Really good! This was shaken thoroughly and then decanted for an hour. Mouthfeel is super soft; red and dark fruit are full and ripe, but not jammy; there is good structure and balance. Full bodied. At $30-35 this is excellent value.
The nose is full of sweet wood, cinnamon, nutmeg, inky raspberry and cherry notes. The palate is very fruit-forward but cut through with a streak of acidity, with soft tannins in the finish.
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Spicy Carignane on top of rich zinfandel black fruit on the nose. Fruit-driven but not without a streak of ferrous iron and a faint "perfume" of vanilla America oak.
Ripe black fruit on palate entry that is quickly subsumed by semi-tart, spicy, grippy Carignane. Then both exist in harmony, the more austere Carignane bringing discipline to the hedonistic Zinfandel. Sucking in air brings an explosion of vanilla oak. There is a ferrous, almost "beefy" note on the mid-tongue underneath the fruit.
Constricting, mouth-coating tannin and racy acidity. Both attributes are quite severe at the moment: there is no definition to the consuming tannin yet and the high acidity elicits almost enough saliva to be uncomfortable.
Well-balanced. Finishes on American oak and Zinfandel fruit. Primary and clearly with gas in the tank to develop. Wonderful.
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PnP. Color is quite dark and opaque ruby/purple. On the nose: rich blackberries and red berries, plum, baking spices and a hint of vanilla. Quite a nice nose. On the palate: Blackberries, some tart red berries, vanilla, nice spice notes. Length is decent, flavors are elegant. This is a very good wine.
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Popped and poured. Seemed a little closed. Decanted and gave it some time to breathe and pretty quickly improved. Good darker fruit and moderate tannins. I’m hoping second day will be even better. I’ll try to age my other one.
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My first vintage of this wine and I expected that the Zinfandel would be dominant but was surprised to see this mostly driven by the Carignan. Excited to see how this develops.
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This is another fine vintage for this wines. I put it on par with the 2014 version. This shows a dark richness that you wouldn't really expect given its nearly all Carignan and Zin. The fruit really unfolds overnight, picking up some weight from its more brooding night one showing. There is a nice barrel influence in the background. Solid acids with a fine, slightly astringent grip. This should live a while and might even improve over the short to medium term. I'm glad Ridge has chosen to highlight this vineyard this way. Very good.
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Decanted 90 minutes. Medium-dark clear purple. Big and rich nose. Pencil shavings, graphite, a melody of big dark red and black fruits, sweet baking spices, and a bit of tarragon supported by a mild umami backdrop of mushroom and soy sauce. Full bodied with fine chewy tannins that coat the mouth before the palate comes in. Medium high acidity. Palate of plums and blackberries, supported by the herbal profile of American Oak with a mild touch of cranberry that lifts everything up. Long finish of graphite, cedar, tarragon, thyme, blackberry, mild tar, and a bit of a leafy presence.
This exceeds my expectations based from pervious vintages. I’d give it more air than I did if you are going to drink young. I’d give this a nice long rest in the cellar.
4/9/2024 - rbfleming Likes this wine: 92 Points
Blueberries and boysenberries. Very interesting. Excellent.
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3/30/2024 - rbfleming Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark red, dark fruit. Lovely balance of fruit and acidity. Just excellent.
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2/13/2024 - CavWine Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP as I did not like another bottle I had decanted. This one did not disappoint and got better as it aired. Plenty of complexity and great QPR.
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1/7/2024 - mark.gularte@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Similar to the 2018, with blackberry, raspberry, some vanilla notes, very smooth and enjoyable.
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10/28/2023 - Brendel Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really good! This was shaken thoroughly and then decanted for an hour. Mouthfeel is super soft; red and dark fruit are full and ripe, but not jammy; there is good structure and balance. Full bodied. At $30-35 this is excellent value.
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7/25/2023 - jh773 wrote: 90 Points
The nose is full of sweet wood, cinnamon, nutmeg, inky raspberry and cherry notes. The palate is very fruit-forward but cut through with a streak of acidity, with soft tannins in the finish.
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5/29/2023 - JLCFan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Spicy Carignane on top of rich zinfandel black fruit on the nose. Fruit-driven but not without a streak of ferrous iron and a faint "perfume" of vanilla America oak.
Ripe black fruit on palate entry that is quickly subsumed by semi-tart, spicy, grippy Carignane. Then both exist in harmony, the more austere Carignane bringing discipline to the hedonistic Zinfandel. Sucking in air brings an explosion of vanilla oak. There is a ferrous, almost "beefy" note on the mid-tongue underneath the fruit.
Constricting, mouth-coating tannin and racy acidity. Both attributes are quite severe at the moment: there is no definition to the consuming tannin yet and the high acidity elicits almost enough saliva to be uncomfortable.
Well-balanced. Finishes on American oak and Zinfandel fruit. Primary and clearly with gas in the tank to develop. Wonderful.
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5/1/2023 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP. Color is quite dark and opaque ruby/purple. On the nose: rich blackberries and red berries, plum, baking spices and a hint of vanilla. Quite a nice nose. On the palate: Blackberries, some tart red berries, vanilla, nice spice notes. Length is decent, flavors are elegant. This is a very good wine.
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4/12/2023 - Abludwig Likes this wine:
Popped and poured. Seemed a little closed. Decanted and gave it some time to breathe and pretty quickly improved. Good darker fruit and moderate tannins. I’m hoping second day will be even better. I’ll try to age my other one.
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3/13/2023 - brasstab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Always over-delivers. Great depth of flavor, with plenty of earth on the nose, and, dare I say, an enchanting finish.
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2/23/2023 - MichielV wrote: 89 Points
With tofu and rice dish. Yummy combo. Good wine with carignane shining
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12/25/2022 - ethanwade Likes this wine:
My first vintage of this wine and I expected that the Zinfandel would be dominant but was surprised to see this mostly driven by the Carignan. Excited to see how this develops.
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10/25/2022 - WetRock wrote:
This is another fine vintage for this wines. I put it on par with the 2014 version. This shows a dark richness that you wouldn't really expect given its nearly all Carignan and Zin. The fruit really unfolds overnight, picking up some weight from its more brooding night one showing. There is a nice barrel influence in the background. Solid acids with a fine, slightly astringent grip. This should live a while and might even improve over the short to medium term. I'm glad Ridge has chosen to highlight this vineyard this way. Very good.
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10/24/2022 - brasstab Likes this wine: 93 Points
Continues to deliver. An exquisite balance of old and new world.
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10/19/2022 - aleks0yam Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good solid Mazzoni as it used to be.
Enjoy now, or if you have room in your cellar keep it.
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10/7/2022 - ChateauShiny Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 90 minutes. Medium-dark clear purple. Big and rich nose. Pencil shavings, graphite, a melody of big dark red and black fruits, sweet baking spices, and a bit of tarragon supported by a mild umami backdrop of mushroom and soy sauce. Full bodied with fine chewy tannins that coat the mouth before the palate comes in. Medium high acidity. Palate of plums and blackberries, supported by the herbal profile of American Oak with a mild touch of cranberry that lifts everything up. Long finish of graphite, cedar, tarragon, thyme, blackberry, mild tar, and a bit of a leafy presence.
This exceeds my expectations based from pervious vintages. I’d give it more air than I did if you are going to drink young. I’d give this a nice long rest in the cellar.
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