April 21, 2024 - In a fantastic place now - jammy red fruits, plenty of savory dried herbs, and an earthy finish that’s smooth as silk. Fancy wine for pizza, but excellent together!
December 30, 2023 - Needed about 10 minutes in glass to settle down and then improved over the next hour. Very well integrated and drinking quite well at this point.
December 24, 2023 - Opened, poured and let sit about 30 min. Then: Not much on the nose, maybe some darkish fruit. Taste is reddish-darkish fruit, although low intensity and maybe a bit weak; no zin profile, particularly for Papera; no spiciness; acidity noticeable, particularly on the finish; tannins not an issue. I like zins on the young side while they still have their fruit. Aging this bottle did it no favors. Interestingly, this bottle is surprisingly similar to a 2016 Carlisle Papera I recently had. It had a similar aging problem and fairly similar profile. Aging hasn't suited either of them.
August 25, 2023 - P&P; Brambly red fruit, a bit of baking spice, but somewhat flat and soft. Also quite hot on the pop, which eventually blew off some. I guess I was expecting more, but this kind of reiterates my dislike of Zinfandel. Certainly well made, just not my preference in wine.
August 11, 2023 - My last bottle. I wish I would have saved it another 5 years. I think this wine is still evolving for the better. A very long lasting Zin. Prior notes still apply.
August 8, 2023 - Delicious and loaded with deep rich fruit flavors.
April 7, 2023 - Opened, poured and let sit about 1/2 hr. Then: Minimal darkish fruit on the nose. Taste also darkish fruit, but also something hard to identify (olive?) and not that appealing right on the front and it stays there through most of the glass. Soft mouthfeel, low acidity, tannins not noticeable, no spice or berry fruit. No particular zin profile. By the end of the glass (1+ hr after opening) some red fruit begins to appear, along with some acidity, but both a bit out of balance. Strange bottle, particularly for Papera. More generally, others talk about how well these can age, but not to my taste and experience. And even if they make it intact, they seem to have lost most of the qualities (wild berry, spice) that I look for in a zin. They might be something else that is interesting, nice to drink, but not what I'm looking for.
March 18, 2023 - Brambly berry fruits - a little hot. Secondary notes like coffee. This has fine body and structure and appealing fruit. Paired with corned beef and cabbage though not recommended. Better on its own.
January 10, 2023 - On the upward slope but delicious and refreshing now. The Block 6 of Papera Ranch has a high percentage of Carignane, which combines with the old vine Zin to produce a juicy red fruited wine (cranberry and pomegranate, with higher tone black raspberry notes) with the freshness and structure of bright acidity. Less aromatic than the 2016 Carlisle Papera but with a firmer, pronounced mouthfeel. Saving my remaining bottle for two to three years hence.
November 26, 2022 - Opened, poured and quick sip: first impression is acidity and minimal fruit. Let sit about 45 min: Not much nose, maybe some darkish fruit. First taste is more red-fruitish, but way in the background; acidity is more prominent than fruit; not in balance; almost a weak/watery mouthfeel. Over the next 40 min. the acidity recedes a bit, but still is there; sweetish-reddish fruit more in evidence; some spice; interesting melange of berry/fruit flavors, although not your usual RRV zin flavors; a bit more weight, but only up to medium-; some astringency creeping in; still not in balance By the end of the glass, still some fruit, but astringency dominant on the finish. I'm a big fan of the Carlisle/Bedrock Paperas, but this one disappoints, particularly in view of the other tasting notes.