Superbowl with Turkey Chili/Cornbread Very crumbly cork and caked sediment to side of bottle. Shutdown upon opening but starts to open after about 20 minutes . Claret like nice scorched earth and dark berries. Light mixed spices.creosote muted wild blueberry. Alcohol in check. 2 hours in and berries are really coming on in bouquet. At 4 hours some more herbal notes, licorice and muted mint. Great effort
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I liked this wine and it got better as it aired but then faded. I wish I’d drunk this wine earlier as I suspect it would have been a bit richer and stayed excellent a bit longer
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Det mest lättskadade vinet hitintills. Vi beslutade trots det att dricka upp den. Fullt drickbar men utan glädjefnatt.
(Självspäkning:) Gissningsvis smittade vi den med den sparade kork vi pluggade igen den efter dubbeldekantingen. Samma problem vid förra vinet. Så: kastade alla korkjävlar och duken de var inlindade i.
Fy fuckrn vad jag hatar korkjävlarna!
BYOB på Ristorante HiRo Centro in Maru Bldg, overlooking Tokyo Station from the 35h floor.
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Return to The Medlar (The Medlar, London): This has come together nicely since a slightly hot bottle in 2008. Mid garnet, quite evolved especially cf the Geyserville alongside. Briary fruit, really quite smoky on the palate.caries through to the palate with a sense of bonfire. Softly autumnal finish. Fireside spice. Heading towards a mature Rioja profile with a bit more body and bite. ***1/2
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Ridge is such a compelling producer. Blackberries, black cherry, plums, pencil shavings, oak. Well integrated, rounded off but still fresh from a nice backbone of acidity. Medium palate, nice extraction but so nicely balanced. Too ... exuberant to be deemed elegant, but a thoroughly enjoyable bottle. This was out of a 750ml, no need to wait any longer.
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from magnum. PNP. cork soft but intact. color dark with hint of brick at edges. this is deep, rich and resolved. the tannin has integrated and this has no rough edges. great but likely more advanced in 750 format. i would check
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A lot of Wines at Tommy's Clambake (again again) (Tommy's): I was a bit disappointed by this but only because I had hoped for more. It is a very good wine. Not showing the complexity I would have expected at this point. Still fresh and vibrant. Lots of raspberries and black cherries. Some charcoal underlying the fruit. Good texture. Happy to drink this wine any time.
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Bottle was remarkably good condition for its age. Decent fruit remained while still holding some body. Starting to get pruney and a little tea but still quite decent.
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Ripe, luscious blue and black fruit with some warm vanilla. The ripeness is kept in check by the acidity. Tannins are mostly resolved and this is in a lovely place.
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A Casual Wednesday in Toronto with the Toronto Cru (FWR, Toronto, ON): This pours fairly dark in colour with just a touch of bricking. The nose is of dusty soil, bramby mixed berries, diesel fuel and light touches of vanilla and coconut. The palate shows moderate acid and tannin. A nice wine in a decent spot if lacking some excitement.
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Tried to open the bottle, cork broke - ok, the bottle moved from NY to Istanbul and than to Germany. Cork surgery went well but had to decant the wine. First nose & taste: gorgeous! The nose: fruity, dried berries, pepper, smooth oak. Taste: woody, still fruity, smooth end but one still can find some tannin. 30 minutes later - I have to agree with “1982” comments - fruit flavors only faint, rather then sedate, still very smooth but fading pleasure. Decanting wasn’t good for taste! Overall impressive for a 18 year old Zin! As I’m curious I will have the next bottle 2017.
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Garnet red color. Notes of cinnamon, vanilla, and black fruits on the nose. First sip I would not pin this as a zin (although it is a blend), but taste a bit of white pepper, the Petite Sirah gives it some weight, bit of baking spice, hints of vanilla, resolved tannins, very smooth. Nice lingering finish. Impressive for an almost 20 year old Zin!
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Medium-light rosewood color. Light, bright nose of baking spice, with a touch (some would say a touch too much) oak. The palate is very woodsy, with cedar and fennel seed and a some faint, rather sedate fruit flavors. The mouthfeel is very smooth, with tannins that have completely receded. This is pleasant and interesting wine, and refutes those who say that Zinfandel cannot (or should not) be aged. Promising for those cellaring later vintages of Ridge Zin, as these clearly have staying power beyond a few years' time horizon. Drinking well now, no need to wait.
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Drank the 1998 first. This is the 1998's little brother (see those notes). Way less nose and about 1/3'd the flavor intensity of the '98. Still really good, though!
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Last bottle. Have not opened a bottle of this for years. In fact, I think this is the oldest ridge zin I have had the pleasure of drinking. To my surprise. The wine was quite good. A somewhat exotic, aging nose of black and blue fruits, cranberry and funky spices. Relatively soft in the mouth with the black and blue fruits from the nose. There were some green notes as well as some almost raisin/port dimension. medium slightly weedy finish. Impressed that it has hung on as well as it has.
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with flanksteak and various salads. Jenn, Billy and kids were there. Next to the 99. This had like my other older Ridge's a bad cork 9only older bottle in my basement to suffer from that. Wine was not totally gone but on the other side of the hill. decent nose but hot on the palate, color was a bit foggy but still OK (just OK). Glad I tried it.
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Deep garnet red but just beginning to turn towards brown. Cinnamon, stewed plums, vanilla, and overripe black fruits on the nose. Sweet, approaching mulled wine. Christmas spices, raisins, stewed plums, strawberries, vanilla, and black pepper. The finish lingers, adds cola notes to the mix, and is a drawn-out version of the tasting notes above. Silky texture. I would guess this wine is a few years past its prime, but still quite drinkable.
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A bad bottle? This wine was well past it's prime, and most was dumped. I have had many old Ridge wines, and they tend to age exceptionally welll, which made this one a surprise.
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NobleRottersSydney - California (mostly) (Alio's, Surry Hills): [14.9%, cork] {Graeme} One zin too young, this too old? Back label says drink inside five years. Hmmm. The exotic, aging nose of this wine comprises wild black/blue fruits, cranberry, liquorice and weird & exotic spices. There is an undercurrent of greenness on the palate, despite the alcohol level, although this has a raisined, porty touch to the flavours too. Maybe under- and over-ripe grapes all at once? Or just a reflection of the multi-grape-variety blend here, perhaps. Full-bodied, with medium-weight powder tannins, medium-high intensity on the palate, waves of flavour on the front of the tongue and some presence on the back palate, it still does finish bit weedy. Holding on all right, and unlikely to fall over soon.
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Tasted from Magnum. Very nice nose at first - distinct mineral quality, anise and blue fruits. However the mouth has very ripe streak - almost medicinal. Still plenty of acid and softening tanning, small amount of heat on the finish. Second taste, six hours later - medicine is gone, replaced with dark chocolate, big anise notes and dark fruits. Mouthfeel has softened, highlighting plush/powdery tannin. Still ripe, but with plenty of acid to keep it fresh - barrel toast, figs and spice cake.The wine seems to reflect the vintage - big and ripe, with less structure for the long haul - indeed alcohol is 14.9%. Will live for a solid five more years, but I fear it may never reach that secondary 'claret' stage that I love in Ridge Zinfandel at age 15 to 20.
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This wine continues to evolve in a positive direction. The fruit is still very present, and it maintains balance with the acids and tannins in the wine. Things are starting to get soft around the edges so I certainly put this in its prime drinking window, but there is certainly no worry about it drying up any time soon. Drink or hold at your pleasure.
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Pleasant and interesting nose. Unfortunately lacking in taste, which is somewhat harsh. Smooth and nice in the after a little while in the mouth though. Not worth more than $30.
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Lytton Springs Offline (RJs, London): Full and spicy. Warning. Slightly warm finish for me. Back to the style of the more recent vintages. Seems slightly unbalanced. ***
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{cork, 14.9%} Flamboyant wine. All spicy liquorice & blueberry fruits. Tannins soft now, but still acidic enough to retain freshness. Must be close to peak, surely? At any rate, most enjoyable to drink in a style that can’t quite be matched by any local offerings in my experience.
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Brick red edges with a dark red centre. The nose was disappearing, but had traces of iron/metal and plum jam. The taste was a wonderful mixture of preserved plums, strawberry and even som hints of liquorice blended with dried red berries and figs. Drink this NOW as I don't believe it will last that much longer!
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Cork was perfect and clean, if a little brittle. Rich and powerful from the first pour, with gorgeous secondary aromatics, good acids, plenty of spicy fruit, somewhat excessive sweetness and a little coconutty oak. But alas this quickly grew tired in the glass, becoming flatter with more raisiny, baked fruit flavors and overall far less thrilling aromatically.
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From a 375ml bottle. Deep brick red color with some lightening at the rim. Clean expressive nose of plums and spice. Palate shows beautiful smooth fruit, acid, and integrated tannins with everything in perfect harmonious balance. A beautiful mouthful of wine at absolute peak right now. This is the kind of wine that makes everything all right with the world. The best Ridge Zins have a restrained elegance that reminds you of a four-star hotel... just like top quality aged Bordeaux. Excellent.
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Delicious in magnum, plum, spice and earth flavors, still rich texture and enough acid to stand up to Indian spices. This wine is still drinking beautifully!
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n: raisins, dried figs, dried plums, very dusty, almost chalky, sawdust, dried herbs, cracked black pepper, m: dried cherry, a nice brightness to the fruit, firm, still has some grip and weight, long finish, nice mix of sweet and spicy flavors, nice chalkiness/tannin in mid palate, cinnamon sticks
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We drank another bottle (from the same source) not too long ago and it tasted a bit too old. This bottle tastes much younger, though the complexities of age are there. I have no idea why there is such a variation as I assume the two bottles have been stored together since release. At any rate, this bottle is really, really excellent. Ridge rocks.
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Probably past its prime. The nose screams Lytton Springs but the fruit is fading and a raisiney quality is coming to the fore. (Was stored in professional wine storage, though in Florida, so who knows whether this bottle has seen some rough treatment?) Update: somewhat surprisingly, it starts to taste more youthful with air. We have one more bottle, and I'll be letting it gently breath for several hourse before drinking.
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Tasted from magnum. Very dark purple color. Nose of blackberry, currant, and earth. Flavors of plum, currant and just a little bit of spice. Great, silky mouthfeel with a very long finish. It did need about an hour of air time after decanting to really begin to show itself. There was a lot of sediment in the magnum, so decant very carefully. This was a very nice, mature, Zin blend that was a real pleasure to taste.
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Not quite as youthful as the last bottle I had, this one is starting to show a bit of stewed tomatoes, but still comes through with clove, black pepper, and some cinnamon, with some violets, plums, and prunes. Silky stuff, it's got an excellent mouthfeel with a medium finish. Based on this bottle, I'd say drink up over the next couple of years.
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Still smells young. Blackberries, some black currant (!), clove, allspice, black pepper. Soft and smooth in the mouth, but not all that complex. Easy, medium long finish. Although good and initially young on the nose, I'd drink this up over the next 2-3 years, as I think the fruit may be starting to fade, and I don't know that this wine is up to the level of some Lytton Springs in terms of structure and ageability.
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we really really like this wine, even this old. spice, pepper, and just enough fruit to keep it from drying out too much. Oak and tannins had mellowed a lot, but were still there. Just at the tail end of “old enough” another yoear would have been too much
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Drunk from a half, this bottle rocked. Deep dark purple color, you would not think that this was 8 years old. No noticable lightening at the rim. Nose of blackberry, black cherry, minerals, earth. Palate matched nose - black fruits, plums, cherry, very smooth, dare I say, silky. Clearly some tannin here, but not a bad thing - just adds depth. I'm guessing the PS is the key contributor to the wonderful structure here, with the zin driving the flavor. Glad I have more, including, I believe, a mag or two that I still need to find... No rush here. Even though both RP and Paul Draper suggest drinking this soon, I think it could easily go another 5+ years or more. Not sure mine will last that long, given how great this is right now.
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lots of fruit, almost but not quite the full-on jammy version of zin, this is a ti more subtle, with fruit and pepper and oak I really like this zin, Lee doesn’t think it matches up to Lytton Springs of yore...
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Dark red in color. Deep concentration of red fruits and spice. A bit more tannic than the last time I tasted this. It may be starting to close. Give it more time in the cellar.
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Nice purple color. The berry aromas immediately circulated through the room when opened. Nice black raspberries, cola, and spice on the palate. Intense fruit. Very fruit-driven, with little evidence of new oak. A great wine for those with a low tolerance for oak. A great impression of sweetness for a dry wine. Very juicy, due to the great acidity. Good structure, but it seems to come more from the acidity than from the tannins. Only a medium finish, but a killer wine overall.
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2/12/2023 - JoeDwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Superbowl with Turkey Chili/Cornbread
Very crumbly cork and caked sediment to side of bottle.
Shutdown upon opening but starts to open after about 20 minutes .
Claret like nice scorched earth and dark berries. Light mixed spices.creosote muted wild blueberry.
Alcohol in check.
2 hours in and berries are really coming on in bouquet.
At 4 hours some more herbal notes, licorice and muted mint.
Great effort
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8/16/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
Big, bold, jammy, peppery, ripe, and overripe blackberries on the nose and palate with a strong touch of heat. Drink from 2022-2025.
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6/11/2022 - Phil P Likes this wine: 89 Points
I liked this wine and it got better as it aired but then faded. I wish I’d drunk this wine earlier as I suspect it would have been a bit richer and stayed excellent a bit longer
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3/6/2022 - StefanAkiko wrote: flawed
Det mest lättskadade vinet hitintills. Vi beslutade trots det att dricka upp den. Fullt drickbar men utan glädjefnatt.
(Självspäkning:) Gissningsvis smittade vi den med den sparade kork vi pluggade igen den efter dubbeldekantingen. Samma problem vid förra vinet. Så: kastade alla korkjävlar och duken de var inlindade i.
Fy fuckrn vad jag hatar korkjävlarna!
BYOB på Ristorante HiRo Centro in Maru Bldg, overlooking Tokyo Station from the 35h floor.
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5/7/2021 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
Return to The Medlar (The Medlar, London): This has come together nicely since a slightly hot bottle in 2008. Mid garnet, quite evolved especially cf the Geyserville alongside. Briary fruit, really quite smoky on the palate.caries through to the palate with a sense of bonfire. Softly autumnal finish. Fireside spice. Heading towards a mature Rioja profile with a bit more body and bite. ***1/2
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2/5/2021 - ieatprawnsss Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with previous note
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11/18/2020 - ieatprawnsss Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ridge is such a compelling producer. Blackberries, black cherry, plums, pencil shavings, oak. Well integrated, rounded off but still fresh from a nice backbone of acidity. Medium palate, nice extraction but so nicely balanced. Too ... exuberant to be deemed elegant, but a thoroughly enjoyable bottle. This was out of a 750ml, no need to wait any longer.
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5/29/2017 - chcook Likes this wine:
from magnum. PNP. cork soft but intact. color dark with hint of brick at edges. this is deep, rich and resolved. the tannin has integrated and this has no rough edges. great but likely more advanced in 750 format. i would check
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12/26/2016 - Innertällmo Bryggeri Likes this wine: 91 Points
Concentrated, sweet, high acidity, really good, but would benefit from 10+ more years
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10/1/2016 - hotmarius wrote: flawed
Corked.
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9/18/2016 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 90 Points
A lot of Wines at Tommy's Clambake (again again) (Tommy's): I was a bit disappointed by this but only because I had hoped for more. It is a very good wine. Not showing the complexity I would have expected at this point. Still fresh and vibrant. Lots of raspberries and black cherries. Some charcoal underlying the fruit. Good texture. Happy to drink this wine any time.
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7/8/2016 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Alive and kicking. Ripe blue and black fruit all wrapped up in campfire smoke and a little vanilla. Big and luscious, with plenty of juicy acidity.
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12/20/2015 - WilliamF17 Likes this wine: 85 Points
Bottle was remarkably good condition for its age. Decent fruit remained while still holding some body. Starting to get pruney and a little tea but still quite decent.
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6/19/2015 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ripe, luscious blue and black fruit with some warm vanilla. The ripeness is kept in check by the acidity. Tannins are mostly resolved and this is in a lovely place.
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5/27/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote:
A Casual Wednesday in Toronto with the Toronto Cru (FWR, Toronto, ON): This pours fairly dark in colour with just a touch of bricking. The nose is of dusty soil, bramby mixed berries, diesel fuel and light touches of vanilla and coconut. The palate shows moderate acid and tannin. A nice wine in a decent spot if lacking some excitement.
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2/13/2015 - enosophos Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tried to open the bottle, cork broke - ok, the bottle moved from NY to Istanbul and than to Germany. Cork surgery went well but had to decant the wine. First nose & taste: gorgeous!
The nose: fruity, dried berries, pepper, smooth oak. Taste: woody, still fruity, smooth end but one still can find some tannin. 30 minutes later - I have to agree with “1982” comments -
fruit flavors only faint, rather then sedate, still very smooth but fading pleasure. Decanting wasn’t good for taste! Overall impressive for a 18 year old Zin! As I’m curious I will have the next bottle 2017.
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2/9/2015 - bsevern wrote: 91 Points
Garnet red color. Notes of cinnamon, vanilla, and black fruits on the nose. First sip I would not pin this as a zin (although it is a blend), but taste a bit of white pepper, the Petite Sirah gives it some weight, bit of baking spice, hints of vanilla, resolved tannins, very smooth. Nice lingering finish. Impressive for an almost 20 year old Zin!
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8/6/2014 - pigdaddy wrote: flawed
TCA, oh well. Only our second corked Ridge in 20 vintages of their wines consumed, so can't get too upset.
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1/4/2014 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium-light rosewood color. Light, bright nose of baking spice, with a touch (some would say a touch too much) oak. The palate is very woodsy, with cedar and fennel seed and a some faint, rather sedate fruit flavors. The mouthfeel is very smooth, with tannins that have completely receded. This is pleasant and interesting wine, and refutes those who say that Zinfandel cannot (or should not) be aged. Promising for those cellaring later vintages of Ridge Zin, as these clearly have staying power beyond a few years' time horizon. Drinking well now, no need to wait.
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10/27/2013 - pkatz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding bottle showing lush Zin fruit.
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9/28/2012 - STEVEN@WINECELLARCLUB.COM wrote: 79 Points
SHOWS SOME AGE - ORANGE TINGE. AGED NOSE - A LITTLE BURNT. FLAVORS OF DRIED BERRIES. ROASTED. OLD MIDDLE. HOT ALCH. 14.9%
POOR FINISH. OLD ROASTED BERRIES AND VERY CLUMSY
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8/3/2012 - WProctor204 wrote: 91 Points
Drank the 1998 first. This is the 1998's little brother (see those notes). Way less nose and about 1/3'd the flavor intensity of the '98. Still really good, though!
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5/27/2012 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
34th Annual Zinfandel Retrospective - the 2007s (Rich & Dana's): Opens with notes of dark fruit and spice; a ripe quality too, with meaty undertones. Balanced. Flavors of red fruit dominate. Softened acidity; turns slightly tart through the finish.
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4/17/2012 - psrv wrote: 90 Points
Blind Ridge Lytton Springs and Lytton Estate 1990 - 1997 (Berkeley): Group's #7; my #5; 1 first; 0 second; 3 third; 5 last. Aromas and flavors of jammy dark fruits, plums, black cherries, with lots of spice. Full-bodied with balancing acidity and a medium+ finish.
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1/14/2012 - short and confused wrote: 92 Points
Last bottle. Have not opened a bottle of this for years. In fact, I think this is the oldest ridge zin I have had the pleasure of drinking. To my surprise. The wine was quite good. A somewhat exotic, aging nose of black and blue fruits, cranberry and funky spices. Relatively soft in the mouth with the black and blue fruits from the nose. There were some green notes as well as some almost raisin/port dimension. medium slightly weedy finish. Impressed that it has hung on as well as it has.
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10/27/2011 - JimKov wrote: 90 Points
Excellent with dinner
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8/7/2011 - MichielV wrote: 87 Points
with flanksteak and various salads. Jenn, Billy and kids were there. Next to the 99. This had like my other older Ridge's a bad cork 9only older bottle in my basement to suffer from that. Wine was not totally gone but on the other side of the hill. decent nose but hot on the palate, color was a bit foggy but still OK (just OK). Glad I tried it.
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3/22/2011 - TexasBob wrote: 88 Points
Deep garnet red but just beginning to turn towards brown. Cinnamon, stewed plums, vanilla, and overripe black fruits on the nose. Sweet, approaching mulled wine. Christmas spices, raisins, stewed plums, strawberries, vanilla, and black pepper. The finish lingers, adds cola notes to the mix, and is a drawn-out version of the tasting notes above. Silky texture. I would guess this wine is a few years past its prime, but still quite drinkable.
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1/28/2011 - Mark wrote:
A bad bottle? This wine was well past it's prime, and most was dumped. I have had many old Ridge wines, and they tend to age exceptionally welll, which made this one a surprise.
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10/25/2010 - ntydrd wrote: 93 Points
Deep red w/ clear center, perfumed, cotton candy nose, some prune/ripe fruit aromas, sweet fruit, very silky, great mouth feel. Drinking perfectly.
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10/16/2010 - MatsJohan wrote: 93 Points
Helt på topp, bløt rund på høyde med det beste fra pommeroll
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10/11/2010 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - California (mostly) (Alio's, Surry Hills): [14.9%, cork] {Graeme} One zin too young, this too old? Back label says drink inside five years. Hmmm. The exotic, aging nose of this wine comprises wild black/blue fruits, cranberry, liquorice and weird & exotic spices. There is an undercurrent of greenness on the palate, despite the alcohol level, although this has a raisined, porty touch to the flavours too. Maybe under- and over-ripe grapes all at once? Or just a reflection of the multi-grape-variety blend here, perhaps. Full-bodied, with medium-weight powder tannins, medium-high intensity on the palate, waves of flavour on the front of the tongue and some presence on the back palate, it still does finish bit weedy. Holding on all right, and unlikely to fall over soon.
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10/5/2010 - SuitePhoto wrote:
Tasted from Magnum. Very nice nose at first - distinct mineral quality, anise and blue fruits. However the mouth has very ripe streak - almost medicinal. Still plenty of acid and softening tanning, small amount of heat on the finish. Second taste, six hours later - medicine is gone, replaced with dark chocolate, big anise notes and dark fruits. Mouthfeel has softened, highlighting plush/powdery tannin. Still ripe, but with plenty of acid to keep it fresh - barrel toast, figs and spice cake.The wine seems to reflect the vintage - big and ripe, with less structure for the long haul - indeed alcohol is 14.9%. Will live for a solid five more years, but I fear it may never reach that secondary 'claret' stage that I love in Ridge Zinfandel at age 15 to 20.
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7/28/2010 - Rieslingfan wrote: 92 Points
This wine continues to evolve in a positive direction. The fruit is still very present, and it maintains balance with the acids and tannins in the wine. Things are starting to get soft around the edges so I certainly put this in its prime drinking window, but there is certainly no worry about it drying up any time soon. Drink or hold at your pleasure.
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4/18/2010 - GAndersen wrote: 85 Points
Pleasant and interesting nose. Unfortunately lacking in taste, which is somewhat harsh. Smooth and nice in the after a little while in the mouth though. Not worth more than $30.
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11/25/2008 - jlgnml wrote: 90 Points
Smooth, with a hint of pepper. This bottle disappeared too quickly. Need to step back and enjoy more.
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11/25/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Lytton Springs Offline (RJs, London): Full and spicy. Warning. Slightly warm finish for me. Back to the style of the more recent vintages. Seems slightly unbalanced. ***
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8/21/2008 - graemeg wrote:
{cork, 14.9%} Flamboyant wine. All spicy liquorice & blueberry fruits. Tannins soft now, but still acidic enough to retain freshness. Must be close to peak, surely? At any rate, most enjoyable to drink in a style that can’t quite be matched by any local offerings in my experience.
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6/8/2008 - Frederyck wrote: 92 Points
Brick red edges with a dark red centre. The nose was disappearing, but had traces of iron/metal and plum jam. The taste was a wonderful mixture of preserved plums, strawberry and even som hints of liquorice blended with dried red berries and figs. Drink this NOW as I don't believe it will last that much longer!
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5/26/2008 - Jack wrote: 92 Points
Last one from a couple of cases. Again excellent.
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5/20/2008 - 5laton wrote:
Cork was perfect and clean, if a little brittle. Rich and powerful from the first pour, with gorgeous secondary aromatics, good acids, plenty of spicy fruit, somewhat excessive sweetness and a little coconutty oak. But alas this quickly grew tired in the glass, becoming flatter with more raisiny, baked fruit flavors and overall far less thrilling aromatically.
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4/30/2008 - PaulH wrote: 93 Points
From a 375ml bottle. Deep brick red color with some lightening at the rim. Clean expressive nose of plums and spice. Palate shows beautiful smooth fruit, acid, and integrated tannins with everything in perfect harmonious balance. A beautiful mouthful of wine at absolute peak right now. This is the kind of wine that makes everything all right with the world. The best Ridge Zins have a restrained elegance that reminds you of a four-star hotel... just like top quality aged Bordeaux. Excellent.
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3/21/2008 - cassel wrote: 91 Points
Started out classic Lytton, lot of fruit, cranberry, rich flavors. After 2 hrs tart cherry flavor, losing it's character. Glad we had it now.
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1/12/2008 - no leashes wrote: 92 Points
Delicious in magnum, plum, spice and earth flavors, still rich texture and enough acid to stand up to Indian spices. This wine is still drinking beautifully!
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11/2/2007 - rob1869 wrote: 90 Points
Wines of 1997 Offline (Le Colombier): Herby, full red fruit nose; smooth and long on the palate.
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11/2/2007 - Paul D wrote:
UK Wine Pages - 1997 Off-line (Colombier Restaurant - Chelsea): Nice, mature nose iron, mushroom, meat and some vanilla. Perhaps lacks a little definition. Similar interest on the mid-palate but suffers from a hot finish. Good.
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10/27/2007 - greywolf10 wrote: 80 Points
Passed it's time. Not the wine it was in the past.
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9/15/2007 - mplympton wrote:
n: raisins, dried figs, dried plums, very dusty, almost chalky, sawdust, dried herbs, cracked black pepper,
m: dried cherry, a nice brightness to the fruit, firm, still has some grip and weight, long finish, nice mix of sweet and spicy flavors, nice chalkiness/tannin in mid palate, cinnamon sticks
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5/27/2007 - jim dixon wrote: 92 Points
We drank another bottle (from the same source) not too long ago and it tasted a bit too old. This bottle tastes much younger, though the complexities of age are there. I have no idea why there is such a variation as I assume the two bottles have been stored together since release. At any rate, this bottle is really, really excellent. Ridge rocks.
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5/18/2007 - jim dixon wrote: 89 Points
Probably past its prime. The nose screams Lytton Springs but the fruit is fading and a raisiney quality is coming to the fore. (Was stored in professional wine storage, though in Florida, so who knows whether this bottle has seen some rough treatment?)
Update: somewhat surprisingly, it starts to taste more youthful with air. We have one more bottle, and I'll be letting it gently breath for several hourse before drinking.
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5/4/2007 - last chance wrote: 92 Points
Tasted from magnum. Very dark purple color. Nose of blackberry, currant, and earth. Flavors of plum, currant and just a little bit of spice. Great, silky mouthfeel with a very long finish. It did need about an hour of air time after decanting to really begin to show itself. There was a lot of sediment in the magnum, so decant very carefully. This was a very nice, mature, Zin blend that was a real pleasure to taste.
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11/9/2006 - gregg g wrote:
17 vintages of Ridge Zinfandel, '67 & '78 Stony Hill & Dessert Wines (Campanile in Los Angeles, CA.): The textbook baking spice came through on the nose. Fruit was rich and spicey more on the darker side with chocolate and expresso. Some tannin, but on the most part smooth texture. I enjoyed this one.
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10/31/2006 - sol wrote: 90 Points
Not quite as youthful as the last bottle I had, this one is starting to show a bit of stewed tomatoes, but still comes through with clove, black pepper, and some cinnamon, with some violets, plums, and prunes. Silky stuff, it's got an excellent mouthfeel with a medium finish. Based on this bottle, I'd say drink up over the next couple of years.
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5/25/2006 - Cheryl wrote:
Ben's zin
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5/2/2006 - sol wrote: 91 Points
Still smells young. Blackberries, some black currant (!), clove, allspice, black pepper. Soft and smooth in the mouth, but not all that complex. Easy, medium long finish. Although good and initially young on the nose, I'd drink this up over the next 2-3 years, as I think the fruit may be starting to fade, and I don't know that this wine is up to the level of some Lytton Springs in terms of structure and ageability.
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4/12/2006 - buckeye76 wrote: 91 Points
CHERRIES AND CHOCOLATE IN THE NOSE WITH CHERRIES AND BLACK CHERRIES IN THE FLAVOR. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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3/25/2006 - cybergod wrote:
a bit past its prime. stewy, pruney notes, charred oak.
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8/19/2005 - twoamps wrote: 91 Points
we really really like this wine, even this old. spice, pepper, and just enough fruit to keep it from drying out too much. Oak and tannins had mellowed a lot, but were still there. Just at the tail end of “old enough” another yoear would have been too much
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6/20/2005 - Renee & Robert wrote: 93 Points
Drunk from a half, this bottle rocked. Deep dark purple color, you would not think that this was 8 years old. No noticable lightening at the rim. Nose of blackberry, black cherry, minerals, earth. Palate matched nose - black fruits, plums, cherry, very smooth, dare I say, silky. Clearly some tannin here, but not a bad thing - just adds depth. I'm guessing the PS is the key contributor to the wonderful structure here, with the zin driving the flavor. Glad I have more, including, I believe, a mag or two that I still need to find... No rush here. Even though both RP and Paul Draper suggest drinking this soon, I think it could easily go another 5+ years or more. Not sure mine will last that long, given how great this is right now.
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6/26/2004 - ChimpanA wrote: flawed
Corked
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5/5/2004 - buckeye76 wrote: 92 Points
JUICY FRUIT, BLACKBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, CIGAR BOX AND PLUMS IN THE NOSE. BLACK CHERRIES AND RICH BERRY FLAVORS. LONG FINISH.
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4/5/2003 - buckeye76 wrote: 92 Points
RICH FRUIT IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR, RASPBERRIES AND BLACK CHERRIES MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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3/22/2003 - twoamps wrote: 93 Points
lots of fruit, almost but not quite the full-on jammy version of zin, this is a ti more subtle, with fruit and pepper and oak I really like this zin, Lee doesn’t think it matches up to Lytton Springs of yore...
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11/3/2000 - Oberhau wrote: 80 Points
Ripe fruit, full and rich, high alcohol
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12/25/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 91 Points
Dark red in color. Deep concentration of red fruits and spice. A bit more tannic than the last time I tasted this. It may be starting to close. Give it more time in the cellar.
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11/29/1999 - SadEdjo wrote:
rich plum & berry.
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4/26/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Nice purple color. The berry aromas immediately circulated through the room when opened. Nice black raspberries, cola, and spice on the palate. Intense fruit. Very fruit-driven, with little evidence of new oak. A great wine for those with a low tolerance for oak. A great impression of sweetness for a dry wine. Very juicy, due to the great acidity. Good structure, but it seems to come more from the acidity than from the tannins. Only a medium finish, but a killer wine overall.
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