A great bottle at a fine point along the evo curve, i was surprised and happy how well balanced and pretty this was. drank well on opening and just continued to improve over the evening. Paul Drapper called it a great vintage & recommandation on the back label was to age 5-7 years from release, and that was way too conservative a drinking window. Fun & very fine bottle
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In the glass, the color is dark and deep beef blood red. It’s almost opaque. The nose is closed, as if a young wine (but the only young wine is L-M and this isn’t that). The wine is very clean ad clear. Deep, caramelized rhubarb with coffee and bramble berry fill the nose. There is Draper Perfume here. Some detected cinnamon and allspice. Most everyone seemed to think this wine had one of the best bouquets and smoothest drinking of the lot. 15.4% alc. Recommended. All wines tasted with homemade dry rubbed smoked pork shoulder BBQ). 05.28.16 with good friends to celebrate Memorial Day holiday.
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Much better than the bottle several years ago, which must have been flawed. The cork was very fragile and fell apart but nothing a good strainer couldn't address. Good color and nice fruity aromas. The fruit was still there but the flavors after 14 years were too pruney for my taste. But a friend really liked it and kept saying "cassis."
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N.B. Bought directly from winery on release and cellared in pristine conditions since (never moved). The cork had less than 1 mm of color saturation.
Wow this is good! Black cherry color. No signs of bricking at all. Jammy on the nose with ripe plums, dark berries and black cherries coupled with baking spices (a little pumpkin muffin). REALLY good red licorice, ripe plum sauce and black cherries on the palate. A rich and thick mouthfeel with a great counter balance of acidity. Yields a mouth watering and very long finish. A masculine wine in every way but the acidity makes this a very special wine. So fresh and youthful at 13+ years. Draper really did a masterful job with this.
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dark red body, lighter red rim, in the color. cherry, raspberry, herbs, on the nose. cherry, spice, earth, note of citrus, on the palate. medium acid, on the finish.
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The color is plum at the rim and an opaque blue-black at the core. This has every indication of being (still) a very young wine. The nose, unfortunately, is dominated by blueberry, which is not a characteristic I have ever noticed in this wine previously. The nose is also floral while also showing the usual Zin funk, Dr. Pepper and brown sugar, but it also shows something “stoney.” This is not so much “mineral” as it is the smell of rip-rap. It’s an attractive feature that makes the senses perk up a bit. The profile tracks the nose to a tee. Throwing lots of sediment just now. 15.4% alc. With blue cheeses, country ham, black olives and bread. Recommended.
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Fruit still showing well, dried raspberries, stewed cherries, stewed tomato, tea leaf, secondary aged components obvious, dry mushroom, musty forest, some oxidation on the finish. Couple of hours later really showed it's age in a fading way. Drink now and enjoy.
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Dark red color with slight transparency. Medium crust formed on the side of the bottle and light sediment present; decanting not required. Aromas of slightly roasted cherry, dusty plum, meat, and a hint of anise. The palate initially shows a roasted fruit character but this is replaced with a sweet cherry, plum, zin-berry, and blackberry fruit presence after 20-30 minutes in the glass. The structure here is in balance with the hefty (15.4%) alcohol and this goes down way too easily. A little bit of heat shows on the long finish on day two. Dangerously good and in a good place for drinking. I expect this was tremendous somewhere around 2006 and will continue to be another great Ridge field blend from old vines. Drink or hold.
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Really big, rich stuff and somewhat hot even after all these years and drunk close to cellar temp....big and round and fruity, but not subtle and not really mellowed by age
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Medium ruby, garnet edge. Ripe raspberry, dill, brown sugar, vanilla nose. Medium body and low acid mouth feel. Delicious fruit, a bit less intense than usual from this source. Finishes sweet. Bottle #3 of three.
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Six years has passed since I last tried this wine. A blend of 88% Zinfandel, 8% Alicante Bouschet, 4 % Petite Sirah, it still appears to be very young with a deep, dark color from the center to the rim. Rhubarb, blackberry, bramble-Zin funk, brown sugar, Dr. Pepper-like notes along with an almost herbal quality (in a good way). While I wouldn’t call it a jammy wine, it is rich and sweet; just this side of jammy. The alcohol is big at 15.4% alc., and while it wasn’t hot on the finish 6 years ago, now exhibits heat on the finish. According to the back label, 100 year old vines produce the fruit. 15.4% alc. With grilled bison burgers. Recommended.
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Black cherry and black berries, well balanced, thick backbone of tannin still showing through, could go a couple of years, maybe more, long lingering CA zin finish.
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Very ripe blackberry, veering towards prune but with enough minerality to reel it in. Still this is big, alcoholic and a bit tough to drink with chalky tannins.
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Hedonism in a very good way. Strong berry flavors out in front with the start of some brambly, blackberry notes developing. Nice structure but the fruit is way out in front. I would think this would continue to improve over several years.
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I love a good zin and this delivers the goods with a fair bit of rusticity. Not a big purple bruiser but densely packed with strong backbone of acidity that gives the fruit a wild berry sort of character. Loads of pepper and spice and earth and softening tannins. What more do you want for $20 or so?
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This is really rounding into shape nicely. Beautiful fruit, delicious. The tannins are resolving and the finish is great. Wish this wasn't my last bottle.
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15.4% alc...dusty, spicy, raspberry, extremely peppery, smells of really ripe fruit with a touch of wasabi (maybe the heat sneaking in?)...rich and delicious Zin on the palate, middling in structure, big acid, and one hell of a long and drawn out finish, no apparent heat either which is a blessing - served straight out of the cellar, no decanting. ***.
88 Zin, 8 Alicante Bouschet, 4 PS.
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Straight from the bottle, deep purple, beautiful and complex perfume, coats the mouth with dense black fruit and hints of red fruit, spice, white pepper. A hint of heat, which doesn't distract as the fruit is still dancing, on the finish. Well built, sorry to say it's my last bottle.
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Man this is good. Right out of the bottle this wine is really sings. Dark, deep rich fruit. Very ripe, sweet and smooth. 2nd day - not as good this time. Alcohol showing through. 87 pts.
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Very full flavors of black cherry, pepper, leather, a hint of prune with a nicely rounded, smooth tannic finish. This has really come around since first tasted upon release. Even better on Day 2. Almost Rhone-like in it's profile. Last bottle
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Deep, nearly opaque purple. Intense, complex, meaty aromas of briary blackberries, plums, pepper, nutmeg. A mouthful on the palate.. briary blackberries, rasberries, plums, and pepper as the nose, with a strong acid backbone that give the intense fruit some good balance and focus. A touch of earthiness and some toasty oak adds nice complexity and is well integrated. Definitely full bodied, even touch "hot" on the mid-palate, without feeling too heavy overall. Peppery, black cherry finish that is only moderately long. Solid wine to enjoy in it's youth for it's abundance of fruit.
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Brilliant and clear ruby magenta. Tasted in two stages: day one, immediately following a 1997 Biondi-Santi Sassoalloro sangiovese, this zin screamed of searing oak barnstorming over a river of brambleberry jam. Day two: aroma and flavor profile still influenced by oak-derived flavors like eucalyptus and vanilla. A lot of dark fruits here too, and good length on the finish. Not as good as my prior experiences with this wine and vintage, which I'd rated 91-92, and liked better than the Geyserville and Lytton Springs. 88% zinfandel, 8% alicante bouschet, 4% petite sirah. Alcohol 15.4%.
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Wow! This is the first 2001 Ridge PR I have tasted...and I am quite impressed. I think this stands up favorably with it's more respected siblings: Lytton Springs & Geyserville. Fantastic nose of black fruit. "Draper Spice" is more pronounced than in the sibling wines. Very well balanced, and a terrific Zin overall!
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Fruity, peppery, with plenty of acidity and firm tannins. 88% Zinfandel, 8% Alicante Bouschet, 4% Petite Sirah, 15.4% alcohol. Nice earthiness to the fruit flavors. Should drink well for 5-8 years.
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Friday, March 05, 2004 88% Zinfandel, 8% Alicante Bouschet, 4 % Petite Sirah. Deep, dark color in the center with bright purple on the rim. Jammy, boysenberry, blackberry, bramblely funk, Dr. Pepper-like notes and pepper. Rich and sweet tannins. A big wine that slaps you on the back (but then, I’m a Ridge whore.) A whopping 15.4% alc., but doesn’t drink like a high alcohol wine (didn’t detect any hotness.) From, according to the back label, 100 year old vines. Double decanted.
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"New Blind Wines" at Campisi's: Blind red 6 - Sweet nose of reduced caramel, burlap, alcohol. Smells like Amarone. A whiff of cork? A big rich, sweet wine with caramel, cherry cola, and black fruit. Not bad, but the fruit seemed a little muddy and stewed for my taste.
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Tasted at the Vintage Wines, Ltd. tasting bar. Bright disc. Opaque black/purple robe with purple rim. Clean nose, showing quite intense, over-ripe aromas of prunes and raisins. Full-bodied, with big ripe tannins, low acidity, hot alcohol and similar over-ripe flavors. Medium, hot finish. Disappointing.
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11/17/2019 - bon vivant wrote: 94 Points
A great bottle at a fine point along the evo curve, i was surprised and happy how well balanced and pretty this was. drank well on opening and just continued to improve over the evening. Paul Drapper called it a great vintage & recommandation on the back label was to age 5-7 years from release, and that was way too conservative a drinking window. Fun & very fine bottle
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5/28/2016 - timewithwine wrote:
In the glass, the color is dark and deep beef blood red. It’s almost opaque. The nose is closed, as if a young wine (but the only young wine is L-M and this isn’t that). The wine is very clean ad clear. Deep, caramelized rhubarb with coffee and bramble berry fill the nose. There is Draper Perfume here. Some detected cinnamon and allspice. Most everyone seemed to think this wine had one of the best bouquets and smoothest drinking of the lot. 15.4% alc. Recommended. All wines tasted with homemade dry rubbed smoked pork shoulder BBQ). 05.28.16 with good friends to celebrate Memorial Day holiday.
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7/3/2015 - BoulderWine wrote: 86 Points
Much better than the bottle several years ago, which must have been flawed. The cork was very fragile and fell apart but nothing a good strainer couldn't address. Good color and nice fruity aromas. The fruit was still there but the flavors after 14 years were too pruney for my taste. But a friend really liked it and kept saying "cassis."
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4/29/2015 - unionst Likes this wine: 95 Points
N.B. Bought directly from winery on release and cellared in pristine conditions since (never moved). The cork had less than 1 mm of color saturation.
Wow this is good!
Black cherry color. No signs of bricking at all.
Jammy on the nose with ripe plums, dark berries and black cherries coupled with baking spices (a little pumpkin muffin).
REALLY good red licorice, ripe plum sauce and black cherries on the palate. A rich and thick mouthfeel with a great counter balance of acidity. Yields a mouth watering and very long finish. A masculine wine in every way but the acidity makes this a very special wine.
So fresh and youthful at 13+ years. Draper really did a masterful job with this.
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3/27/2014 - affordableCollector wrote: 87 Points
dark red body, lighter red rim, in the color. cherry, raspberry, herbs, on the nose. cherry, spice, earth, note of citrus, on the palate. medium acid, on the finish.
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1/17/2014 - timewithwine wrote:
The color is plum at the rim and an opaque blue-black at the core. This has every indication of being (still) a very young wine. The nose, unfortunately, is dominated by blueberry, which is not a characteristic I have ever noticed in this wine previously. The nose is also floral while also showing the usual Zin funk, Dr. Pepper and brown sugar, but it also shows something “stoney.” This is not so much “mineral” as it is the smell of rip-rap. It’s an attractive feature that makes the senses perk up a bit. The profile tracks the nose to a tee. Throwing lots of sediment just now. 15.4% alc. With blue cheeses, country ham, black olives and bread. Recommended.
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12/2/2013 - GTFreek wrote:
Fruit still showing well, dried raspberries, stewed cherries, stewed tomato, tea leaf, secondary aged components obvious, dry mushroom, musty forest, some oxidation on the finish. Couple of hours later really showed it's age in a fading way. Drink now and enjoy.
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4/11/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Dark cherry, herbal, and brambly, but a bit hot. Deep fruited, herbal palate. Somewhat simple. Medium-length finish, but with a sharp, tannic ending.
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1/25/2013 - pkatz Likes this wine: 91 Points
Delicous, still youthful, but showing some maturity.
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2/3/2012 - cyak wrote: 86 Points
Past it's prime now in 2012. Mild peppery taste but softer thAn one would expect. Subtle dry fig and lemon tastes.
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1/6/2012 - mlawren1 wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful wine, berries, plums, and raisins flow in the mouth. Finishes with some prune and earth.
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9/3/2011 - no leashes wrote: 82 Points
Prunes, raisins, too ripe and round. Over the hill?
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2/12/2011 - fredb Likes this wine:
Dark red color with slight transparency. Medium crust formed on the side of the bottle and light sediment present; decanting not required. Aromas of slightly roasted cherry, dusty plum, meat, and a hint of anise. The palate initially shows a roasted fruit character but this is replaced with a sweet cherry, plum, zin-berry, and blackberry fruit presence after 20-30 minutes in the glass. The structure here is in balance with the hefty (15.4%) alcohol and this goes down way too easily. A little bit of heat shows on the long finish on day two. Dangerously good and in a good place for drinking. I expect this was tremendous somewhere around 2006 and will continue to be another great Ridge field blend from old vines. Drink or hold.
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2/6/2011 - dlynch wrote: 91 Points
Just delicious with an hour to breathe. Very elegant fruit.
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12/13/2010 - Mr T wrote:
Really big, rich stuff and somewhat hot even after all these years and drunk close to cellar temp....big and round and fruity, but not subtle and not really mellowed by age
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7/3/2010 - Hodby wrote: 88 Points
Medium ruby, garnet edge. Ripe raspberry, dill, brown sugar, vanilla nose. Medium body and low acid mouth feel. Delicious fruit, a bit less intense than usual from this source. Finishes sweet. Bottle #3 of three.
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4/17/2010 - timewithwine wrote:
Six years has passed since I last tried this wine. A blend of 88% Zinfandel, 8% Alicante Bouschet, 4 % Petite Sirah, it still appears to be very young with a deep, dark color from the center to the rim. Rhubarb, blackberry, bramble-Zin funk, brown sugar, Dr. Pepper-like notes along with an almost herbal quality (in a good way). While I wouldn’t call it a jammy wine, it is rich and sweet; just this side of jammy. The alcohol is big at 15.4% alc., and while it wasn’t hot on the finish 6 years ago, now exhibits heat on the finish. According to the back label, 100 year old vines produce the fruit. 15.4% alc. With grilled bison burgers. Recommended.
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3/21/2010 - tourproto wrote: 91 Points
Full bodied wine, very jammy taste . Wine has aged well. Wish I had more bottles.
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10/29/2009 - cassel wrote: 91 Points
Jammy, blackberry and black cherrries. Very well blended, little tannin left but it's our last 2001.
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7/18/2009 - pilot360 wrote: 84 Points
Loads of pepper and heat. did not benefit from decant.
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4/3/2009 - elise wrote: 91 Points
Black cherry and black berries, well balanced, thick backbone of tannin still showing through, could go a couple of years, maybe more, long lingering CA zin finish.
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1/7/2009 - BoulderWine wrote: 70 Points
Well cellared. Cork was very solid and tight. Funky, pruney nose. Very awkward flavors. Not drinkable. Very disappointing
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9/4/2008 - rmodak wrote: 84 Points
Very ripe blackberry, veering towards prune but with enough minerality to reel it in. Still this is big, alcoholic and a bit tough to drink with chalky tannins.
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7/25/2008 - JBVino wrote:
disappointing roasted flavors driven by overripe fruit and too much alchohol
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11/28/2007 - madeiradog wrote: 91 Points
Hedonism in a very good way. Strong berry flavors out in front with the start of some brambly, blackberry notes developing. Nice structure but the fruit is way out in front. I would think this would continue to improve over several years.
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4/12/2007 - madeiradog wrote: 91 Points
I love a good zin and this delivers the goods with a fair bit of rusticity. Not a big purple bruiser but densely packed with strong backbone of acidity that gives the fruit a wild berry sort of character. Loads of pepper and spice and earth and softening tannins. What more do you want for $20 or so?
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2/18/2006 - Jack wrote: 93 Points
Really good again tonight. Had it with the 96 Turley Hayne and the Pagani was a little better.
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2/9/2006 - texaswino wrote: 93 Points
This is really rounding into shape nicely. Beautiful fruit, delicious. The tannins are resolving and the finish is great. Wish this wasn't my last bottle.
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12/26/2005 - CO CHRIS wrote:
15.4% alc...dusty, spicy, raspberry, extremely peppery, smells of really ripe fruit with a touch of wasabi (maybe the heat sneaking in?)...rich and delicious Zin on the palate, middling in structure, big acid, and one hell of a long and drawn out finish, no apparent heat either which is a blessing - served straight out of the cellar, no decanting. ***.
88 Zin, 8 Alicante Bouschet, 4 PS.
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12/17/2005 - BDoolin wrote: 90 Points
Straight from the bottle, deep purple, beautiful and complex perfume, coats the mouth with dense black fruit and hints of red fruit, spice, white pepper. A hint of heat, which doesn't distract as the fruit is still dancing, on the finish. Well built, sorry to say it's my last bottle.
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12/4/2005 - Saint Stephen wrote: 88 Points
Good not great - better day 2 - a bit muted for a Cal zin from a big year.
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8/20/2005 - Jack wrote: 93 Points
Man this is good. Right out of the bottle this wine is really sings. Dark, deep rich fruit. Very ripe, sweet and smooth. 2nd day - not as good this time. Alcohol showing through. 87 pts.
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2/6/2005 - 6831 wrote: 90 Points
Very full flavors of black cherry, pepper, leather, a hint of prune with a nicely rounded, smooth tannic finish. This has really come around since first tasted upon release. Even better on Day 2. Almost Rhone-like in it's profile. Last bottle
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1/29/2005 - Jack wrote: 92 Points
Rich, Ripe and Lush. 2nd day even better
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12/11/2004 - PBaird wrote: 89 Points
Deep, nearly opaque purple. Intense, complex, meaty aromas of briary blackberries, plums, pepper, nutmeg. A mouthful on the palate.. briary blackberries, rasberries, plums, and pepper as the nose, with a strong acid backbone that give the intense fruit some good balance and focus. A touch of earthiness and some toasty oak adds nice complexity and is well integrated. Definitely full bodied, even touch "hot" on the mid-palate, without feeling too heavy overall. Peppery, black cherry finish that is only moderately long. Solid wine to enjoy in it's youth for it's abundance of fruit.
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12/9/2004 - RAD wrote: 89 Points
Brilliant and clear ruby magenta. Tasted in two stages: day one, immediately following a 1997 Biondi-Santi Sassoalloro sangiovese, this zin screamed of searing oak barnstorming over a river of brambleberry jam. Day two: aroma and flavor profile still influenced by oak-derived flavors like eucalyptus and vanilla. A lot of dark fruits here too, and good length on the finish. Not as good as my prior experiences with this wine and vintage, which I'd rated 91-92, and liked better than the Geyserville and Lytton Springs. 88% zinfandel, 8% alicante bouschet, 4% petite sirah. Alcohol 15.4%.
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7/28/2004 - Quinn_cab wrote: 92 Points
Wow! This is the first 2001 Ridge PR I have tasted...and I am quite impressed. I think this stands up favorably with it's more respected siblings: Lytton Springs & Geyserville. Fantastic nose of black fruit. "Draper Spice" is more pronounced than in the sibling wines. Very well balanced, and a terrific Zin overall!
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5/25/2004 - texaswino wrote: 90 Points
Fruity, peppery, with plenty of acidity and firm tannins. 88% Zinfandel, 8% Alicante Bouschet, 4% Petite Sirah, 15.4% alcohol. Nice earthiness to the fruit flavors. Should drink well for 5-8 years.
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3/5/2004 - timewithwine wrote:
Friday, March 05, 2004 88% Zinfandel, 8% Alicante Bouschet, 4 % Petite Sirah. Deep, dark color in the center with bright purple on the rim. Jammy, boysenberry, blackberry, bramblely funk, Dr. Pepper-like notes and pepper. Rich and sweet tannins. A big wine that slaps you on the back (but then, I’m a Ridge whore.) A whopping 15.4% alc., but doesn’t drink like a high alcohol wine (didn’t detect any hotness.) From, according to the back label, 100 year old vines. Double decanted.
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2/4/2004 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
"New Blind Wines" at Campisi's: Blind red 6 - Sweet nose of reduced caramel, burlap, alcohol. Smells like Amarone. A whiff of cork? A big rich, sweet wine with caramel, cherry cola, and black fruit. Not bad, but the fruit seemed a little muddy and stewed for my taste.
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11/13/2003 - twoamps wrote: 88 Points
surprisingly thin and a bit acid sharp for a ridge zin not much in the middle, but a nice tannic finish
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9/12/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 80 Points
Tasted at the Vintage Wines, Ltd. tasting bar. Bright disc. Opaque black/purple robe with purple rim. Clean nose, showing quite intense, over-ripe aromas of prunes and raisins. Full-bodied, with big ripe tannins, low acidity, hot alcohol and similar over-ripe flavors. Medium, hot finish. Disappointing.
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