Bought at an auction. Bottle in perfect condition with a cork half soaked. Initially very sweet, it develped quite nicely in the glass. At first it reminded me of a priorat we had the evening before. While this is drinking well now, there seems to be no rush for bottles in good condition. Always funny to read on the label that the producer recommended drinking the wine immediatly upon release of with a bit of age (5-7 years). That's the beauty of wine.
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This was very interesting for a 32 year old wine. We enjoyed it with a rich beef stew. It still had vibrant color with very little bricking, and the fruit was still intact. There was a nice slightly barnyard aroma and flavor, which went very well with the beef.
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Lots of structure, still quite jammy, oaky, and spicy. Also showing a bit of balsamic so my impression is that the components might be maturing at different rates now. Not really getting that tea or claret development you sometimes see. I like it but not my favorite old Geyserville.
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Still going! The cork broke, but the second half was extracted without a problem. Decanted but there was very little sediment. This Geysersville was thoroughly enjoyable — not much fruit left or tannins. Silky smooth but not much depth. Drink now!
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The first two of these that I opened were horribly disappointing, full of VA and Balsamic Vinegar notes. However tonight I got a real treat with a perfectly "on" bottle.
Nose: Very intense dark fruited nose with leather, game and herb notes. Does not fully show its age, as the wine remains dark and somewhat brooding. Palate: Plum, blackberry sauce, rosemary, raspberry, peppercorns, leather and siopce. Just a hint of sherry notes, but really just a pleasant integration. Finish: Resonant black fruit, raspberry, tobacco, sea salt, olives and herbs.
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Getting down to last bottle or so. Deliberately saved in cellar to see whether aging claims for Ridge premium zins are correct. Cork extracted well. Initial nose good. Took a while (1+ hours) on New Years Eve to taste. Gradually some mature raspberry emerged and then a little fascinating slightly "burnt" cocoa undertone. At about 3 hours, drinking well-like a mature vg aged Bordeaux. This wine was fabulous when young, a real treat in the early 2000's, and still something worth drinking now, particularly when trying to revive memories past.
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Selected for Lightning Rounds of the 2018 Zin Thing. The CT drinking window guidance was clearly way off, as this was a superb example of old Geyserville. Deep, vibrant color with only a touch of an orange edge. Complex bouquet that opened with time. Great texture and balance with dark fruit. Another great example of old Ridge Zin!
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First a confession: I like aged Ridge Ridge Zin varietals. This is very Bordeaux like-far different than most zins and very much more mellow than when young. A little fruitier, but dark, cassis, leather, mild tobacco, faded tannins. If you are patient it is great. 1/2 bottle first day, the remainder the second day. Best about 2 hours after opened but still pleasant for a little sipping on second day.
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Not your great aunts Zin... really charming blend of old vine Zinfandel, Carignan and petite Syrah. Many guessed younger Bdx or Burgundy. A touch sweet in the fruit but still pleasant melange of tobacco and cedar and savory notes. Definitely a new experience.
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Bottle had some seepage issues and some VA/balsamic notes. I am hesitant to call this flawed as the style is quite ripe. Second bottle (same source) will hopefully give a clearer picture.
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Ruby red, slight orange tint. Plenty acid and not hot. Aged bramble berries mid slight plumb on moderate finish. Last one. At Chalkboard, Project Zin 4 with Hydes
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30+ wines in Michigan (The Goldberg's): Beautiful showing for this wine. Not quite at maturity but getting close. Purple in color. The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, leather, and spice. More red fruit; cherries and dark cherries on the palate. Nice balance. Great juicy texture. This was 50% Zin. Just beautiful For many a WOTN.
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Still a bit youthful and burly with lots of brambly red fruit and some tannin, but really well balanced with bright, vibrant fruit up front that turns more savoury and earthy on the back end. Love this wine.
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Had alongside a '91 Ridge Petite Sirah (York Creek), which makes up 20% of this wine (Carignan making up 30%). Like my previous notes, this is a big and primary Geyser that needs a lot more time. Excellent structure, fruit, and brambly character.
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Had this after a bottle of 1975 Chateau Simard. Better than expected, but still tons of primary fruit (I admit it might seem this by comparison to the St. Emilion). It's starting to develop some tertiary characteristics, but still quite jammy. I would prefer to have try again in another 5-7 years. Overall quite good and it's in a great place if you're a fan of fruit, but I will wait for some it to die before drinking my remaining bottles.
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Quite brambly and more developed and more enjoyable than any of the previous bottles, showing some tertiary characteristics, though with plenty of life ahead of it.
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Consistent with previous note; excellent ripe young fruit, and plenty of structure to last quite a while. Still developing. For fans of aged Geyser, give this another 5-10 years.
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Once again, a fairly big, burly Geyser that seems to be popular with most but I am not yet a fan, hoping that it settles, integrates, and learns a bit of subtlety. Good, but not yet Ridge Good. Why do people keep asking me to open these. They need to be tucked away for another five years at least, and probably much longer.
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Consistent with previous note, this drinks like a wine ten years younger. Beautiful balance, but on the bigger side of Ridge. Plenty of years left. For my palate, prefer more age.
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Shockingly youthful, but quite compelling right now. The first impressions are all youthful fruit, it shows a core of brambly red fruit initially that still feels very fresh and ripe, but with air accents of leather, smoke, vanilla and higher toned spicy elements develop around the fruit as it becomes much more aromatically complex. The balance here is excellent, it's certainly quite ripe but there's also a fair bit of acidity and some grainy tannin on the back end, and this is a really lovely wine to drink now though it seems to have the fruit and structure to age a while longer.
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Very very very young. I knew that the '91s were built to last, but this is silly. I can't believe that I am saying this of a 22 year old zin, but this has excellent potential but is much too young now. While some tertiary characteristics are present, this is still dominated by ripe fruit and sweet cedar that need time to integrate. Very nice, however.
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Drank alongside the 91 Lytton Springs. Gorgeous red currant fruit (the carignan in the blend is noticeable), palate is almost totally resolved with just a touch of soft velvet, wonderfully elegant, the right amount of well-integrated acidity, just beautiful. Redder and more elegant and much better for my taste than the Lytton.
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A quick decant for sediment, and it was into the glasses immediately (bottle #1 was corked!). Minimal bricking. The nose revealed gorgeous fruit, with just a teeny bit of earth beneath it. The palate was cool, calm, quite tart, and complemented by soft zinfandel spice. The mouthfeel was just pretty, rolling across the tongue like you roll across the king size bed in a fancy hotel. Really enjoyed this, but then again, I always enjoy Geyserville.
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My daughter's birth year wine, drank with her and other family members at a post-holiday dinner of homemade pizzas. Despite some concerns regarding this wine's provenance and longevity, along with a soaked, crumbling cork, it turned out to be remarkably good. Still mostly garnet in color, with some browning and amber at the rim. Nice nose of fragrant herbs and stewed fruits. On the palate, beautifully balanced, with a lot of bottle sweetness, tertiary favors of tobacco, soy sauce, and leather, along with an almost citrus-like acidity. Fully resolved tannins for a silky mouthfeel. Definitely exceeded my expectations, and I don't know that the younger tasters quite knew what to make of it - but no one failed to empty their glass or ask for more. I doubt there are many bottles of this still out there, but if properly stored, this wine still has lots of pleasure to provide.
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Mulberry red, some bricking, with beginning amber tones and rim. Tobacco, earth, super-ripe baked red fruits, varnishy (a pleasant aspect of Draper mature wines for me), almost bretty nose. Sour fruit, brilliant acidity and Bordeaux flavors balancing the Californian fruit/liqueur profile make this a winner. A longggg, beautifully dry finish completes the package. This is decidely at peak and would be fantastic with food. Easy rebuy. Much better the second day, still some fine talcy tannins. This bottle good for another 10 years or so, as Paul's wines always surprise to the upside over time.
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Great cork. No sediment, no bricking. I had a bottle 3 years ago and this one is showing even more youthful with fresh blueberry, mint and red fruits on the nose and carrying through to the palate. Approaching twenty years it is, of course, mellow and resolved, but the flavor is still very tasty and refreshing. The texture is amazingly smooth and leads to a long finish. Good stuff.
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Geyserville Vertical (My House): nose: licorice (faint) and very concentrated, dried fruit aromas. Sweet on the nose. palate: very alive, substantially more tannin than the 1988-1990. Very vibrant and just fun.
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Amazing dark ruby in the glass with very little bricking even after 17 years of age. Nose of pure blackberry essence, slight mint and menthol, great seedy/brambly character. In the mouth perfectly balanced with smooth tannins, moderate acidity and a slight tarry finish. This is as good as it gets with California Zinfandel though it probably helps that there is a fair bit of very old vine Carignane and Petite Sirah mixed in. Wish I had several more bottles as they'd probably go for another 10 years. Picked this one up for slightly over $17 at the old Ashbury Market above Cole Valley back when they were one of the top wine shops in SF.
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Good color with very light bricking around the edge, beautiful nose of dried berries, leather, tobacco. Delicious wine. Beautiful now but will likely hold on for a while.
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Nose leads with gentle tarry blackcurrant. Aromatics are open yet plush - that magic of age. High notes here too - eucalyptus and perhaps mint. Red-fruited chew-sweets.
In the mouth initially big, spicy and dry. Breathes quickly to bitter-cherry Italian style - lightens out nicely. Keeps opening as breathes, with strawberry-jam of Zinf becoming obvious.
This is very satisfying, and 'correct' in a traditional, upright, European sense. Yes, there's Zinf and California here, but it's also Medoc-meets-Chianti.
90-91, 91? No reason why it shouldn't drink well for another 5+ years.
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Muzzie's Cellar; 8/30/2008-9/10/2008 (Muzzie's house and other places): Cork showed some signs of leakage around one side. Opened with a powerful rubber tire odor--with strong hints of dark fruit behind it--that took a while to diminish significantly. As it is did, however, the wine became beautifully fruity, with nice secondary notes of leather and cedar and a fine cherry flavor. We should have let this sit open another couple of hours because it kept getting better. But we drank it all. Not sublime, but a very nice aged drink for our evening meal.
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What craftsmanship. Color still beautiful light red. Not too thik, not thin. Cracked the bottle, nose of something foul mixed with pipe tobacco & burnt toffee. Nose changed over a few hours, growing more complex, tough to resolve. Chocolate/Cherry on the palate at first. Beautful mouthfeel, finish was great. Buy , buy, buy and drink.
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Took to a golf/wine off-line. Bottle stayed in a cooler all afternoon, so served slightly chilled. Pop and pour. Cork in excellent shape; throwing some sediment. Color was medium red with no bricking. In fact, the color, nose and palate were all surprisingly youthful and red-toned. A mellow wine with good balance and fully resolved tannin. Lively, but not strident, fruits. Full and round on the tongue leading to a smooth finish with nary a discordant or overblown note to be found. Holding well. I am glad that I tried this before the bigger styled Zins and Syrahs.
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Geyserville vertical. First of three vintages tasted. Better than my prior bottle a week earlier. Sweet cherry aromatics and palate. Nice pepper. Did not taste hot this time. Good acidity and length. Suffered only in comparison when tasted next to the 1997.
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I am a Geyserville fan. It is the first wine (1990) that made me want to collect wine. I have had several outstanding bottles of the 1991 previously, so this bottle has to compete with some high expectations. The nose smells mostly of... alcohol, although with cherry liqueur. The palate shows sweet cherry, coats my tongue with sweeter cherry for a good 45 seconds+, and some modest pepper. Overall, the wine is balanced, despite being hot. 1991 Geyserville has always come across as more cherry, and sweeter fruit than is typical for Geyserville. And although the wine still tastes youthful (and a whole lot better than most zinfandel tastes at release), it seems less inviting than prior tasting I've had.
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RICH BERRY FRUIT WITH RASPBERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES AS WELL AS BLACK CHERRIES IN THE NOSE WITH A TOUCH OF CHOCOLATE AND MINT. FLAVOR LIKE THE NOSE. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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Zins @ Minetta Tavern (NYC): Dark! Ripe! Beautifully balanced. Scents and flavors of raspberry liquor. Tannic and young, but still very drinkable. No rough edges here.
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Zinfandel Tasting (Lafayette, Ca.): Rich and big tannic nose and taste, medium amount of soft tannins, slight hints of olive oil on palate and finish. My #5.
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3/31/2024 - boillatm Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bought at an auction. Bottle in perfect condition with a cork half soaked.
Initially very sweet, it develped quite nicely in the glass. At first it reminded me of a priorat we had the evening before.
While this is drinking well now, there seems to be no rush for bottles in good condition.
Always funny to read on the label that the producer recommended drinking the wine immediatly upon release of with a bit of age (5-7 years). That's the beauty of wine.
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2/21/2023 - LordValentine Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was very interesting for a 32 year old wine. We enjoyed it with a rich beef stew. It still had vibrant color with very little bricking, and the fruit was still intact. There was a nice slightly barnyard aroma and flavor, which went very well with the beef.
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9/24/2021 - andtheodor wrote: 88 Points
Lots of structure, still quite jammy, oaky, and spicy. Also showing a bit of balsamic so my impression is that the components might be maturing at different rates now. Not really getting that tea or claret development you sometimes see. I like it but not my favorite old Geyserville.
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8/22/2020 - Floyd77 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still going! The cork broke, but the second half was extracted without a problem. Decanted but there was very little sediment. This Geysersville was thoroughly enjoyable — not much fruit left or tannins. Silky smooth but not much depth. Drink now!
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1/13/2019 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
The first two of these that I opened were horribly disappointing, full of VA and Balsamic Vinegar notes. However tonight I got a real treat with a perfectly "on" bottle.
Nose: Very intense dark fruited nose with leather, game and herb notes. Does not fully show its age, as the wine remains dark and somewhat brooding. Palate: Plum, blackberry sauce, rosemary, raspberry, peppercorns, leather and siopce. Just a hint of sherry notes, but really just a pleasant integration. Finish: Resonant black fruit, raspberry, tobacco, sea salt, olives and herbs.
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1/1/2019 - gavidearl Likes this wine: 90 Points
Getting down to last bottle or so. Deliberately saved in cellar to see whether aging claims for Ridge premium zins are correct. Cork extracted well. Initial nose good. Took a while (1+ hours) on New Years Eve to taste. Gradually some mature raspberry emerged and then a little fascinating slightly "burnt" cocoa undertone. At about 3 hours, drinking well-like a mature vg aged Bordeaux. This wine was fabulous when young, a real treat in the early 2000's, and still something worth drinking now, particularly when trying to revive memories past.
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11/3/2018 - winecat9 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Selected for Lightning Rounds of the 2018 Zin Thing. The CT drinking window guidance was clearly way off, as this was a superb example of old Geyserville. Deep, vibrant color with only a touch of an orange edge. Complex bouquet that opened with time. Great texture and balance with dark fruit. Another great example of old Ridge Zin!
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6/23/2018 - gavidearl wrote: 90 Points
First a confession: I like aged Ridge Ridge Zin varietals. This is very Bordeaux like-far different than most zins and very much more mellow than when young. A little fruitier, but dark, cassis, leather, mild tobacco, faded tannins. If you are patient it is great. 1/2 bottle first day, the remainder the second day. Best about 2 hours after opened but still pleasant for a little sipping on second day.
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5/7/2018 - LW31 Likes this wine:
Not your great aunts Zin... really charming blend of old vine Zinfandel, Carignan and petite Syrah. Many guessed younger Bdx or Burgundy. A touch sweet in the fruit but still pleasant melange of tobacco and cedar and savory notes. Definitely a new experience.
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6/15/2017 - RockinCabs wrote:
Bottle had some seepage issues and some VA/balsamic notes. I am hesitant to call this flawed as the style is quite ripe. Second bottle (same source) will hopefully give a clearer picture.
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8/16/2015 - juiced Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ruby red, slight orange tint. Plenty acid and not hot. Aged bramble berries mid slight plumb on moderate finish. Last one. At Chalkboard, Project Zin 4 with Hydes
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12/29/2014 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
30+ wines in Michigan (The Goldberg's): Beautiful showing for this wine. Not quite at maturity but getting close. Purple in color. The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, leather, and spice. More red fruit; cherries and dark cherries on the palate. Nice balance. Great juicy texture. This was 50% Zin. Just beautiful For many a WOTN.
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12/10/2014 - woof Likes this wine: 90 Points
decanted; better after an hour; drinking very nice
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4/8/2014 - salil wrote: 91 Points
Still a bit youthful and burly with lots of brambly red fruit and some tannin, but really well balanced with bright, vibrant fruit up front that turns more savoury and earthy on the back end. Love this wine.
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4/8/2014 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Had alongside a '91 Ridge Petite Sirah (York Creek), which makes up 20% of this wine (Carignan making up 30%). Like my previous notes, this is a big and primary Geyser that needs a lot more time. Excellent structure, fruit, and brambly character.
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12/26/2013 - scottnmand wrote: 90 Points
Had this after a bottle of 1975 Chateau Simard. Better than expected, but still tons of primary fruit (I admit it might seem this by comparison to the St. Emilion). It's starting to develop some tertiary characteristics, but still quite jammy. I would prefer to have try again in another 5-7 years. Overall quite good and it's in a great place if you're a fan of fruit, but I will wait for some it to die before drinking my remaining bottles.
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11/27/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Quite brambly and more developed and more enjoyable than any of the previous bottles, showing some tertiary characteristics, though with plenty of life ahead of it.
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11/10/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with previous note; excellent ripe young fruit, and plenty of structure to last quite a while. Still developing. For fans of aged Geyser, give this another 5-10 years.
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10/20/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 91 Points
Once again, a fairly big, burly Geyser that seems to be popular with most but I am not yet a fan, hoping that it settles, integrates, and learns a bit of subtlety. Good, but not yet Ridge Good. Why do people keep asking me to open these. They need to be tucked away for another five years at least, and probably much longer.
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10/1/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote: flawed
Second flawed bottle in a row, sour, though slightly bit more (stewed) fruit than last bottle.
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10/1/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote: flawed
Deep ruby, but smelling of vinegar and iodine, with only faint pruney fruit.
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10/1/2013 - salil wrote: flawed
Two bottles, both flawed with barely any fruit and strange oxidative/maderized notes. Damn.
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9/23/2013 - rhanke wrote: 91 Points
drink now, I do not think it will get any better than now.
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7/24/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Consistent with previous note, this drinks like a wine ten years younger. Beautiful balance, but on the bigger side of Ridge. Plenty of years left. For my palate, prefer more age.
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6/5/2013 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Shockingly youthful, but quite compelling right now. The first impressions are all youthful fruit, it shows a core of brambly red fruit initially that still feels very fresh and ripe, but with air accents of leather, smoke, vanilla and higher toned spicy elements develop around the fruit as it becomes much more aromatically complex. The balance here is excellent, it's certainly quite ripe but there's also a fair bit of acidity and some grainy tannin on the back end, and this is a really lovely wine to drink now though it seems to have the fruit and structure to age a while longer.
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6/4/2013 - indiscriminate palate wrote: 92 Points
Very very very young. I knew that the '91s were built to last, but this is silly. I can't believe that I am saying this of a 22 year old zin, but this has excellent potential but is much too young now. While some tertiary characteristics are present, this is still dominated by ripe fruit and sweet cedar that need time to integrate. Very nice, however.
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5/2/2013 - coremill wrote: 92 Points
Drank alongside the 91 Lytton Springs. Gorgeous red currant fruit (the carignan in the blend is noticeable), palate is almost totally resolved with just a touch of soft velvet, wonderfully elegant, the right amount of well-integrated acidity, just beautiful. Redder and more elegant and much better for my taste than the Lytton.
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2/18/2013 - tarheel17 Likes this wine: 91 Points
A quick decant for sediment, and it was into the glasses immediately (bottle #1 was corked!). Minimal bricking.
The nose revealed gorgeous fruit, with just a teeny bit of earth beneath it. The palate was cool, calm, quite tart, and complemented by soft zinfandel spice. The mouthfeel was just pretty, rolling across the tongue like you roll across the king size bed in a fancy hotel. Really enjoyed this, but then again, I always enjoy Geyserville.
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12/30/2012 - ecola Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking great right now. Pure red cherry with soft tannins. Surprised at how well this is doing.
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12/29/2012 - Brix Likes this wine: 92 Points
My daughter's birth year wine, drank with her and other family members at a post-holiday dinner of homemade pizzas. Despite some concerns regarding this wine's provenance and longevity, along with a soaked, crumbling cork, it turned out to be remarkably good. Still mostly garnet in color, with some browning and amber at the rim. Nice nose of fragrant herbs and stewed fruits. On the palate, beautifully balanced, with a lot of bottle sweetness, tertiary favors of tobacco, soy sauce, and leather, along with an almost citrus-like acidity. Fully resolved tannins for a silky mouthfeel. Definitely exceeded my expectations, and I don't know that the younger tasters quite knew what to make of it - but no one failed to empty their glass or ask for more. I doubt there are many bottles of this still out there, but if properly stored, this wine still has lots of pleasure to provide.
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5/23/2011 - sawira wrote: 94 Points
Mulberry red, some bricking, with beginning amber tones and rim. Tobacco, earth, super-ripe baked red fruits, varnishy (a pleasant aspect of Draper mature wines for me), almost bretty nose. Sour fruit, brilliant acidity and Bordeaux flavors balancing the Californian fruit/liqueur profile make this a winner. A longggg, beautifully dry finish completes the package. This is decidely at peak and would be fantastic with food. Easy rebuy. Much better the second day, still some fine talcy tannins. This bottle good for another 10 years or so, as Paul's wines always surprise to the upside over time.
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5/4/2011 - peterk wrote: 91 Points
Consistent with the last writer's notes in all respects. For my personal taste, though, I would give a mildly lower score.
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4/25/2011 - Rangstrom wrote: 93 Points
Great cork. No sediment, no bricking. I had a bottle 3 years ago and this one is showing even more youthful with fresh blueberry, mint and red fruits on the nose and carrying through to the palate. Approaching twenty years it is, of course, mellow and resolved, but the flavor is still very tasty and refreshing. The texture is amazingly smooth and leads to a long finish. Good stuff.
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8/2/2009 - ginfizz wrote: 91 Points
Delicious and consistent with recent notes.
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4/18/2009 - tarheel17 wrote:
Geyserville Vertical (My House): nose: licorice (faint) and very concentrated, dried fruit aromas. Sweet on the nose.
palate: very alive, substantially more tannin than the 1988-1990. Very vibrant and just fun.
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4/10/2009 - locovino wrote: 93 Points
Wow! Excellent aged Zinfandel blend...
Amazing dark ruby in the glass with very little bricking even after 17 years of age. Nose of pure blackberry essence, slight mint and menthol, great seedy/brambly character. In the mouth perfectly balanced with smooth tannins, moderate acidity and a slight tarry finish. This is as good as it gets with California Zinfandel though it probably helps that there is a fair bit of very old vine Carignane and Petite Sirah mixed in. Wish I had several more bottles as they'd probably go for another 10 years. Picked this one up for slightly over $17 at the old Ashbury Market above Cole Valley back when they were one of the top wine shops in SF.
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4/5/2009 - NVWINE79 wrote: 91 Points
Good color with very light bricking around the edge, beautiful nose of dried berries, leather, tobacco. Delicious wine. Beautiful now but will likely hold on for a while.
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2/3/2009 - campingfleurie wrote: 91 Points
Nose leads with gentle tarry blackcurrant. Aromatics are open yet plush - that magic of age. High notes here too - eucalyptus and perhaps mint. Red-fruited chew-sweets.
In the mouth initially big, spicy and dry. Breathes quickly to bitter-cherry Italian style - lightens out nicely. Keeps opening as breathes, with strawberry-jam of Zinf becoming obvious.
This is very satisfying, and 'correct' in a traditional, upright, European sense. Yes, there's Zinf and California here, but it's also Medoc-meets-Chianti.
90-91, 91? No reason why it shouldn't drink well for another 5+ years.
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10/26/2008 - DUSTOFF wrote: 92 Points
Still holding very well. Nose of an aged Cali Cab, still lots of great earthy fruit, full palate and a long satisfying finish.
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9/6/2008 - Junior wrote:
Muzzie's Cellar; 8/30/2008-9/10/2008 (Muzzie's house and other places): Cork showed some signs of leakage around one side. Opened with a powerful rubber tire odor--with strong hints of dark fruit behind it--that took a while to diminish significantly. As it is did, however, the wine became beautifully fruity, with nice secondary notes of leather and cedar and a fine cherry flavor. We should have let this sit open another couple of hours because it kept getting better. But we drank it all. Not sublime, but a very nice aged drink for our evening meal.
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7/14/2008 - tplskylrk wrote: 92 Points
What craftsmanship. Color still beautiful light red. Not too thik, not thin. Cracked the bottle, nose of something foul mixed with pipe tobacco & burnt toffee. Nose changed over a few hours, growing more complex, tough to resolve. Chocolate/Cherry on the palate at first. Beautful mouthfeel, finish was great. Buy , buy, buy and drink.
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7/13/2008 - Rangstrom wrote: 92 Points
Took to a golf/wine off-line. Bottle stayed in a cooler all afternoon, so served slightly chilled. Pop and pour. Cork in excellent shape; throwing some sediment. Color was medium red with no bricking. In fact, the color, nose and palate were all surprisingly youthful and red-toned. A mellow wine with good balance and fully resolved tannin. Lively, but not strident, fruits. Full and round on the tongue leading to a smooth finish with nary a discordant or overblown note to be found. Holding well. I am glad that I tried this before the bigger styled Zins and Syrahs.
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1/5/2008 - jmht wrote: 88 Points
Geyserville vertical. First of three vintages tasted. Better than my prior bottle a week earlier. Sweet cherry aromatics and palate. Nice pepper. Did not taste hot this time. Good acidity and length. Suffered only in comparison when tasted next to the 1997.
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12/21/2007 - jmht wrote: 88 Points
I am a Geyserville fan. It is the first wine (1990) that made me want to collect wine. I have had several outstanding bottles of the 1991 previously, so this bottle has to compete with some high expectations. The nose smells mostly of... alcohol, although with cherry liqueur. The palate shows sweet cherry, coats my tongue with sweeter cherry for a good 45 seconds+, and some modest pepper. Overall, the wine is balanced, despite being hot. 1991 Geyserville has always come across as more cherry, and sweeter fruit than is typical for Geyserville. And although the wine still tastes youthful (and a whole lot better than most zinfandel tastes at release), it seems less inviting than prior tasting I've had.
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7/24/2004 - thewinelake wrote: 92 Points
UK wine-pages Geyserville Vertical (London): Warm and fruity. Seems alcoholic and youthfully exuberant yet very much in balance. Really lovely wine.
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4/11/2003 - buckeye76 wrote: 92 Points
LEATHER, LICORICE, AND BLACK CHERRIES IN THE NOSE. CURRENTS, PLUMS, AND BLACK CHERRIES IN THE FLAVOR. LONG FINISH.
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11/17/2001 - buckeye76 wrote: 94 Points
RICH BERRY FRUIT WITH RASPBERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES AS WELL AS BLACK CHERRIES IN THE NOSE WITH A TOUCH OF CHOCOLATE AND MINT. FLAVOR LIKE THE NOSE. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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8/24/1999 - buckeye76 wrote: 93 Points
DEEP RICH FRUIT, CHOCOLATE, LICORICE, AND LEATHER IN THE NOSE. RICH BERRY FRUIT AND BLACK CHERRIES IN THE FLAVOR. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.
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2/18/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 95 Points
Zins @ Minetta Tavern (NYC): Dark! Ripe! Beautifully balanced. Scents and flavors of raspberry liquor. Tannic and young, but still very drinkable. No rough edges here.
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7/1/1997 - dbg wrote:
rich deep color, very forward nose of spice, berries, full bodied
rich fruit on palate with well-integrated tannins, still going strong
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10/31/1995 - Marc wrote:
At Matt Ross's pot luck. Very good. Rich, excellent oak, opulent wine. Needs another year or so but definately the wine of the night.
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6/23/1994 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 87 Points
Zinfandel Tasting (Lafayette, Ca.): Rich and big tannic nose and taste, medium amount of soft tannins, slight hints of olive oil on palate and finish. My #5.
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3/26/1994 - dbg wrote:
still fantastic
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