

My first Geyserville

Decanted for an hour, decanted back into the bottle and tasted an hour later. Clearly this wine isn't meant to be rushed so I missed out on the better part of half the bottle.

Revisited 5 days later and good lord. No bizarre or particularly unique sensory notes (the usual mint/menthol, spice/pepper, *rich* mocha) but the clarity of expression and depth of articulation this far into the lifetime of this open bottle makes totally apparent the inevitable reward for long-term patience.

8/15/2020 - Lyubomir Lefterov Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour, but was ready after 10-5 min aeration. Coming with black olives, coffee, spices and olive oil, same in the mouth with a bit of dusty feeling. Some forest floor aromas are just emerging and I think it will be more exciting when those tertiary aromas develop. Went smoothly with a charcuterie board.

7/16/2020 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine:

Prior bottle was eight months ago and this wine remains in a very good spot. Strawberry, some light red cherry as well as watermelon notes on on the nose. Light of medium bodied with a very similar flavor profile to my prior bottle: a mix of red cherry and lighter, brighter strawberry upfront and through the mid-body. Tart strawberry and lighter watermelon notes on the backside along with pleasantly balanced acidity. The combination of the rounded, but still expressive fruit and the defining acidity made for a very enjoyable bottle. As long as the acidity continues to hold up in this fashion, the wine will continue to hold this level.

7/26/2020 - SumCellar wrote:

Update my assessment following the helpful comments of Lockstepe and RichEB1 - Tasting this wine at this time reminds me more of a barrel tasting than of a mature zin. In fairness, let’s give this youngster some more time before we pass judgment.

7/22/2020 - Cailles wrote:

Aged Bordeaux Gems (with Unico/Heitz MV in the mix): Magnum. Tasted double blind. Unfortunately, this was a weak bottle. While there was no TCA taint detectable, it was slightly disjointed and astringent. Others in the room suggested that it this would come around with a long decant. I’m not really sure about that. Beside a lot of fake bottles out there, you always fight with a quite high bottle variation when buying an 80s Mouton… hence, to chase the 82 is probably not a risk worth taking on the secondary market these days.

TN: Dark fruit, graphite on the nose. Disjointed palate with lots of minerality and herbs along a rather muted dark fruit core. Not very balanced and harmonious but with quite some density. Fine tannins, not well integrated acidity.

Decanting: Double decanted only. Probably would have needed a long decant

6/14/2020 - ekirby Likes this wine:

Decanted this for about 3+ hours. Nicely made, honest wine. Pretty nose, with some fullness but a bit reticent. Good balance of fruit and complexity to start, we were looking forward to spending a long evening with this wine. Unexpectedly, the wine did not get better as we went but lost it’s nose and fruit and became somewhat thin and astringent. Past it’s prime ? Will pop n pour the next bottle.

6/4/2020 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine:

My boss brought this to the office today; but it's really the perfect backyard sipping rosé. Fresh strawberries, raspberries, melons and tangerines. Well balanced between fruit and mineral notes. You could honestly pair this with anything; but my recommendation is ceviche.

6/4/2020 - Brolawa Likes this wine:

This wine is at it’s peak and singing. Maybe a bit of celery due to age, but mixed right in with dark fruit, pepper, leather and earth. Still beautifully balanced with really no hint of alcohol - it’s just a mélange of complex flavors pushing forward that asks you to drink the entire bottle. Decanted for three hours and those sharing bottle felt it lost some of its flavor in back half of bottle. Maybe decant for slightly less time.

11/4/2019 - Rupesh Likes this wine:

For a blend, it shows like a Pinot, nose is flowery, rose like, berry taste on the tongue. Nice wine.

9/19/2019 - Chef_Nimmo wrote:

Very light weight, hint of sour cherry, quite a bit acidity to the mid palate, tastes like they use Smokey barrels with gunsmoke and mineral slate on the finish. I wouldn’t leave any in the cellar, drink now. Is a nice drink but tastes like it’s falling apart a bit on the finish.

8/9/2019 - River Rat wrote:

Haven’t seen any notes on this wine yet so hopefully this will be helpful. Picked up my wine yesterday and decided to Pobega a couple that haven’t been covered in the forums.

Pop, pour, 3+hrs in glass.
Pours dark crimson red. Nose loaded with tobacco, cedar and cassis. Texture is dense and viscous with ample dark fruit, chocolate covered coffeee beans followed by a wall of sweet tannins. Very chewy. Prototypical Myriad Napa Valley.

7/16/2019 - vinkeger wrote:

Pnp. Blek lys grønn. Helt åpen. Utrolig god fruktkvalitet. Fersken, kantalope, hvit pære. Touch av lavendelhonning og petrichor. Transparent, men fortsatt veldig ung. Perfekt fruktmodning i munn, grønne epler og hvite pærer. Rå tension. Lett som vann. Lang salt og syrlig finish. Perfekt frokost i solveggen på Kragaluf/Keegerø/Kragerø.

7/4/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:

Just 5 TNs this year, yet there remains 2000 bottles in the CT community inventory. So, that's about .025% of the total amount being logged as notes for this year to date. I find this fascinating, especially with Rhys, that even nearly 7 years out, there aren't more CT users opening these up. I'm going to help then, as I last tried this in 2016 as part of an Anderson Valley event we did here at my place. Opened today's bottle about 30 mins ago, poured a few ounces to a burg stem to write an opener for this TN, with the rest of the wine being enjoyed later today, when I will capture a few more impressions. The aromatics on this are cool, very similar to 2016's bottle: pepper, game, some herbals, probably sounding a lot like syrah. I find that the Bear wines made by Rhys show these qualities, the Bear terroir as I see it. The palate at this moment is smooth, glassy. Juicy dark cherry, dark apple and the same soily note in the bottle I found a few years back. A bit of spicy cinnamon also gets into the wine's core, too. 12.5% ABV, which is just a bonus, also. Finishes with a tangy, spicy, soily tone, the dark cherry holding it all together. In a lovely drinking place now, and I will add some closing remarks tomorrow.....this remained pretty consistent with the previous day, with the tangy quality showing well in the final glass.

4/9/2019 - oncocyte Likes this wine:

Looking for nose, palate, finish? Leave now, please accept my apologies.
This bottle of this wine..... All I could say was this is a spiritual experience. A seamless apotheosis of what older Bordeaux can be. Joyous tranquility in liquid form. Every aspect of it in the mouth was in complete harmony with each other, and with me. It was not dense; it was ethereal.
It was such a perfect thing that it moved me to a place of sublime timeless comfort with the universe and my place in it, for a few minutes anyway.
Sorry if this is not an effective review, but I just had to share this somewhere. No other substances were involved.
And oh yes, I only let it breathe for a half hour, fearing it would fade with excess respiration.

3/30/2019 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote:

Big, fleshy New World fruit bomb. Not at all my style and the least favorite wine of the night by the dinner party. Hopefully future bottles mellow and balance a bit, otherwise these are going to be given away as gifts to wine noobs!

3/18/2019 - Charlie C Likes this wine:

To be clear, this is not a typical Sauvignon Blanc. That can be good or bad depending on how you feel about the grape. The nose is faint, minerally. The fruit is there but not the characteristic SB fruit. This is lean, full of minerality, no grassiness at all. A bit of apricot, bit of spice. Good acidity. A moderately long, clean finish. This wine gets better as it warms up and is more of a food wine than a "sip on the back porch" SB. Resembles a village level Chablis in a lot of ways. Your mileage may vary.

3/10/2019 - dsamuel Likes this wine:

Cork completely disintegrated making decanting difficult
Dark garnet color with extensive bricking noted
Medium(+) aromas with persistent black fruit evident but with dominant secondary/ tertiary aromas of menthol/ earth/ leather as well
Full palate which echoes aromas
Moderate persistent tannins remain present and medium length
This wine is really drinking well presently - would drink soon however

2/5/2019 - Scottlmatthews Likes this wine:

Very good, but not as balanced as different years-2014. Nose is dirty like a good northern Rhône with many promisingly variable but the palate of crushed blackberries is not multidimensional as the nose. Tannins are there with too high acid, but finish not as long as you would think

8/15/2018 - spicy1 Likes this wine:

As mentioned in previous reviews, all the Ridge reds are consistently good and they always seem ready to drink. No need to mention that the wine should be held for a few more years, as with so many other vineyards. Just hope that with Mr. Draper pulling back from his long term involvement that the wines will continue to excel.