Sour black cherry, blackberry compote, melting asphalt, very astringent finish. Tastes like it wasn’t ripe and then suddenly was overripe, so you get baked fruit with the green tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Not quite as "smoky" or as much pepper that is generally found in Ridge zins, but the mild tannins, the moderate acidity, and the smooth lasting finish made this a very enjoyable wine. There is still body and flavor in the bottle, but it appears to be at it's perfect peak now, so why wait?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Zinchester: I keep on flip flopping between loving Ridge Zins when they are fully mature, and when they offer this vibrancy and life and edge. My fellow diners seemed to believe the 2011 Lytton was the better wine - I agree that it was, but I preferred this - the energy and zip were just joyous.
Explosive nose with the power and excitement value of what I suspect to be quite old vines. In addition to intense bramble fruit, I found candied orange and lemon aromas, leather and Christmas pudding spice.
This wine carries its booze factor very neatly, as it does with its American oak treatment. Neither seem excessive or emetic. It is big and powerful, oh yes, but that comes from characterful grapes, the alcohol and secondary* aromas step to one side.
The palate has spicy, warm and rich bramble fruit that is intense, but not overwhelming – it is not a fruit bomb. Good acidity levels help with this balanced and restrained expression of scale.
There is a lovely spicy character on the palate as well. Christmas pudding with plenty of candied peel added. The spice gives a sense of warm richness rather than the alcohol.
This is still young, but another pleasing wine with plenty to enjoy about it. Drink it now or keep it ten years, either way I think you will be laughing!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
When I last had a bottle of this about 30 months ago, I wrote that it could transform into something special if given a couple of years. I guess I was right. This is in a really sweet spot right now. Velvety fruit leather on the palate, with plenty of acid to keep it lively. Knockout nose of black cherry, tobacco, orange peel, holiday potpourri, flowers and garrigue. I have a new-found respect for Buchignani zin. I suspect I popped my prior bottlings of this way too early.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very brambly nose. The structure is strong. The oak is still around. Given how the oak showed even stronger on night two I'm not certain age is going to attenuate how it shows on this wine. Now that the fruit has unfolded a good deal you can power it down and enjoy this old vine goodness without the wood being distracting.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Ridge Dinner 22 November (Hawksmoor Guildhall): As we get to the home straight, the steak on my plate is starting to cool down and my senses start to dull, these notes start to become less reliable. With that said - this was lovely. A fruit-forward Zin, not overly ambitious, and perhaps a bit less structure on the mid-palate than one expects from Ridge, but a really lovely drink. Just thinking of it this morning makes my mouth water.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Agree w other recent reviewers - this is fruity and approachable still with some complexity from the Carignan. I don’t see a lot of upside from here but no rush to drink either.
We liked this very much. Fruit forward; tannins are well incorporated. Some may say this is too oaky, but I like it. However, I do feel this one needs to be consumed sooner than later. And that’s a good thing. We have a couple more queued up!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This one is interesting as I am wondering if I have a cooked or bad bottle. It’s not corked. It just tastes “raisiny” or a little “past it’s prime”. I read below and no one else says this. The closest thing is “grapy” by one reviewer. It would be great if someone else tried this and let me know. Anyways, here is the note.
Opened and poured in glass for 1.5 hours before tasting. Nose smells of plum, raisins, and a little dried date. Also, some dark chocolate and a little liqueur like. There some tannin but it is open for business. Dark cherry, plum, kirsch, a little spice. Very jammy and slight acid noticeable after a few sips. Good, but not great.
Nice comparison tasting with the 2014. This one darker colored. Some earth on the nose. A little more subtle balance on the palate. Good fruit, good body. Very slight edge to the 2015.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very firm, solid, dark fruit. Lots of typical Ridge orange peel, bergamot. Also a typically firm, muscular 2015. Has a bit of a pretty side, but really more about power. Really like this. 2015 = excellent Sonoma vintage. Drink now or over the next 8 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark brick color. Blueberry, plum and a little baking spice, clove, on the nose. Beautifully smooth, well balanced fruit and a pleasant rustic spice. Medium+ bodied with light to medium tannins on the finish. One of our favorites.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Starts out a little sticky but opens up. Starts off a bit astringent like a red cherry but biting into the pit. Opens up really nicely in the glass- warm dark flavors. Intense, well-done meat flavors, lots of acid.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
W a super vegetarian white bean dish (recipe from Pravda). Didnt have this bottle in CT. This is really good. Great color, nose, fruit and palate. Good combo of fruit and spice. Good length!! One of these Ridge special Zin examples. 5 yrs from vintage seems the right time. Enjoy this now if you own it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
W porkchop from skillet! Perfect wine for the dish. Good color, nose and body. Medium weight. Indeed like others say: this ridge is distinct from other ridge zins. Good finish. This can have a few more years in bottle as well. 2022?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep ruby in the glass, this wine is not your normal California Zinfandel. The raspberry and plum fruits are pretty well matched with some secondary woody mushroom tones. Quite an old world and restrained style. Could be the age, could be the wine making
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
There's an old world elegance to this one right now. There's still plenty of power and fruit, but this one's about finesse. Drinkable, lovable and like all Ridge wines, a standard bearer but also totally unique.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This opened up nice and complex like I've come to expect from this bottling. But it sort of shut down some. By the second night it wasn't very interesting at all. I saved a corner of the bottle inadvertently for a few days. That bit showed a lot of new oak after being open four days. So this wine is all over the place right now. Even with that I doubt it's as good as some previous vintages have been. But I will leave this alone for at least another year or two before trying it again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The nose is just starting to develop, with leather, blackberry, and violets. Long, generous and sappy in the mouth. I appreciate that Ridge gives this one some extra time in bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is quite savory, bordering on piquant on account of the 21% carignane I suppose. There are some grippy tannins. It has a certain old world character to it that reminds me of the Mazzoni Home Ranch bottling. I think this is a wine to sit on for 2-3 years, and I think it will transform into something rather special.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
12/27/2023 - Giggs wrote: 87 Points
Sour black cherry, blackberry compote, melting asphalt, very astringent finish. Tastes like it wasn’t ripe and then suddenly was overripe, so you get baked fruit with the green tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2023 - Mortgage92 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not quite as "smoky" or as much pepper that is generally found in Ridge zins, but the mild tannins, the moderate acidity, and the smooth lasting finish made this a very enjoyable wine. There is still body and flavor in the bottle, but it appears to be at it's perfect peak now, so why wait?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2022 - lozatron Likes this wine:
Zinchester: I keep on flip flopping between loving Ridge Zins when they are fully mature, and when they offer this vibrancy and life and edge. My fellow diners seemed to believe the 2011 Lytton was the better wine - I agree that it was, but I preferred this - the energy and zip were just joyous.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
9/2/2022 - David Strange Likes this wine:
Explosive nose with the power and excitement value of what I suspect to be quite old vines. In addition to intense bramble fruit, I found candied orange and lemon aromas, leather and Christmas pudding spice.
This wine carries its booze factor very neatly, as it does with its American oak treatment. Neither seem excessive or emetic. It is big and powerful, oh yes, but that comes from characterful grapes, the alcohol and secondary* aromas step to one side.
The palate has spicy, warm and rich bramble fruit that is intense, but not overwhelming – it is not a fruit bomb. Good acidity levels help with this balanced and restrained expression of scale.
There is a lovely spicy character on the palate as well. Christmas pudding with plenty of candied peel added. The spice gives a sense of warm richness rather than the alcohol.
This is still young, but another pleasing wine with plenty to enjoy about it. Drink it now or keep it ten years, either way I think you will be laughing!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/2/2022 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine: 93 Points
When I last had a bottle of this about 30 months ago, I wrote that it could transform into something special if given a couple of years. I guess I was right. This is in a really sweet spot right now. Velvety fruit leather on the palate, with plenty of acid to keep it lively. Knockout nose of black cherry, tobacco, orange peel, holiday potpourri, flowers and garrigue. I have a new-found respect for Buchignani zin. I suspect I popped my prior bottlings of this way too early.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/24/2022 - WetRock wrote:
Very brambly nose. The structure is strong. The oak is still around. Given how the oak showed even stronger on night two I'm not certain age is going to attenuate how it shows on this wine. Now that the fruit has unfolded a good deal you can power it down and enjoy this old vine goodness without the wood being distracting.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2021 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wasn't really expecting much but this was a well-above average Ridge zin/blend with carignane.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2021 - lozatron Likes this wine:
Ridge Dinner 22 November (Hawksmoor Guildhall): As we get to the home straight, the steak on my plate is starting to cool down and my senses start to dull, these notes start to become less reliable. With that said - this was lovely. A fruit-forward Zin, not overly ambitious, and perhaps a bit less structure on the mid-palate than one expects from Ridge, but a really lovely drink. Just thinking of it this morning makes my mouth water.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2021 - Bcrair Likes this wine: 90 Points
Early. Still has a lot of time to grow.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/13/2021 - WineJ2019 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Agree w other recent reviewers - this is fruity and approachable still with some complexity from the Carignan. I don’t see a lot of upside from here but no rush to drink either.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
1/16/2021 - FoMoCo wrote: 91 Points
We liked this very much. Fruit forward; tannins are well incorporated. Some may say this is too oaky, but I like it. However, I do feel this one needs to be consumed sooner than later. And that’s a good thing. We have a couple more queued up!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2020 - Moselmeister wrote: flawed
This one is interesting as I am wondering if I have a cooked or bad bottle. It’s not corked. It just tastes “raisiny” or a little “past it’s prime”. I read below and no one else says this. The closest thing is “grapy” by one reviewer. It would be great if someone else tried this and let me know. Anyways, here is the note.
Opened and poured in glass for 1.5 hours before tasting. Nose smells of plum, raisins, and a little dried date. Also, some dark chocolate and a little liqueur like. There some tannin but it is open for business. Dark cherry, plum, kirsch, a little spice. Very jammy and slight acid noticeable after a few sips. Good, but not great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
9/20/2020 - rbfleming Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice comparison tasting with the 2014. This one darker colored. Some earth on the nose. A little more subtle balance on the palate. Good fruit, good body. Very slight edge to the 2015.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2020 - Cadby wrote: 90 Points
Rich, mouth filling fruit. Carignane softens edgy Zinfandel
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2020 - MRichman wrote:
Very firm, solid, dark fruit. Lots of typical Ridge orange peel, bergamot. Also a typically firm, muscular 2015. Has a bit of a pretty side, but really more about power. Really like this. 2015 = excellent Sonoma vintage. Drink now or over the next 8 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2020 - CurtaVino Likes this wine: 89 Points
Drank it too early, but still a very good wine. Tannins could use time to relax a bit more as evidenced by better 2nd and 3rd day drinking.
A bit grapey early on, but relaxed in the glass; something else that would have done well with bottle age.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/28/2020 - brasstab wrote: 94 Points
Why did I drink my second bottle so soon?? I wasn’t paying attention. At any rate, this time it bowled me over. I think I shall order more.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
5/9/2020 - cclearningwine wrote: 91 Points
Dark brick color. Blueberry, plum and a little baking spice, clove, on the nose. Beautifully smooth, well balanced fruit and a pleasant rustic spice. Medium+ bodied with light to medium tannins on the finish. One of our favorites.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2020 - AlexHop Likes this wine: 89 Points
Starts out a little sticky but opens up. Starts off a bit astringent like a red cherry but biting into the pit. Opens up really nicely in the glass- warm dark flavors. Intense, well-done meat flavors, lots of acid.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2020 - bjschmitt Likes this wine: 90 Points
With home-made sausage pizza on Chicago crust.
Dark ruby red, nose of cherry with a hint of raspberry. Nice length.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2020 - MichielV wrote: 90 Points
W a super vegetarian white bean dish (recipe from Pravda). Didnt have this bottle in CT. This is really good. Great color, nose, fruit and palate. Good combo of fruit and spice. Good length!! One of these Ridge special Zin examples. 5 yrs from vintage seems the right time. Enjoy this now if you own it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2020 - MichielV wrote: 90 Points
W porkchop from skillet! Perfect wine for the dish. Good color, nose and body. Medium weight. Indeed like others say: this ridge is distinct from other ridge zins. Good finish. This can have a few more years in bottle as well. 2022?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2020 - Cadby Likes this wine: 89 Points
Ripe & delicious but J.K. Simmons vs. Al Pacino
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2020 - seanucsb Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep ruby in the glass, this wine is not your normal California Zinfandel. The raspberry and plum fruits are pretty well matched with some secondary woody mushroom tones. Quite an old world and restrained style. Could be the age, could be the wine making
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/29/2020 - DrBad Likes this wine: 90 Points
Juicy, fruity blackberries with some tannins. Very drinkable, good QPR.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2020 - brasstab Likes this wine: 92 Points
There's an old world elegance to this one right now. There's still plenty of power and fruit, but this one's about finesse. Drinkable, lovable and like all Ridge wines, a standard bearer but also totally unique.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/6/2020 - WetRock wrote:
This opened up nice and complex like I've come to expect from this bottling. But it sort of shut down some. By the second night it wasn't very interesting at all. I saved a corner of the bottle inadvertently for a few days. That bit showed a lot of new oak after being open four days. So this wine is all over the place right now. Even with that I doubt it's as good as some previous vintages have been. But I will leave this alone for at least another year or two before trying it again.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2020 - cbleary Likes this wine:
The nose is just starting to develop, with leather, blackberry, and violets. Long, generous and sappy in the mouth. I appreciate that Ridge gives this one some extra time in bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2020 - PNIELSEN Likes this wine:
This is quite savory, bordering on piquant on account of the 21% carignane I suppose. There are some grippy tannins. It has a certain old world character to it that reminds me of the Mazzoni Home Ranch bottling. I think this is a wine to sit on for 2-3 years, and I think it will transform into something rather special.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment