March 5, 2024 - Amazing wine. Drank at 13 years
December 14, 2023 - No real difference from my note in August when I mentioned the wine’s “[a]bundant cherry, plum, Draper perfume, molasses, coffee and mocha.” It’s all there with perhaps the mocha more dominate in the finish. Very much like a claret with its near-seamless transition from attack to mid-palate to long finish. Excellent fruit on the attack. Balanced with round, integrated tannins. 78% Zinfandel, 16% Carignane, 4% Petite Sirah, 1% Alicante Bouschet, 1% Mourvedre. Throwing some sediment. 14.8% alc., but without a trace of heat. With roasted pork tenderloin under a glaze of Dijon with mushrooms. 12.14.23. Recommended.
November 5, 2023 - Found a bottle at Safeway, of all places, nearly 10 years after I drank my last one...
Don't know if it's a library release or if it's been at Safeway for 10 years.. the lady at the wine section didn't know.
But I can say that it's just as good, if not better than 10 years ago.
Reading my notes, and remembering my experience, this is quite similar... Maraschino cherries, blueberries... gives the feeling of warm berry compote. Tannins are resolved, soft and silky. Body is medium, acidity present but quite soft. This is elegant, refined, with no sharp edges. Just a stunning example of a classic wine.
"Bad" years separate the wheat from the chaff, and it's evident that you need someone like Paul Draper to craft something so special and elegant in a year like 2011.
October 29, 2023 - Black cherry fruit on the nose and palate with pepper and spice on the finnish.
August 20, 2023 - Drinking quite well. Integrated smooth fruit, ranks up there with similar vintage Lytton Springs.
August 10, 2023 - This wine is developing nicely particularly for the challenging year that 2011 presented. Abundant cherry, plum, Draper perfume, molasses, coffee and mocha. Nose and palate track well. The fruit is lively, and the tannins are resolved. Balanced and with a lasting, claret-like finish. 78% Zinfandel, 16% Carignane, 4% Petite Sirah, 1% Alicante Bouschet, 1% Mourvedre. Throwing some sediment. 14.8% alc., but without a trace of heat. With seared boneless pork chops with mustard and shallot sauce. 08.10.23. Recommended.
July 16, 2023 - Right out of the bottle is the same Geyserville bramble, ink, red flowers, but palate turned over mature quickly - once again proved cannot use Grassl 1855 on older bottles
Switched to riedel
On the palate, dates, fig and tiny bit strawberry left, tabacco leaves
Long finish
Nov last year was better lol
January 25, 2023 - Bottle purchased at auction. Decanted about 30ish minutes before tasting. Deep ruby-garnet in color. First sniff comes off real heavy on sweet American oak. Give it a few swirls, then the fresh strawberries, bramble, light blueberries, and herbs come though. As soon as the glass sits for a few minutes, the heavy oak emerges into the glass again.
Heavy bodied, a bit flabby, and overall disorganized. Palate is light with plums, bramble, and strawberry. A bit of blue fruit eventually shows though. Then there’s an artificial sweetener aspect to the mid-palate that was hard to pin down. Tannins can’t make up their mind if they are velvetly smooth or sharp. Long dill dominated American oak herbal finish with black licorice, a bit of tar, stewed blackberries, and graphite. A persisting fig and graphite note lingers on for minutes after the finish.
As I sip on the wine more, that artificial sweetener note evolves into grapefruit oil and zest.
This is just not doing it for me. Fails to come together and has some real jarring tastes that make it unpleasant for me.
December 12, 2022 - Short decant to remove sediment. Complex aromas of green bell pepper, black cherry, and something like creamy licorice. Light-to-medium weight with sappy black cherry and pronounced cola notes in the mouth. Lacked persistence, however, and left me wanting more depth and power. The terroir shines through (as it almost always does with Ridge) but missing some stuffing. May evolve more in the bottle but will likely not bulk-up. Drink now or soon.
November 23, 2022 - Did a blind at home with a few burgs with same age, this is NOT shy!!
Cedar right off the bat, dried flowers, beautiful red fruits to follow
Nice nuttiness and bramble
Smell like old library - fascinating