This wine has gotten even better: outstanding! Flavors of dark plum, black pepper, cinnamon and dark cherry. Paired well with fusilli with arrabiata w bison meat sauce.
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Spectacular wine that paired well with lamb shank prepared with North African spices on Roemertopf. Wine has flavors of blackberries, chocolate and black pepper.
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Deep dark center, red/purple rim with very modest signs of age. Sweet pipe tobacco, creamy black cherries, the Grenache is more forward - slightly jammy fruit, brambles, followed by the Syrah - not peppery, more rubber and sleek fruit. Smooth, more Syrah driven up front, rubber and black cherries, good acidity and tannin, a little spice, raspberry fruit later, very good long finish. Excellent SG blend, drinking very well at 10 years, good for another 3 years.
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Drinking very well now. Great combination of Syrah rubber and meat and Grenache cherries and polish. Good balance of fruit and acidity at this point. This wine was made in the early 2000s up to 2013, which seems to be the last vintage, unfortunately. Drink now and over the next 2-3 years.
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I see notes indicating that the fruit is fading on this - as my only bottle, I guess I can't confirm that - but I'll say that for me, this wine was in a great place and the intensity of fruit and oak were in good balance.
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The wood is really showing strongly now. I'm surprised its been five years since I last had this but I'm also surprised how quickly the fruit is starting to drop. Its just one more data point for me where I wonder if Lytton really is a good site for Rhone varieties. This really hasn't shown any interesting development. Its more like most forward Cali Rhones in that it should have been drunk with five years of bottling. Note to self to be more critical of the structure. Drink now.
I got pressured to open this as wife and friends didn’t care for the funk on the Dirty and Rowdy mouvedre. This should have been decanted for a couple hours but I was overruled. It did drink well immediately. It was dark yet light, the Grenache and Syrah played off each other well.
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DY 1 we just did a glass, definitely needed some air but drank well, showed potential Day 2 with the overnight slow ox it showed that is was more serious. Some cloaked funk, fruit, mushroom, savory and rich. Drink or hold for 2-3 more years.
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Opened for 3 hours before drinking. On the nose strawberry and tart cherries with a little vanilla at the end. On the palate; very pretty strawberries with cherry, a hint of cassis and very soft tannins. These wine drinks effortlessly. Another European style from the Ridge gang. I like the realatively low alcohol of 13.7 as well as most non Monte Bello offerings are 14.5+.
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Black raspberry, black cherry, black pepper, cigar box, charcoal, spice. Medium-plus body. Medium acidity. Medium-light tannins. Medium-plus finish. Went well with pizza.
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Dark ruby core. Vanilla, chocolate, thyme, savory, eucalyptus and charred meat on the nose. Dry but fruit-forward (mostly plum) on the attack, medium-bodied, with good acidity and a slightly tannic finish. The length is long, moving from licorice and smoke on the mid palate to more savory notes of herbs and black olive. The Syrah is more apparent overall, yet blends seamlessly with the warmer Grenache, yielding an elegant and well-structured wine. I would let this rest a bit longer for the oak to integrate more fully, but it is really promising. One of my favorites so far from Ridge.
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Splash decanted. Bright purple/crimson color. Nose of red and black berry fruit, dill, hint of coconut, touch of pepper. On nose alone, you can tell this is going to be oaky and that carries through to the palate with an attack of sweet and sour flavors from the oak but lots of really nice ripe, yet balanced fruit underneath. Medium acid, medium+ tannin. Enjoyable now with some air (and if you like american oak) but this has a lot of promise. If I had another bottle, it would hang out for 3-5 years.
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Drank with grilled beef dinner 8/2018, held from purchase at release. Pleasant, low tannin, mild fruit (berries, cherries, maybe not-sweet grape). Touch of mineral, maybe? Touch of dry earth? Mild and subtle flavors. Overall dry-ish without being obvious, definitely no sweetness. No "big" anything - fruit, bomb or alcohol. Good feel, and looking forward to another (2nd of 2) - might try to split that bottle over 2 nights, based on other readings, but finished this bottle by the end of dinner.
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Served with sheet-pan chicken legs/thighs with sourdough/bacon/chili dressing, and with Caprese salad. Did not decant. No sediment. Look: nice color, no longer opaque. Smell: plum, dark berry, a richness here. Taste: dry, some acid and tannin in balance, a bit juicy/plum. There is more lurking beneath, but may need some bottle time to emerge.
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Pop and pour. Dark ruby color. Nose of spice and dark fruits, with a light wood-smoke note. Nice round flavors, with some good spice and black pepper on the back end. Enjoyable. I had saved 375ml in a half bottle and revisited this wine the following day. It has taken on a lovely and inviting floral note. Violets added to the the dark fruit. delicious. Raised my rating from an 88 to a 90.
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Very enjoyable Rhône in Ridge style. Strawberries and blueberries with spices on nose. Grenache predominate berries with just enough spice from Syrah. Some brambles and acidity. Enjoyed with chicken and steak cabobs!
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Paired with ground beef chili with homemade ancho chile seasoning. This wine was a great match, medium weight, good acidity to cut the spice and great fruit that is sun-warmed strawberries, blueberries and just enough from the Syrah (including black pepper and savory notes) to keep it from being too simple. Very long finish and well made.
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The review below by WETROCK covers all the bases for me. This is a beautiful and very enjoyable wine that, at least last night, was not offering up much in the way of Syrah or Grenache character or complexity. I do think a couple years of bottle age would do wonders for the wine and coax out the specialness that is probably lurking (much like a very young Lytton Springs). I think applying a score would do it an injustice at this point.
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I liked this a solid notch better on night two. Initially it show fairly straight forward yet not very interesting Cali Rhone like qualities. The kind of wine where the fruit is fine and the winemaking solid but maybe the fruit source isn't the best spot for the varieties. I'm not certain this is a great spot for these varieties still but this did show more complexity on night two. There is nice, clean pure fruit here with medium density. It drinks like a wine where care was put into the winemaking without a ton of intervention. I'm not certain this will ever be spectacular but given the trajectory I saw I think this probably still needs some bottle time for it's best expression. The winery waiting this long for release would seem to concur with that assessment. Give it a long decant or leave it be.
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1/24/2024 - casjf Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine has gotten even better: outstanding! Flavors of dark plum, black pepper, cinnamon and dark cherry. Paired well with fusilli with arrabiata w bison meat sauce.
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12/10/2023 - casjf Likes this wine: 92 Points
Spectacular wine that paired well with lamb shank prepared with North African spices on Roemertopf. Wine has flavors of blackberries, chocolate and black pepper.
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11/28/2023 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep dark center, red/purple rim with very modest signs of age.
Sweet pipe tobacco, creamy black cherries, the Grenache is more forward - slightly jammy fruit, brambles, followed by the Syrah - not peppery, more rubber and sleek fruit.
Smooth, more Syrah driven up front, rubber and black cherries, good acidity and tannin, a little spice, raspberry fruit later, very good long finish.
Excellent SG blend, drinking very well at 10 years, good for another 3 years.
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6/10/2023 - gudetama Likes this wine: 90 Points
I recommend drinking now. I don't see it improving. It was an enjoyable bottle. I popped and poured without issue.
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5/18/2023 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking very well now. Great combination of Syrah rubber and meat and Grenache cherries and polish. Good balance of fruit and acidity at this point.
This wine was made in the early 2000s up to 2013, which seems to be the last vintage, unfortunately. Drink now and over the next 2-3 years.
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4/3/2023 - VinCrush Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank beautifully on open and over following two days.
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3/26/2023 - soumamae Likes this wine:
It seems the fruit is barely hanging on.
Drink now.
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1/26/2023 - JJKinch wrote: 91 Points
Bright fruit (blackberry, cherry, slight cassis), spice, floral, good acidity. Bright. Lingering finish. Really enjoyable.
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8/18/2022 - wirelesswine wrote: 91 Points
I see notes indicating that the fruit is fading on this - as my only bottle, I guess I can't confirm that - but I'll say that for me, this wine was in a great place and the intensity of fruit and oak were in good balance.
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8/16/2022 - WetRock wrote:
The wood is really showing strongly now. I'm surprised its been five years since I last had this but I'm also surprised how quickly the fruit is starting to drop. Its just one more data point for me where I wonder if Lytton really is a good site for Rhone varieties. This really hasn't shown any interesting development. Its more like most forward Cali Rhones in that it should have been drunk with five years of bottling. Note to self to be more critical of the structure. Drink now.
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4/30/2022 - wchrisw Likes this wine:
I got pressured to open this as wife and friends didn’t care for the funk on the Dirty and Rowdy mouvedre. This should have been decanted for a couple hours but I was overruled. It did drink well immediately. It was dark yet light, the Grenache and Syrah played off each other well.
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3/20/2022 - guitar guy wrote: 89 Points
May have held on to this one too long. Fruit is starting to go. Still decent, but it's starting to fade.
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11/14/2021 - rlsimon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Peppery notes upfront and slight notes of tart cherries on the back end.
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10/19/2021 - midiprincess wrote: 98 Points
Opened with some lamb loin roasted with garlic and Brussels sprouts. Delicious.
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10/4/2021 - wchrisw Likes this wine:
DY 1 we just did a glass, definitely needed some air but drank well, showed potential Day 2 with the overnight slow ox it showed that is was more serious. Some cloaked funk, fruit, mushroom, savory and rich. Drink or hold for 2-3 more years.
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4/11/2021 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 91 Points
With grilled pork tenderloin
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12/23/2020 - Mootsie Likes this wine: 89 Points
Balanced and well crafted, but ultimately forgettable.
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12/11/2020 - aaronmphoto Likes this wine: 92 Points
really good. Milked it out over 2 nights to increase enjoyment
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9/23/2020 - Cmainardi wrote: 92 Points
The best of the Ridge Rhones
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7/5/2020 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened for 3 hours before drinking. On the nose strawberry and tart cherries with a little vanilla at the end. On the palate; very pretty strawberries with cherry, a hint of cassis and very soft tannins. These wine drinks effortlessly. Another European style from the Ridge gang. I like the realatively low alcohol of 13.7 as well as most non Monte Bello offerings are 14.5+.
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6/27/2020 - gudetama Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really enjoyed this bottle. Pop and pour. Still had solid tannins to give the wine structure. Really looking forward for the next one.
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4/12/2020 - mseeber wrote: 90 Points
Perfect wine for cooking Easter dinner. Strawberry jam on brioche, tobacco, licorice, pepper. Well balanced, great length, medium body.
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1/30/2020 - Collinsb1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle is nicer than the previous one- nice mix of fruit and oak, tannins are pretty light. Medium body.
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10/19/2019 - yaya Likes this wine: 92 Points
A little acidic still, bit fruit is there along with peppery notes. Paired well with an Italian style vegetarian stew.
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9/7/2019 - cmmatthews Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely. Pop and pour, very nice out of the bottle. A little air softens it up. Oak is present but works well here.
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7/28/2019 - EFrohmader Likes this wine: 91 Points
Black raspberry, black cherry, black pepper, cigar box, charcoal, spice. Medium-plus body. Medium acidity. Medium-light tannins. Medium-plus finish. Went well with pizza.
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4/6/2019 - rbfleming Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bright fruits. Acidity but not overpowering. Nice balance.
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1/6/2019 - Birorganic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ready now. Fully integrated. Delicious. Not sure how much better it’s going to get. I would drink in the next year or two. Well made. Balanced.
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11/28/2018 - Guy Des Rosiers Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark ruby core. Vanilla, chocolate, thyme, savory, eucalyptus and charred meat on the nose. Dry but fruit-forward (mostly plum) on the attack, medium-bodied, with good acidity and a slightly tannic finish. The length is long, moving from licorice and smoke on the mid palate to more savory notes of herbs and black olive. The Syrah is more apparent overall, yet blends seamlessly with the warmer Grenache, yielding an elegant and well-structured wine. I would let this rest a bit longer for the oak to integrate more fully, but it is really promising. One of my favorites so far from Ridge.
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10/29/2018 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Consumed by the missus. And I quote. "It was OK, nothing to write home about."
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10/14/2018 - Rich S Likes this wine: 90 Points
Splash decanted. Bright purple/crimson color. Nose of red and black berry fruit, dill, hint of coconut, touch of pepper. On nose alone, you can tell this is going to be oaky and that carries through to the palate with an attack of sweet and sour flavors from the oak but lots of really nice ripe, yet balanced fruit underneath. Medium acid, medium+ tannin. Enjoyable now with some air (and if you like american oak) but this has a lot of promise. If I had another bottle, it would hang out for 3-5 years.
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10/8/2018 - Renzloh Likes this wine: 90 Points
Full bodied.
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8/21/2018 - JM_IS wrote: 90 Points
Drank with grilled beef dinner 8/2018, held from purchase at release. Pleasant, low tannin, mild fruit (berries, cherries, maybe not-sweet grape). Touch of mineral, maybe? Touch of dry earth? Mild and subtle flavors. Overall dry-ish without being obvious, definitely no sweetness. No "big" anything - fruit, bomb or alcohol. Good feel, and looking forward to another (2nd of 2) - might try to split that bottle over 2 nights, based on other readings, but finished this bottle by the end of dinner.
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7/28/2018 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 91 Points
Served with sheet-pan chicken legs/thighs with sourdough/bacon/chili dressing, and with Caprese salad. Did not decant. No sediment.
Look: nice color, no longer opaque.
Smell: plum, dark berry, a richness here.
Taste: dry, some acid and tannin in balance, a bit juicy/plum. There is more lurking beneath, but may need some bottle time to emerge.
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6/22/2018 - EFrohmader Likes this wine: 91 Points
Raspberry, blackberry, violets, black pepper, spice. Medium-plus body, acidity, & finish. Medium-light, velvety tannins. Got better with time.
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6/12/2018 - rbfleming wrote: 88 Points
Light, bright fruit. Cinnamon spice.
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6/5/2018 - ogres3 Likes this wine:
The missus sucked this one down when I was on the wagon. Looks like I missed a pretty good wine.
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4/25/2018 - t_moderne wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour.
Dark ruby color.
Nose of spice and dark fruits, with a light wood-smoke note.
Nice round flavors, with some good spice and black pepper on the back end.
Enjoyable.
I had saved 375ml in a half bottle and revisited this wine the following day. It has taken on a lovely and inviting floral note. Violets added to the the dark fruit. delicious. Raised my rating from an 88 to a 90.
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4/17/2018 - ralstenm Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very enjoyable Rhône in Ridge style. Strawberries and blueberries with spices on nose. Grenache predominate berries with just enough spice from Syrah. Some brambles and acidity. Enjoyed with chicken and steak cabobs!
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4/8/2018 - Italiana Likes this wine:
Fairly rich and still a bit stiff.
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3/14/2018 - rbfleming wrote: 89 Points
Cherries, leather, tobacco. Earthy, but still bright.
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3/3/2018 - mseeber Likes this wine: 92 Points
Paired with ground beef chili with homemade ancho chile seasoning. This wine was a great match, medium weight, good acidity to cut the spice and great fruit that is sun-warmed strawberries, blueberries and just enough from the Syrah (including black pepper and savory notes) to keep it from being too simple. Very long finish and well made.
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12/14/2017 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine:
The review below by WETROCK covers all the bases for me. This is a beautiful and very enjoyable wine that, at least last night, was not offering up much in the way of Syrah or Grenache character or complexity. I do think a couple years of bottle age would do wonders for the wine and coax out the specialness that is probably lurking (much like a very young Lytton Springs). I think applying a score would do it an injustice at this point.
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11/18/2017 - WetRock wrote:
I liked this a solid notch better on night two. Initially it show fairly straight forward yet not very interesting Cali Rhone like qualities. The kind of wine where the fruit is fine and the winemaking solid but maybe the fruit source isn't the best spot for the varieties. I'm not certain this is a great spot for these varieties still but this did show more complexity on night two. There is nice, clean pure fruit here with medium density. It drinks like a wine where care was put into the winemaking without a ton of intervention. I'm not certain this will ever be spectacular but given the trajectory I saw I think this probably still needs some bottle time for it's best expression. The winery waiting this long for release would seem to concur with that assessment. Give it a long decant or leave it be.
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