Why are all of my scores 90 or above? I am hoping it is the quality of wine we are consuming (along with some quantity). The note here is easy...can you say RIDGE?, I knew you could. The spice and pepper with slight smoke aromas already made me happy with this bottle. Add to the flavors of the same and you get an excellent zinfandel wine. I have had others, but Ridge is my "go to" zin wine.
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Opened for 1 hour. Color medium garnet with some age showing on rim. On the nose: Pepper, blackberries and plums. On the palate: Lots of pepper and spice, cola, blackberries and mixed red berries. I like the cola taste coming through. I would drink it now as fruit beginning to become subdued.
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This has gone a bit nowhere in the last couple years. It fine but only that. The oak still shows a bit strongly and the fruit hasn't unfolded to combat it or dance with it. Solid balance but not much in the complexity or expression departments.
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From the Ridge ATP program. Shows the trademark Ridge oak, but a bit restrained. Tasted pop and pour and there’s nice ripe dark fruit with a bit of sour cherry. Can really feel the little depth and texture from the Petite sirah inclusion. Any edge backs off around the 1.5 hour mark. Good to drink now.
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Popped and poured for a casual sipper around a fire pit, looking for a big red. This definitely delivered some good berry fruit and oak (American?) that was very much in balance. I found it to be very round and soft on the palate, so with the structure as it is now, I think this wine may be at it's best now.
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This is my last of three bottles. In the first (July 2019), the oak hadn't yet fully integrated. In the second (February 2020), it was drinking really nicely. This bottle is massively bretty. A hint of brett in Ridge wines is not that uncommon, but in my experience it's rare to have a Ridge wine that is totally consumed by the brett. This is I believe my second experience of this sort that I've had with their wines, of maybe 50-70 bottles. Not so bad, and fine for some palates, but just too much for me tonight.
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Popped and poured. Dark crimson color. Mixture of cherry pie and cough syrup on the nose. Definitely get some vanilla and sweet baking spices from the oak. Similar flavors on the palate with ripe black cherry fruit, sweet vanilla oak and a bit of a cherry cough syrup flavor on the finish. Definitely ripe with a slightly syrupy mouthfeel but not overly hot or alcohol. Medium acid. Overall a solid, enjoyable fruit driven zin but nothing special.
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Much improved over the last time I had this eight months ago. Still a lot of oak but it is better integrated and has some nice savory herbal notes to balance out the vanillic sweetness. This is also much better suited to winter than summer, and better with a hearty meal than by itself. I'd say this has just entered its drinking window, with the primary zin fruit still singing and bright but good fruit-oak-tannin-acid balance and a savory warmth to it. Should be really good for another 3-5 years. In many ways this drinks like Rioja, with a lifted nose and bundles of juicy fruit in a warm sweet-oak package. Very nice.
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Drinking well. Red fruit but not too much as there is with some of the other California zins. Some sage and a bit of vanilla on a pleasant finish. Light tannins make it quite quaffable.
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Complex and interesting nose, red fruit, spice, cola, and barnyard -- with a subtle floral lift in my opinion. Big wine, but with great acid that keeps everything in check. Long finish. I feel it had a lot of integration, a lot going on without anything coming too far above the surface.
This wine was one of the more interesting wines I felt I tasted this day. Very good.
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My immediate impression on both the nose and palate was "too much oak". Indeed, Carmichael gets more new oak than others in Ridge's lineup to complement the rich fruit. Which I'm sure is lovely for many tastes but too vanillic and sweet for mine, especially on a hot summer's day. 14.2%, $30.
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Very primary right now. Flashy forward fruit but not overdone. Dark in character and a bit complex. Light tannin. This shows pretty well. It's ready to go but if you want a more complex and subtle expression you'll want to leave this be a couple years. This should have a medium term drinking window given the depth of fruit and overall build. This is one of the good ones.
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Very enjoyable. Balanced, dark and complex. Will soften over the next few years, although it drinks well now. Ripe raspberry more than dark cherry. Warm spice notes.
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3/15/2024 - casjf Likes this wine: 89 Points
A little unbalanced. Lots of black pepper, blackberry, clove and dark plum.
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12/24/2023 - Mortgage92 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still stand by my previous score and notes
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4/15/2023 - Mortgage92 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Why are all of my scores 90 or above? I am hoping it is the quality of wine we are consuming (along with some quantity). The note here is easy...can you say RIDGE?, I knew you could. The spice and pepper with slight smoke aromas already made me happy with this bottle. Add to the flavors of the same and you get an excellent zinfandel wine. I have had others, but Ridge is my "go to" zin wine.
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4/11/2023 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened for 1 hour. Color medium garnet with some age showing on rim. On the nose: Pepper, blackberries and plums. On the palate: Lots of pepper and spice, cola, blackberries and mixed red berries. I like the cola taste coming through. I would drink it now as fruit beginning to become subdued.
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3/15/2023 - RosslandDave wrote:
With nicolas match 15
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9/6/2022 - snsharma Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not much fruit left. Strong oak on the palate. Good not great balance. Went well with grilled pizza.
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5/13/2022 - rbfleming Likes this wine: 88 Points
Thin, acidic. Drinkable but not great
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3/27/2022 - WetRock wrote:
This has gone a bit nowhere in the last couple years. It fine but only that. The oak still shows a bit strongly and the fruit hasn't unfolded to combat it or dance with it. Solid balance but not much in the complexity or expression departments.
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1/3/2022 - aaronmphoto Likes this wine: 88 Points
We enjoyed this. It’s been a while since we drank it so I don’t have the details but we felt like it could use a little more aging
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10/24/2021 - rbfleming Likes this wine: 89 Points
Cherries and acidity.
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10/3/2021 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Don't really remember that well from about a week ago. Damning with faint praise?
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9/22/2021 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Complex, full bodied, drinking well.
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9/16/2021 - adnorthup wrote:
From the Ridge ATP program. Shows the trademark Ridge oak, but a bit restrained. Tasted pop and pour and there’s nice ripe dark fruit with a bit of sour cherry. Can really feel the little depth and texture from the Petite sirah inclusion. Any edge backs off around the 1.5 hour mark. Good to drink now.
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6/10/2021 - wirelesswine wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured for a casual sipper around a fire pit, looking for a big red. This definitely delivered some good berry fruit and oak (American?) that was very much in balance. I found it to be very round and soft on the palate, so with the structure as it is now, I think this wine may be at it's best now.
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1/6/2021 - Benj wrote: flawed
This is my last of three bottles. In the first (July 2019), the oak hadn't yet fully integrated. In the second (February 2020), it was drinking really nicely. This bottle is massively bretty. A hint of brett in Ridge wines is not that uncommon, but in my experience it's rare to have a Ridge wine that is totally consumed by the brett. This is I believe my second experience of this sort that I've had with their wines, of maybe 50-70 bottles. Not so bad, and fine for some palates, but just too much for me tonight.
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12/4/2020 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drinking nicely, smooth and enjoyable.
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10/28/2020 - Rich S wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured. Dark crimson color. Mixture of cherry pie and cough syrup on the nose. Definitely get some vanilla and sweet baking spices from the oak. Similar flavors on the palate with ripe black cherry fruit, sweet vanilla oak and a bit of a cherry cough syrup flavor on the finish. Definitely ripe with a slightly syrupy mouthfeel but not overly hot or alcohol. Medium acid. Overall a solid, enjoyable fruit driven zin but nothing special.
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10/12/2020 - soumamae wrote: 90 Points
Much better after 1h air
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8/22/2020 - CJB20136 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pepper forward, plumb, cherry, tobacco
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2/14/2020 - Benj wrote: 90 Points
Much improved over the last time I had this eight months ago. Still a lot of oak but it is better integrated and has some nice savory herbal notes to balance out the vanillic sweetness. This is also much better suited to winter than summer, and better with a hearty meal than by itself. I'd say this has just entered its drinking window, with the primary zin fruit still singing and bright but good fruit-oak-tannin-acid balance and a savory warmth to it. Should be really good for another 3-5 years. In many ways this drinks like Rioja, with a lifted nose and bundles of juicy fruit in a warm sweet-oak package. Very nice.
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1/8/2020 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Moderately deep scarlet ruby
Bright bitter black cherry flavors
Light cherry finish.
Great lift keeps this fresh and light feeling
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10/24/2019 - DrBad Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drank over several nights with little change. Very decent wine. Red cherry aromas. Medium body. Red fruits without being sweet. Smooth, easy drinking.
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10/11/2019 - azscot wrote: 90 Points
Drinking well. Red fruit but not too much as there is with some of the other California zins. Some sage and a bit of vanilla on a pleasant finish. Light tannins make it quite quaffable.
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7/14/2019 - OaktownRush Likes this wine: 93 Points
Complex and interesting nose, red fruit, spice, cola, and barnyard -- with a subtle floral lift in my opinion. Big wine, but with great acid that keeps everything in check. Long finish. I feel it had a lot of integration, a lot going on without anything coming too far above the surface.
This wine was one of the more interesting wines I felt I tasted this day. Very good.
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7/6/2019 - Benj wrote: 88 Points
My immediate impression on both the nose and palate was "too much oak". Indeed, Carmichael gets more new oak than others in Ridge's lineup to complement the rich fruit. Which I'm sure is lovely for many tastes but too vanillic and sweet for mine, especially on a hot summer's day. 14.2%, $30.
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3/28/2019 - europat55 wrote: 90 Points
Drinking quite well right now...
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3/24/2019 - WetRock wrote:
Very primary right now. Flashy forward fruit but not overdone. Dark in character and a bit complex. Light tannin. This shows pretty well. It's ready to go but if you want a more complex and subtle expression you'll want to leave this be a couple years. This should have a medium term drinking window given the depth of fruit and overall build. This is one of the good ones.
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3/15/2019 - MRichman wrote:
Good, dark fruit. Black cherry, coffee, orange peel. Dense. Very good, not as thick or dense as the 2015. I'd drink this before I finish off my 2015s.
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3/10/2019 - mseeber Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very enjoyable. Balanced, dark and complex. Will soften over the next few years, although it drinks well now. Ripe raspberry more than dark cherry. Warm spice notes.
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3/8/2019 - cmmatthews Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wow...very well made Zin.
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2/3/2019 - TalulaDoesTheHula Likes this wine: 92 Points
Vanilla, strawberry, black pepper, currant, tobacco, medium-plus tannins
Balances the cattiness of the pulled pork butt
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