Long lived and deceptively complex, this shows bottle age nuances reminiscent of fall. Dried red fruit, blood orange, forest floor, pencil lead, and a hint of sweetness on the autumnal bouquet. The palate is complex, tertiary, and exceptionally balanced. Raspberry and blueberry fruit flavors show orange acidity and the slightest hint of caramel. The finish fades nicely. Well done.
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SHOWING MODERAGE AGE WITH COLOR ALMOST ORANGE. OVERPOWERING BERRY NOSE. LOTS OF ALCH AND A BIT ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES. RASBERRY FRUIT WELL BALANCED WITH ALCH BUT HUGE BODY. READY NOW. HALF BOTTLE.
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Opened 30-45 minutes or so, at which point one detects plum, red fruit, herbs, vanilla and licorice. Leather and tobacco notes emerge with additional time in the glass. Red fruit, plum and herb tones on the palate, maybe just a bit thin on the back end preventing a higher score but this is still damn fine juice. Drink now-2017.
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Dinner at Anvil with Allred. Color has gone towards brick red/orange showing its age. Notes of mushroom, tobacco, leather and other tertiary notes. Nose had a bordeaux-lite profile almost. Clearly on the downside of hill, but still a lovely bottle.
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Cedar, strawberry, raspberry, great acidity and fresh sweet fruits. Leather, some antiseptic and caramel emerging with air. Quite mature but very fine, exactly what old Ridge should be!
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Deep ruby with some mahogany throughout and a sweet, mature nose. Black cherries, cassis, cedar, barnyard in a balanced, silky whole. Fruit past its prime, tannins light.
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Amazingly spectacular for an old timer. Drinking beautifully gorgeous cedar and meat nose Lovely full mouth feel almost oily Long fruit and tobacco finish Truly an incredible Zin more like a perfect elderly Bordeaux
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Loire Wines at Lotus (Lotus of Siam - Las vegas, NV): Reductive nose at first with lots of funkiness. After an hour or so in the decanter the funk blew off and the wine became more approachable. Tasted blind, there would have been no way I would have pegged this as a zinfandel. It had violets, subtly cured meat, and spiced plum tones.
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Subtle perfume with tobacco, fresh strawberry, emerging eucalyptus. Raspberry tea, caramel, bayleaf, palate with some mocha and licorice too. Delicate, herbal, almost weightless, what an amazing old wine. This is America's real wine heritage.
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Very different than my previous bottle - this seemed a lot younger and at an awkward in-between stage. Dark and inelegant, not showing its stuff. In retrospect, should've given it some time in a decanter. But popped when dinner was ready, based on how the previous bottle performed.
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Stored perfectly since release. Nose of urine when first opened had me me a little concerned, but blew off after 30 min. to show more of cedar and tobacco. Nice plum, tobacco, and a hint of brown sugar on the palate. No lack of fruit at this stage and plenty of nice acidity to keep it feeling pretty fresh for a 23 yr old Zin. Glad I still have one of these left and will hold for a least another year as this one seems to have plenty of life left.
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Knowing that my friend Ash was a very big Zin fan, I pulled my oldest Ridge, the 1987. I wasn’t sure what to expect, other than having very favorable experiences with older Ridges. This Geyserville was absolutely stunning. Aged dark amber, it looked more like an older Bordeaux and tasted very much the same. Earthy with barn and saddle leather elements, much closer to Bordeaux than zin in character. Absolutely fantastic and not at all expected. The wine took 15 minutes to open up , but was otherwise ready from the start. This bottle came directly from Ridge back in 2001, so the provenance was excellent and I’m sure made a difference.
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BIG ZIN! DEEP BLACKBERRY AND BLACKCURRENT NOSE. CHEWY, JAMMY FULL FLAVORED W/ TOUCH OF SPICE (1/91). NOW MORE OF A DRIED FRUIT NOSE, RASPBERRY FLAVOR. LONG FINISH. SAME SCORES AS EARLIER TSTG.
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5/22/2018 - wynlvr wrote: 94 Points
Who could ask for more? So good!
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2/7/2018 - wynlvr wrote: 93 Points
lots of everything, fruit, and balance yet it is time to drink, it will not get any better
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4/9/2017 - Baron Slick wrote: 89 Points
Long lived and deceptively complex, this shows bottle age nuances reminiscent of fall. Dried red fruit, blood orange, forest floor, pencil lead, and a hint of sweetness on the autumnal bouquet. The palate is complex, tertiary, and exceptionally balanced. Raspberry and blueberry fruit flavors show orange acidity and the slightest hint of caramel. The finish fades nicely. Well done.
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9/10/2016 - STEVEN@WINECELLARCLUB.COM wrote: 89 Points
SHOWING MODERAGE AGE WITH COLOR ALMOST ORANGE. OVERPOWERING BERRY NOSE. LOTS OF ALCH AND A BIT ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES. RASBERRY FRUIT WELL BALANCED WITH ALCH BUT HUGE BODY. READY NOW. HALF BOTTLE.
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5/27/2014 - andtheodor wrote: 92 Points
Dry strawberries, jerky, herbal tisane, tar. Sufficient acidity to support an exotic and savory old wine of real beauty. Love these.
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4/15/2014 - AllRed wrote: 91 Points
Opened 30-45 minutes or so, at which point one detects plum, red fruit, herbs, vanilla and licorice. Leather and tobacco notes emerge with additional time in the glass. Red fruit, plum and herb tones on the palate, maybe just a bit thin on the back end preventing a higher score but this is still damn fine juice. Drink now-2017.
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4/15/2014 - thelostverse wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at Anvil with Allred. Color has gone towards brick red/orange showing its age. Notes of mushroom, tobacco, leather and other tertiary notes. Nose had a bordeaux-lite profile almost. Clearly on the downside of hill, but still a lovely bottle.
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4/5/2013 - andtheodor wrote: 93 Points
Cedar, strawberry, raspberry, great acidity and fresh sweet fruits. Leather, some antiseptic and caramel emerging with air. Quite mature but very fine, exactly what old Ridge should be!
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3/27/2013 - vine20 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep ruby with some mahogany throughout and a sweet, mature nose. Black cherries, cassis, cedar, barnyard in a balanced, silky whole. Fruit past its prime, tannins light.
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7/21/2012 - EllisWine wrote: 94 Points
Amazingly spectacular for an old timer. Drinking beautifully gorgeous cedar and meat nose Lovely full mouth feel almost oily Long fruit and tobacco finish Truly an incredible Zin more like a perfect elderly Bordeaux
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3/2/2012 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Loire Wines at Lotus (Lotus of Siam - Las vegas, NV): Reductive nose at first with lots of funkiness. After an hour or so in the decanter the funk blew off and the wine became more approachable. Tasted blind, there would have been no way I would have pegged this as a zinfandel. It had violets, subtly cured meat, and spiced plum tones.
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2/20/2012 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 91 Points
Blind Tasting 1980-87 Ridge Geyservilles (Rich & Peggy's House, Los Altos, CA): Blackberry jam and black pepper. Light to medium body with medium+ acidity. Mix of tart and ripe raspberry and blackberry. Great acidity and balance. (my 3rd, group's 2nd)
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12/13/2011 - andtheodor wrote: 92 Points
Subtle perfume with tobacco, fresh strawberry, emerging eucalyptus. Raspberry tea, caramel, bayleaf, palate with some mocha and licorice too. Delicate, herbal, almost weightless, what an amazing old wine. This is America's real wine heritage.
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9/6/2010 - yhn wrote:
Very different than my previous bottle - this seemed a lot younger and at an awkward in-between stage. Dark and inelegant, not showing its stuff. In retrospect, should've given it some time in a decanter. But popped when dinner was ready, based on how the previous bottle performed.
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6/4/2010 - glaze3 wrote:
Stored perfectly since release. Nose of urine when first opened had me me a little concerned, but blew off after 30 min. to show more of cedar and tobacco. Nice plum, tobacco, and a hint of brown sugar on the palate. No lack of fruit at this stage and plenty of nice acidity to keep it feeling pretty fresh for a 23 yr old Zin. Glad I still have one of these left and will hold for a least another year as this one seems to have plenty of life left.
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5/12/2007 - Mark wrote: 93 Points
Knowing that my friend Ash was a very big Zin fan, I pulled my oldest Ridge, the 1987. I wasn’t sure what to expect, other than having very favorable experiences with older Ridges. This Geyserville was absolutely stunning. Aged dark amber, it looked more like an older Bordeaux and tasted very much the same. Earthy with barn and saddle leather elements, much closer to Bordeaux than zin in character. Absolutely fantastic and not at all expected. The wine took 15 minutes to open up , but was otherwise ready from the start. This bottle came directly from Ridge back in 2001, so the provenance was excellent and I’m sure made a difference.
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7/27/2004 - thewinelake wrote: flawed
Corked - moderately severely in my view
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11/17/2001 - stanoak wrote: 85 Points
Past its prime
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10/18/1995 - buckeye76 wrote: 91 Points
BIG ZIN! DEEP BLACKBERRY AND BLACKCURRENT NOSE. CHEWY, JAMMY FULL FLAVORED W/ TOUCH OF SPICE (1/91). NOW MORE OF A DRIED FRUIT NOSE, RASPBERRY FLAVOR. LONG FINISH. SAME SCORES AS EARLIER TSTG.
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