The wine pours a deep purple with a very slightly translucent rim. Aromas are still very primary even after 6 years. Black cherry, plum, cassis. Vanilla, toasted oak, some vegetal greenness. Some hints of fresh & bright red fruits in the background. Maybe even a slight hint of bubblegum and gummy bears. Tannins are starting to integrate, but still powerful. Full body with medium acid and a long finish. Behind the tannins there is a smooth silky texture with dark fruit, subtle earthiness, vanilla.
Probably needs another 5 years to really hit it's stride but still really tasty right now.
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Gave in to curiosity and popped this probably 5 years too soon, though it is interesting to sample this stage of development. Very tight and saliva sucking wood on day 1, with bright fruit and spice hiding behind. Day 2 reveals a complex earthy bouquet of black fruit and flowers. Black currant, black cherry, tobacco and black pepper dominate the finish, battling with the heavy oak. Lots of potential here.
In agreement with other reviewers, this isn't drinking as smoothly as the Ridge 2014 and 2015 Petite (which I LOVED!!). This vintage shows good potential, great structure, but is very tight on the first night. We let it open for 2 hours, and it's still tight, with not much fruit. Will leave some for tomorrow to see what evolves, but will definitely leave my 2nd club order bottle to age for a few more years.
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Good. This is not a classic Ridge petite sirah. It is light and acidic on opening. It was better the second day, with some bramble notes and little more weight, but still not comparable to most vintages.
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Super tight and tart on opening. This took an hour or two to start showing it's fruit. The nose shows barrel and boysenberry. The palate isn't nearly as fleshy and fat as most vintages. Yet it's substantial. Terrific acidic backbone. Fine generous tannin but also not quite as massive as you would normally expect for a Petite Sirah. It' still firm on the palate but juicy. More even and put together on the second night. Drinks really nicely in a classic sense. This could be quite good in another ten years. Solid now. Decant or open early. Love the old school build on this.
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11/13/2023 - brasstab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Even better than last time. Built for food — in this case epic pizza with purple potatoes and pesto.
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11/16/2022 - Adam V wrote: 90 Points
The wine pours a deep purple with a very slightly translucent rim. Aromas are still very primary even after 6 years. Black cherry, plum, cassis. Vanilla, toasted oak, some vegetal greenness. Some hints of fresh & bright red fruits in the background. Maybe even a slight hint of bubblegum and gummy bears. Tannins are starting to integrate, but still powerful. Full body with medium acid and a long finish. Behind the tannins there is a smooth silky texture with dark fruit, subtle earthiness, vanilla.
Probably needs another 5 years to really hit it's stride but still really tasty right now.
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1/24/2022 - Cmainardi wrote: 88 Points
Solid but not exceptional
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11/30/2021 - lozatron Likes this wine:
Ridge Dinner 29 November - The Young Ones (Hawksmoor Guildhall): Everything's there - great structure, lovely fruit. I will try, try to leave my remaining bottle in storage until at least 2026 however...
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11/15/2021 - drmilkweed Likes this wine: 90 Points
Gave in to curiosity and popped this probably 5 years too soon, though it is interesting to sample this stage of development. Very tight and saliva sucking wood on day 1, with bright fruit and spice hiding behind. Day 2 reveals a complex earthy bouquet of black fruit and flowers. Black currant, black cherry, tobacco and black pepper dominate the finish, battling with the heavy oak. Lots of potential here.
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10/28/2021 - catowne1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good for what it is. Seems one dimensional. Probably just not my style.
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5/20/2021 - rbfleming Likes this wine: 89 Points
Dark red. Leather and tobacco. Chalky aftertaste. Very nice.
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5/10/2021 - ilovewines Likes this wine: 90 Points
In agreement with other reviewers, this isn't drinking as smoothly as the Ridge 2014 and 2015 Petite (which I LOVED!!). This vintage shows good potential, great structure, but is very tight on the first night. We let it open for 2 hours, and it's still tight, with not much fruit. Will leave some for tomorrow to see what evolves, but will definitely leave my 2nd club order bottle to age for a few more years.
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1/9/2021 - clio_wine wrote:
Good. This is not a classic Ridge petite sirah. It is light and acidic on opening. It was better the second day, with some bramble notes and little more weight, but still not comparable to most vintages.
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12/14/2020 - brasstab Likes this wine: 90 Points
Solid. Big and bright, but not too big. Classic Ridge.
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12/1/2020 - WetRock wrote:
Super tight and tart on opening. This took an hour or two to start showing it's fruit. The nose shows barrel and boysenberry. The palate isn't nearly as fleshy and fat as most vintages. Yet it's substantial. Terrific acidic backbone. Fine generous tannin but also not quite as massive as you would normally expect for a Petite Sirah. It' still firm on the palate but juicy. More even and put together on the second night. Drinks really nicely in a classic sense. This could be quite good in another ten years. Solid now. Decant or open early. Love the old school build on this.
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