Opened for 90 minutes. Color is deep garnet. On the nose: Blackberries, mixed red berries, cherry and vanilla. On the palate: Cherry, mixed black and red berries and hint of vanilla. Decent effort.
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Good deep ruby purple color. Nice black fruit (blackberry and spice) and this was pretty consistent across three days of tasting this. The tannins are soft or gone as is much of the acidity. This is a mature wine that seems past peak. Pleasant to drink but lacking complexity. An item worth debate...again...is it better to drink Zinfandels, even complex higher end blends like this, early in their life?
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Many others have described this wine well. It is on the lighter side of zinfandels and that was enjoyable. It was nuanced as opposed to slapping you in the face with jammy fruit and alcohol. A good wine? Yep! An excellent wine? Possibly. An outstanding wine? Not really. But at the $38 I paid for it, it is (was) a good value!
Enjoyed with 3-2-1 pork ribs smoked on a Traeger, grilled corn, grilled zucchini with red pepper sauce, Ina Garten's skillet cornbread, a big green salad loaded with goodies, truffled deviled eggs (inspired by the ones we enjoyed at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville) and some other wonderful wines including a 2017 Bedrock Evangelho and a 2012 Alta Colina "Toasted Slope" syrah which was my WOTN.
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W sausage, mashed potatoes and grapes dish. Perfect combo. Nice medium weight wine with good nose, fruit and length. Good fresh Zin that needed the 5 yrs of cellar time to round out ( my general pagani experience). Solid wine that people will like.
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Pale to medium ruby. A very buoyant, estival and lifted style from Ridge, this offers aromas of just ripe blackberries, red cherries, spring flowers, fresh tobacco, grapefruit and American oak. Medium to full bodied on the palate with silky tannins, medium but surprisingly zippy acidity, and bright red berry, citrus perfume and American oak notes. Even at 14.8%, this is downright gulpable.
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Lots of cedar on the nose, with dusty black and red fruit. Structured and dry on the palate, with lean fruit (for a Zin). This feels like the Bordeaux drinker's zin...and that is not a bad thing!
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Agree with others - this was enjoyable, but not as good as other vintages of Pagani or some others from Ridge. Opened, aerated and filtered, sat for about 20 min them drank over the next 2 hours. Dark and brambly fruits but a little restrained, some vanilla, pepper, good acidity. Enjoyable for sure, but not my favorite vintage.
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Medium intensity aromas of blackberry, raspberry, licorice, and black tea. Dry, med/high acidity, medium tannin, medium alcohol, and medium bodied with medium intensity flavors of black tea, blackberry, pepper, licorice, and a “delayed” menthol note. Medium-long finish. Should go well with our sausage and red pepper pasta dish. Drinking well now.
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Purple in color. 14.8% ABV. 88% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah and 3% Alicante Bouschet. Sublime nose of red and black fruits, licorice and pepper. Medium to full bodied with mouth watering acidity. Incredibly lush and bursting with bright fruits. Blackberry, raspberry compote, cocoa and pepper on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long and smooth. Fantastic Zinfandel that should drink well for years to come. Pagani Ranch now rivals Lytton Springs and Geyserville in the Ridge Zinfandel program. Best over the next 3-5 years.
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Bright cherry fruit flavor with a touch of oak and moderate acidity throughout. Moderate tannins. Slightly preferred the 2014 Boatman which we tasted alongside.
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An excellent Zinfandel producer. They make several different Zins and I recently joined their Zin club. Luscious dark fruits of blackberry, black cherry, and plum and coffee. Touch of vanilla. Smooth and great finish.
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Deep ruby in color this wine was decanted 30 min and then drank over the next 3 hrs. Fruit forward almost oozing so offset by acidity oak and dusty tannin. Notes found throughout are of black raspberry, blackberry, plum,Vanilla, leather, dusty stone, and baking spices. Very sweet on the palate but this is balanced by the oak on the nose and the minerality on the swallow being that the stone dust almost washes the palate before a finish that builds. Drink- 2025.
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This Zinfandel is exquisite and one of the best Zins I've had. If you think you don't like Zin try this one. At one point I thought I was drinking an Argentinan Malbec, then it was a Cab Franc. Luscious fruits, smooth, velvety tannins, no strong spiciness. 14.8% abv works for this wine. 88% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah, 3% Alicante Bouschet. A 93 point Robert Parker rating.
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I may be in the minority but I found this to be overly manipulated and disappointing. It starts nicely with has some very great notes of dark berries and a little cinnamon on the nose. But then in the mouth... the oak and high alcohol over-power. It's certainly not the oakiest wine ever, but there's enough to diminish what I suspect would otherwise be a lovely nuanced wine To me there's no reason to do site specific bottling just to mask the terroir with no oak. Sad.
Winebar [1 Rosé, 3 Whites, 8 Reds, & 7 *shared* bottles] from 01/24/20 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 88% Zin, 9% P.S., & 3% Alicante Bousche from a vyd "on the W side of Sonoma Valley, the majority of which was planted 90-120 years ago, portions of it being replanted between 2013—2018;" Harvested 9/21-26 @ 25.1˚ Brix ave; "Grapes destemmed & crushed; Natural primary & secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap & pressed @ 9 days; Aged 12 mos in 100% air-dried AM oak barrels (15% new, 30% 1 & 2 yrs old, and 55% 3, 4, & 5 yrs old);" 3,250 cases made.
N: RIPE, poss jammy, berries with pyrazines beneath
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by a bit of astringent pucker which pretty much resolves by the LONG, balanced finish with a TANGY/swtness to the very, VERY fine tannins. Nicely done for now with food, & should safely drink through '23 without problem. 14.8% ABV; My EXC-/EXC. 94 pts ea Vinous (Galloni) & Palate Press ("Highly Recommended"), 93 ea Dunnuck, Suckling, & WA (Kelley), 91 ea Connoissers’ Guide, WS, & CA Grapevine ("Highly Recommended"), and 90 The Fine Wine Review! [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]
Note: Also tasted on 5/25, 10/12, & 10/15/19.
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Nose of black fruit, some leather, and cold butter. On the palate, relatively high acidity, grape stem, dark fruits, spices, and apple! The wine is not overly sweet. Fine tannins. Long with a slightly dry finish and notable tannins.
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88% Zin, 9% P.S., & 3% Alicante Bousche from a vyd "on the W side of Sonoma Valley, the majority of which was planted 90-120 years ago, portions of it being replanted between 2013—2018;" Harvested 9/21-26 @ 25.1˚ Brix ave; "Grapes destemmed & crushed; Natural primary & secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap & pressed @ 9 days; Aged 12 mos in 100% air-dried AM oak barrels (15% new, 30% 1 & 2 yrs old, and 55% 3, 4, & 5 yrs old);" 3,250 cases made.
N: Init vanilla with RIPE berries (blks, poss boys) pushing their way through
P: Med (*poss* LM) body; NICE, ALMOST swtish, mildly berryish frt met by a BIT of astringent pucker which works itself into a LONG, very slightly bitterish finish with a tangy/swtness to the firming tannins. With addt'l time in the glass the BALANCE started to show itself, as well as added length. While this was fine with a Chili Burger, I thought it showed particularly well alongside "Jo’s Meatloaf (wrapped with applewood smoked bacon)", poss 'cuz of the bacon &/or what both my sis & I thought was a HINT of BBQ sauce in the meatloaf? My EXC-/EXC; 94 pts ea Vinous (Galloni) & Palate Press ("Highly Recommended"), 93 ea Dunnuck, Suckling, & WA (Kelley), 91 ea Connoissers’ Guide, WS, & CA Grapevine ("Highly Recommended"), and 90 The Fine Wine Review!
∑: This showed well with tonight’s entrees™, though not QUITE as much so as I might have hoped based upon my TNs of 5/25 & 10/12/19. ™[My relatives, however, were PARTICULARLY pleased. :) ]
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Winebar [1 Rosé, 3 Whites, 8 Reds, & 7 *shared* bottles] from 10/11/19 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 88% Zin, 9% P.S., & 3% Alicante Bousche from a vyd "on the W side of Sonoma Valley, the majority of which was planted 90-120 years ago, portions of it being replanted between 2013—2018;" Harvested 9/21-26 @ 25.1˚ Brix ave; "Grapes destemmed & crushed; Natural primary & secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap & pressed @ 9 days; Aged 12 mos in 100% air-dried AM oak barrels (15% new, 30% 1 & 2 yrs old, and 55% 3, 4, & 5 yrs old);" 3,250 cases made.
P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which pretty much resolves by the LONG, BALANCED finish with a tangy/swtness to the unoffensive, yet firming, dusty tannins. LOVELY stuff drinking VERY nicely right now, but should hold into '23, I suspect. 14.8% ABV; My EXC/EXC+. 94 pts ea Vinous (Galloni) & Palate Press ("Highly Recommended"), 93 ea Dunnuck, Suckling, & WA (Kelley), 91 ea Connoissers’ Guide, WS, & CA Grapevine ("Highly Recommended"), and 90 The Fine Wine Review! [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]
Note: Today this had significantly > air than when I tasted it on 5/25/19.
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Delicious and fruit led zin with spicy typicity and soft warm vanilla wood tones. A nice reminder you really can’t have too much ridge in the cellar for that 5-8 year window
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Nice red fruit up front, but it's not jammy or syrupy. Acid tartness may be over the top for some, but it is right in my wheelhouse. In previous tastings, I thought this wine was tannic, but I am not getting that, at all, tonight. Obviously, I will have to go out and buy some more to continue the research--the advantage of drinking early.
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Deep purple in the glass with a nose of bright cherry, oak, cigar, and leather.
On the palate the wine is deep and brooding yet with a freshness and elegance and energy. There’s a core here made up of dark cherry, oak, cocoa, leather, and herbs. It approaches “sweet” but doesn’t quite get there, and that’s as it should be. The finish brings some minerality and heat from the 14.8 percent ABV.
Impeccably balanced, elegant, and delicious.
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Deep dark garnet in color; almost opaque. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & plummy with overtones of briary notes, pepper, spices, herbs, minerals & some vanilla in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & still youthful textured, jammy, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries and blueberries with spices, herbs, minerals, some cocoa & a hint of vanilla. Long lingering finish with a slight touch of heat. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing but has the fruit and structure to continue development with several additional more years of necessary aging. A indicative blend of 88% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah & 3% Alicante Bouschet.
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Zinfandels (6) + 1 shared Zin (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 88% Zin, 9% P.S., & 3% Alicante Bousche from a vyd "on the W side of Sonoma Valley, the majority of which was planted 90-120 years ago, portions of it being replanted between 2013—2018;" Harvested 9/21-26 @ 25.1˚ Brix ave; "Grapes destemmed & crushed; Natural primary & secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap & pressed @ 9 days; Aged 12 mos in 100% air-dried AM oak barrels (15% new, 30% 1 & 2 yrs old, and 55% 3, 4, & 5 yrs old);" 3,250 cases made.
N: Closed; Ripe berries, poss with flowers & notes of spice? (Tough to parse.) Intensity luring?
P: LM body; NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays withing hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlessly morphs into a LONG finish with a potential elegance to the dusty tannins. For me a VERY *impressive* vintage of this bottling which I've found over the top the 6x I've tasted the '13, '14, & '15. NEEDS through '21, then approaching its 10th. 14.8% ABV; My EXC/EXC+. 94 pts ea Vinous (Galloni) & Palate Press ("Highly Recommended"), 93 ea Dunnuck, Suckling, & WA (Kelley), 91 ea Connoissers’ Guide, WS, & CA Grapevine ("Highly Recommended"), and 90 The Fine Wine Review! [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]
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Great Ridge Zinfandel deliciousness, accentuated by a dollop of Petite Sirah, which provides a nice tannic backbone. Macerated blueberry and raspberry on the nose and palate, with mouthwatering acidity. Excellent pairing with brisket tacos. Very enjoyable now, but as noted on the back label, expect further development over the next 6-8 years.
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14.8% alc...9% PS, 3% Alicante Bouschet...decanted for an hour...intense deep ruby, purple at rim...far more primary on the nose than I expected, even at this young age, sweet red fruit, vanilla, blueberry butter, some earth - almost a mushroom like note - even with all that this is VERY primary at this point...on the palate the wine is deep and long, medium weight, medium tannin, long one dimensional finish of spicy fruit. This wine needs time to come together...it’s not unpleasant, rather simple.
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Clear deep garnet with no rim browning. Black cherry, toasted oak, white pepper. Medium to low acids, medium to low tannins. Clove. Short balanced finish. Tasting Event.
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1/31/2024 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 89 Points
Opened for 90 minutes. Color is deep garnet. On the nose: Blackberries, mixed red berries, cherry and vanilla. On the palate: Cherry, mixed black and red berries and hint of vanilla. Decent effort.
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11/8/2023 - DH90 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Good deep ruby purple color. Nice black fruit (blackberry and spice) and this was pretty consistent across three days of tasting this. The tannins are soft or gone as is much of the acidity. This is a mature wine that seems past peak. Pleasant to drink but lacking complexity. An item worth debate...again...is it better to drink Zinfandels, even complex higher end blends like this, early in their life?
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5/27/2023 - JERB Likes this wine: 91 Points
Many others have described this wine well. It is on the lighter side of zinfandels and that was enjoyable. It was nuanced as opposed to slapping you in the face with jammy fruit and alcohol. A good wine? Yep! An excellent wine? Possibly. An outstanding wine? Not really. But at the $38 I paid for it, it is (was) a good value!
Enjoyed with 3-2-1 pork ribs smoked on a Traeger, grilled corn, grilled zucchini with red pepper sauce, Ina Garten's skillet cornbread, a big green salad loaded with goodies, truffled deviled eggs (inspired by the ones we enjoyed at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville) and some other wonderful wines including a 2017 Bedrock Evangelho and a 2012 Alta Colina "Toasted Slope" syrah which was my WOTN.
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2/17/2023 - Plasmatini wrote: 92 Points
We drank this but marked off a Blasi by mistake.
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12/6/2022 - MichielV wrote: 90 Points
W sausage, mashed potatoes and grapes dish. Perfect combo.
Nice medium weight wine with good nose, fruit and length. Good fresh Zin that needed the 5 yrs of cellar time to round out ( my general pagani experience). Solid wine that people will like.
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11/3/2022 - wino_tim wrote: 90 Points
Pale to medium ruby. A very buoyant, estival and lifted style from Ridge, this offers aromas of just ripe blackberries, red cherries, spring flowers, fresh tobacco, grapefruit and American oak. Medium to full bodied on the palate with silky tannins, medium but surprisingly zippy acidity, and bright red berry, citrus perfume and American oak notes. Even at 14.8%, this is downright gulpable.
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9/10/2022 - JCGuthrie wrote: 91 Points
Lots of cedar on the nose, with dusty black and red fruit. Structured and dry on the palate, with lean fruit (for a Zin). This feels like the Bordeaux drinker's zin...and that is not a bad thing!
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8/5/2022 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Enjoyed. Pleasant, harmonious wine. A little lighter than the typical teeth staining zin.
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7/14/2022 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really good year, very nice wine.
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5/3/2022 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good but not great per Ridge standards.
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5/1/2022 - mdkraft99 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Agree with others - this was enjoyable, but not as good as other vintages of Pagani or some others from Ridge. Opened, aerated and filtered, sat for about 20 min them drank over the next 2 hours. Dark and brambly fruits but a little restrained, some vanilla, pepper, good acidity. Enjoyable for sure, but not my favorite vintage.
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4/30/2022 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very solid and enjoyable, but not a spectacular wine.
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4/6/2022 - RoccoSydney wrote: 89 Points
Fruity, not too dense.
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3/15/2022 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Delicious. Drinking well. Full-bodied, purple fruit, good finish.
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2/6/2022 - wiscgrad wrote: 90 Points
Quite peppery. Tons of acid. Drinks young
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1/7/2022 - wdlohr wrote: 88 Points
Dark body, pudding, tight acidity, blackberry fruit, brambles. Somewhat difficult to approach.
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10/14/2021 - Maphill01 wrote:
No formal notes. Blackberry and cherry, vanilla accent. I enjoyed the restrained style of this.
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10/14/2021 - cubswinws wrote: 90 Points
Expressive nose but somewhat muted with brambles and some heat in the finish. I hope a year or two more in the cellar will be kind to this.
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10/13/2021 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Solid, can drink somewhat mindlessly and enjoy.
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10/3/2021 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Usually a fan but this was almost average for a Ridge.
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8/7/2021 - LEEJV123 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium body, round, fruity, balanced.
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7/11/2021 - rougeamore Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium intensity aromas of blackberry, raspberry, licorice, and black tea. Dry, med/high acidity, medium tannin, medium alcohol, and medium bodied with medium intensity flavors of black tea, blackberry, pepper, licorice, and a “delayed” menthol note. Medium-long finish. Should go well with our sausage and red pepper pasta dish. Drinking well now.
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7/7/2021 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking well, can go for a few more years. Beautiful fruit, smooth for a zin.
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4/13/2021 - tomlee wrote: 93 Points
Purple in color. 14.8% ABV. 88% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah and 3% Alicante Bouschet. Sublime nose of red and black fruits, licorice and pepper. Medium to full bodied with mouth watering acidity. Incredibly lush and bursting with bright fruits. Blackberry, raspberry compote, cocoa and pepper on the palate. The finish is exceptionally long and smooth. Fantastic Zinfandel that should drink well for years to come. Pagani Ranch now rivals Lytton Springs and Geyserville in the Ridge Zinfandel program. Best over the next 3-5 years.
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4/11/2021 - Raja Likes this wine: 84 Points
Disappointing. Must be a bad bottle
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3/3/2021 - Alex Brogan wrote: 92 Points
A real zippy Zin. The fruit is full of teeny tiny red berries. The finish is full of acidity too.
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2/1/2021 - ralaspech wrote: 90 Points
Bright cherry fruit flavor with a touch of oak and moderate acidity throughout. Moderate tannins. Slightly preferred the 2014 Boatman which we tasted alongside.
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6/17/2020 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 91 Points
An excellent Zinfandel producer. They make several different Zins and I recently joined their Zin club. Luscious dark fruits of blackberry, black cherry, and plum and coffee. Touch of vanilla. Smooth and great finish.
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5/28/2020 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great zin blend as always. Likely better in a year or two.
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4/14/2020 - CA Wines wrote: 93 Points
This is a good one.
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3/29/2020 - Chris Keller wrote: 91 Points
Deep ruby in color this wine was decanted 30 min and then drank over the next 3 hrs. Fruit forward almost oozing so offset by acidity oak and dusty tannin. Notes found throughout are of black raspberry, blackberry, plum,Vanilla, leather, dusty stone, and baking spices. Very sweet on the palate but this is balanced by the oak on the nose and the minerality on the swallow being that the stone dust almost washes the palate before a finish that builds. Drink- 2025.
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3/19/2020 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 92 Points
This Zinfandel is exquisite and one of the best Zins I've had. If you think you don't like Zin try this one. At one point I thought I was drinking an Argentinan Malbec, then it was a Cab Franc. Luscious fruits, smooth, velvety tannins, no strong spiciness. 14.8% abv works for this wine. 88% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah, 3% Alicante Bouschet. A 93 point Robert Parker rating.
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2/27/2020 - Rivas Jakara Does not like this wine: 82 Points
I may be in the minority but I found this to be overly manipulated and disappointing. It starts nicely with has some very great notes of dark berries and a little cinnamon on the nose. But then in the mouth... the oak and high alcohol over-power. It's certainly not the oakiest wine ever, but there's enough to diminish what I suspect would otherwise be a lovely nuanced wine To me there's no reason to do site specific bottling just to mask the terroir with no oak. Sad.
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1/25/2020 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [1 Rosé, 3 Whites, 8 Reds, & 7 *shared* bottles] from 01/24/20 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 88% Zin, 9% P.S., & 3% Alicante Bousche from a vyd "on the W side of Sonoma Valley, the majority of which was planted 90-120 years ago, portions of it being replanted between 2013—2018;" Harvested 9/21-26 @ 25.1˚ Brix ave; "Grapes destemmed & crushed; Natural primary & secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap & pressed @ 9 days; Aged 12 mos in 100% air-dried AM oak barrels (15% new, 30% 1 & 2 yrs old, and 55% 3, 4, & 5 yrs old);" 3,250 cases made.
N: RIPE, poss jammy, berries with pyrazines beneath
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by a bit of astringent pucker which pretty much resolves by the LONG, balanced finish with a TANGY/swtness to the very, VERY fine tannins. Nicely done for now with food, & should safely drink through '23 without problem. 14.8% ABV; My EXC-/EXC. 94 pts ea Vinous (Galloni) & Palate Press ("Highly Recommended"), 93 ea Dunnuck, Suckling, & WA (Kelley), 91 ea Connoissers’ Guide, WS, & CA Grapevine ("Highly Recommended"), and 90 The Fine Wine Review! [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]
Note: Also tasted on 5/25, 10/12, & 10/15/19.
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1/5/2020 - Torchy wrote: 89 Points
Nose of black fruit, some leather, and cold butter. On the palate, relatively high acidity, grape stem, dark fruits, spices, and apple! The wine is not overly sweet. Fine tannins. Long with a slightly dry finish and notable tannins.
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12/25/2019 - Scotch Guy wrote:
Christmas Day 2019
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10/14/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Dinner @ Jo’s Diner (San Diego, CA) (Mission Hills, San Diego, CA): 30 min decant [NO sediment] to a plastic, cylindrical pitcher, which was then closed; Returned to bottle, where it spent another 30 min (cork inserted) before being tasted @ the restaurant.
88% Zin, 9% P.S., & 3% Alicante Bousche from a vyd "on the W side of Sonoma Valley, the majority of which was planted 90-120 years ago, portions of it being replanted between 2013—2018;" Harvested 9/21-26 @ 25.1˚ Brix ave; "Grapes destemmed & crushed; Natural primary & secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap & pressed @ 9 days; Aged 12 mos in 100% air-dried AM oak barrels (15% new, 30% 1 & 2 yrs old, and 55% 3, 4, & 5 yrs old);" 3,250 cases made.
N: Init vanilla with RIPE berries (blks, poss boys) pushing their way through
P: Med (*poss* LM) body; NICE, ALMOST swtish, mildly berryish frt met by a BIT of astringent pucker which works itself into a LONG, very slightly bitterish finish with a tangy/swtness to the firming tannins. With addt'l time in the glass the BALANCE started to show itself, as well as added length. While this was fine with a Chili Burger, I thought it showed particularly well alongside "Jo’s Meatloaf (wrapped with applewood smoked bacon)", poss 'cuz of the bacon &/or what both my sis & I thought was a HINT of BBQ sauce in the meatloaf? My EXC-/EXC; 94 pts ea Vinous (Galloni) & Palate Press ("Highly Recommended"), 93 ea Dunnuck, Suckling, & WA (Kelley), 91 ea Connoissers’ Guide, WS, & CA Grapevine ("Highly Recommended"), and 90 The Fine Wine Review!
∑: This showed well with tonight’s entrees™, though not QUITE as much so as I might have hoped based upon my TNs of 5/25 & 10/12/19. ™[My relatives, however, were PARTICULARLY pleased. :) ]
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10/12/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [1 Rosé, 3 Whites, 8 Reds, & 7 *shared* bottles] from 10/11/19 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 88% Zin, 9% P.S., & 3% Alicante Bousche from a vyd "on the W side of Sonoma Valley, the majority of which was planted 90-120 years ago, portions of it being replanted between 2013—2018;" Harvested 9/21-26 @ 25.1˚ Brix ave; "Grapes destemmed & crushed; Natural primary & secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap & pressed @ 9 days; Aged 12 mos in 100% air-dried AM oak barrels (15% new, 30% 1 & 2 yrs old, and 55% 3, 4, & 5 yrs old);" 3,250 cases made.
N: RIPE blkberries, poss plums? Intensity lurking?
P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which pretty much resolves by the LONG, BALANCED finish with a tangy/swtness to the unoffensive, yet firming, dusty tannins. LOVELY stuff drinking VERY nicely right now, but should hold into '23, I suspect. 14.8% ABV; My EXC/EXC+. 94 pts ea Vinous (Galloni) & Palate Press ("Highly Recommended"), 93 ea Dunnuck, Suckling, & WA (Kelley), 91 ea Connoissers’ Guide, WS, & CA Grapevine ("Highly Recommended"), and 90 The Fine Wine Review! [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]
Note: Today this had significantly > air than when I tasted it on 5/25/19.
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10/2/2019 - HEBRO 10 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Balanced
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8/23/2019 - jps3@columbia.edu Likes this wine: 90 Points
Agree with JVIZ - delicious Zin. Buying more.
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8/17/2019 - jviz wrote: 91 Points
Delicious and fruit led zin with spicy typicity and soft warm vanilla wood tones. A nice reminder you really can’t have too much ridge in the cellar for that 5-8 year window
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7/31/2019 - poppacork Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine was tight and dark on day one, but opened up nicely on day two to reveal juicy red fruit and beautiful perfume.
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6/12/2019 - EMark Likes this wine:
Nice red fruit up front, but it's not jammy or syrupy. Acid tartness may be over the top for some, but it is right in my wheelhouse. In previous tastings, I thought this wine was tannic, but I am not getting that, at all, tonight. Obviously, I will have to go out and buy some more to continue the research--the advantage of drinking early.
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6/2/2019 - Ortiz Brown Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep purple in the glass with a nose of bright cherry, oak, cigar, and leather.
On the palate the wine is deep and brooding yet with a freshness and elegance and energy. There’s a core here made up of dark cherry, oak, cocoa, leather, and herbs. It approaches “sweet” but doesn’t quite get there, and that’s as it should be. The finish brings some minerality and heat from the 14.8 percent ABV.
Impeccably balanced, elegant, and delicious.
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5/28/2019 - tantotinto wrote: 91 Points
Blueberry, ripe cherry, red licorice and spice. Smooth, full and rich. Excellent tonight with grilled burgers.
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5/27/2019 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep dark garnet in color; almost opaque. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & plummy with overtones of briary notes, pepper, spices, herbs, minerals & some vanilla in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & still youthful textured, jammy, ripe fruit flavors of dark cherries, blackberries and blueberries with spices, herbs, minerals, some cocoa & a hint of vanilla. Long lingering finish with a slight touch of heat. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing but has the fruit and structure to continue development with several additional more years of necessary aging. A indicative blend of 88% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah & 3% Alicante Bouschet.
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5/25/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Zinfandels (6) + 1 shared Zin (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): 88% Zin, 9% P.S., & 3% Alicante Bousche from a vyd "on the W side of Sonoma Valley, the majority of which was planted 90-120 years ago, portions of it being replanted between 2013—2018;" Harvested 9/21-26 @ 25.1˚ Brix ave; "Grapes destemmed & crushed; Natural primary & secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pumped over a floating cap & pressed @ 9 days; Aged 12 mos in 100% air-dried AM oak barrels (15% new, 30% 1 & 2 yrs old, and 55% 3, 4, & 5 yrs old);" 3,250 cases made.
N: Closed; Ripe berries, poss with flowers & notes of spice? (Tough to parse.) Intensity luring?
P: LM body; NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays withing hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlessly morphs into a LONG finish with a potential elegance to the dusty tannins. For me a VERY *impressive* vintage of this bottling which I've found over the top the 6x I've tasted the '13, '14, & '15. NEEDS through '21, then approaching its 10th. 14.8% ABV; My EXC/EXC+. 94 pts ea Vinous (Galloni) & Palate Press ("Highly Recommended"), 93 ea Dunnuck, Suckling, & WA (Kelley), 91 ea Connoissers’ Guide, WS, & CA Grapevine ("Highly Recommended"), and 90 The Fine Wine Review! [Check with this vendor if interested in their very COMPETITIVE price.]
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5/12/2019 - MRichman wrote:
Full, round fruit. Soft with bright acid. Not a long term ager. Good but a bit funky. Yogurt? Mushroom, forest floor.
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3/1/2019 - Renzloh Likes this wine: 92 Points
One of our favorite zinfandels. Should even improve over time. Very smooth.
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1/14/2019 - tak4 wrote: 88 Points
Bay Area Wine Tour; 1/11/2019-1/15/2019 (Bay Area, CA): Touch of GMs on the palate, so NR from N. Layered fruit, anise. Some pyrazine lingers on the palate, with decent tannin. N doesn't like, T doesn't mind.
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12/8/2018 - vacpl Likes this wine: 91 Points
Solid zin
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12/5/2018 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gorgeous high-toned aromatics on this one. Enjoyable already but would benefit from a year or two in the bottle to soften the sinewy tannin somewhat.
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11/11/2018 - markydecker Likes this wine: 90 Points
Great Ridge Zinfandel deliciousness, accentuated by a dollop of Petite Sirah, which provides a nice tannic backbone. Macerated blueberry and raspberry on the nose and palate, with mouthwatering acidity. Excellent pairing with brisket tacos. Very enjoyable now, but as noted on the back label, expect further development over the next 6-8 years.
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10/26/2018 - CO CHRIS wrote:
14.8% alc...9% PS, 3% Alicante Bouschet...decanted for an hour...intense deep ruby, purple at rim...far more primary on the nose than I expected, even at this young age, sweet red fruit, vanilla, blueberry butter, some earth - almost a mushroom like note - even with all that this is VERY primary at this point...on the palate the wine is deep and long, medium weight, medium tannin, long one dimensional finish of spicy fruit. This wine needs time to come together...it’s not unpleasant, rather simple.
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9/19/2018 - Frijole wrote:
dark plum red, medium clarity, burgundy hue
Nose: plum, raspberries, wet earth, chocolate, pencil lead, silver, tar, tobacco, herbs, minerals, dust, oak
Pal: rasperries, plum, chocolate, wet earth, pencil lead, silver, tar, tobacco, minerals, herbs, green pepper, dust, oak
Feel: medium, savory, acidic
Finish: medium
T8
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9/8/2018 - CJM wrote: 89 Points
Clear deep garnet with no rim browning. Black cherry, toasted oak, white pepper. Medium to low acids, medium to low tannins. Clove. Short balanced finish. Tasting Event.
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