Rather dusty, and a nice balanced wine. Surprisingly young given it's 15 years old. Notes of cocoa and baking spices along with the purple fruit. Another excellent wine from Ridge!
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Bright and fresh. Beautiful balance of fruit and spice. Wears the alcohol very well. Nuanced and food friendly. Another expertly crafted Zin from Ridge.
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While probably very slightly past peak, this was still an immensely enjoyable bottle of wine. Nose of black licorice, oak spice, earth. Can't stres how beautiful the nose was. med bodied on the palate and still packing somewhat of the fruit it had a few years ago, though smoothed out quite a bit. Acidity and a little spice on the back end with tannins completely and fully integrated. Med length finish. Love seeing how Ridge wines evolve over the years.
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This well aged Zin had lost none of its grace, liveliness or attraction. The nose was all jammy fruit but not raisiny (despite the 14.8% alcohol) and on the palate it was rich, smooth, some spice, slightly sweet with lots and lots and lots of brambly zinberry. There was enough acid to keep it lively although all the tannins were well resolved so wouldn't hold any bottles much longer. Ridge makes careful age-worthy wines and this one was no exception.
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This isn’t labeled “Dusi” but the folks at Ridge assure me it is 100% Dusi fruit. Apparently, the Dusi Vineyard ripens in 3 phases and picked by/for Ridge accordingly. Only one particular block is labeled “Dusi” while the rest is labeled “Paso Robles.” Made of 100% Zin. Filled with Zin funk, cloves and vanilla on the nose. Some coffee eventually makes it way to the surface. Unlike the bottle I had a month ago, the second bottle of this showed some of the telltale rhubarb notes, but only after the bottle had been opened for several hours. It has powerful Zin funk and bramble berry on the attack, followed by blueberry, clove, vanilla, coffee and some mocha. A fine mouthfeel with powdery, fine grained tannins. While smooth, it is not quite seamless. A shadow of sediment has formed on the shoulder of the bottle. 14.8% alc. With dry rubbed smoked pork ribs with the Olsholves as guests. 07.05&06.09. (Used notes from a month ago to jumpstart this note.)
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This isn’t labeled “Dusi” but the folks at Ridge assure me it is 100% Dusi fruit. Apparently, the Dusi Vineyard ripens in 3 phases and picked by/for Ridge accordingly. Only one particular block is labeled “Dusi” while the rest is labeled “Paso Robles.” To my knowledge this is the only “regular” bottling (read: non-ATP) of Zin made by Ridge that is 100% Zin, although the York Creek had 99% Zin in ‘06. I haven’t tried this wine for over two years. Delicious stuff, this is too. This is still fairly primary, showing Zin funk, cloves and vanilla on the nose. Some coffee eventually makes it way to the surface. Unlike most Zins, this did not show the usual rhubarb notes I pick up. No idea why. It has powerful Zin funk and bramble berry on the attack, followed by blueberry, clove, vanilla, coffee and some mocha. A round mouthfeel with powdery, fine grained tannins. While smooth, it is not quite seamless. A shadow of sediment has formed on the shoulder of the bottle. 14.8% alc. With smoked beef brisket. This is the first time we’ve made brisket, smoked or otherwise. While not bad, the wine would have paired much better with real pulled BBQ, pork, that is. Recommended. (Used the “Dusi Zin thread” started by Mary Baker on the Wine Berserker’s BB.)
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I was pretty impressed with the character this showed. The fruit was quite intense, and the tannins were very nicely integrated. Nice berries and spices. This opened up very nicely over the 2 hours or so that we tasted.
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I believe this to be the least expensive of Ridge's Zin offerings (about $20 retail, I think). Charming and understated in a way, I think this is probably at least a year beyond its optimum drinking window. Still life left, just more of a Sigourney Weaver than a Megan Fox, if you get my drift. So drink up. Nose is phenolic, a little VA and hard to detect a lot beyond that. A bit hot on entry, although not Turley or Mollydooker so, this wine does still have nice muted Zinberry fruit, some brambles and a bit of fennel. A little bit like rolling in clover on a warm summer day. Nice at first, but then you get hot and scratchy. Not zippy and feels a bit tired. All in all, this probably delivers just below the price point.
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Really pleasing mouthfeel and a superlong finish considering the wine’s moderate pricepoint. Initial flavors of bramble fruits, with an interesting midpalate of spice and cinnamon, and a long finish of cassis and raspberry. Color and texture are textbook aged zin – holding onto zins for a few years offers rewards. The nose suggests jammy berry fruit.
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Pretty simple zin-fruit, light in color and at first, some VA indicating age and perhaps some hot weather during the growing season. Tannins are nearly non-existent and there is no zingy acidity to keep this alive. Probably needs to be drunk soon, as recommned by Paul Draper on the label.
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Initially had a weird funk out of the bottle, but the flavors I remembered tasting at the winery really came out after about 20 minutes of air. Lush, fruit forward and jammy nose, turns to a fruit forward wine balanced by nice spice notes. Delicious.
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The Daytona 500. The day called for an American wine. Something that was high octane and full of flash, but also something with substance and tradition. This is 100% zin excitement, sorta like the last 40 laps of the Daytona 500. Blood red core shading to ruby on the rim; colors as brilliant as the sponsor filled paint jobs on the track. A full throttle zinfandel nose of zin funk, blueberry, rhubarb and a bit of menthol sliding in on the side about like Clint Bowyer’s sliding across the finish line on his roof. Which is to say that this might not be the prettiest zin, but just like Bower sliding across the finish line, this zin gets the job done. All those notes tag along on the palate like Junior hitched up to Ricky Rudd’s bumper; but the move if not seamlessly then at least better than that Snickers bar with a Bud chaser. Like Harvick, the vanilla edges out on final shoot out, denying the zin funk the glory of the finish. A jammy wine; not too much, but satisfying enough to bring a grin across your face just like knowing both Bush brothers start the season with a DNF due to “a most unfortunate” series of collisions. 14.8% alc. A shadow of sediment on the shoulder. Recommended. With cassoulet of white bean and duck confit ... and pizza.
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Nose of jammy dark fruit with notes of oak and butterscoth. Medium bodied and concentrated, good moutfeel. Well balanced with nice acidity up front leading into smooth tannins. Flavors of dark brambly fruit with blackberries dominating and hints of plum and blueberry. Some spice in the mid palate leads to smooth finish of cinnamon and cloves with hints of dark cherry. Drinking good now and over the next 1-2 years.
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Deep cellarable purple. Liquerish (sp) and doctor's office on the nose. Dark ripe fruit in good quantity. Tannins start mid-palate and extend on a long finish.
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10/14/2018 - klezman wrote:
Rather dusty, and a nice balanced wine. Surprisingly young given it's 15 years old. Notes of cocoa and baking spices along with the purple fruit. Another excellent wine from Ridge!
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2/4/2016 - unionst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bright and fresh. Beautiful balance of fruit and spice. Wears the alcohol very well. Nuanced and food friendly. Another expertly crafted Zin from Ridge.
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1/28/2016 - yonster24 wrote:
While probably very slightly past peak, this was still an immensely enjoyable bottle of wine. Nose of black licorice, oak spice, earth. Can't stres how beautiful the nose was. med bodied on the palate and still packing somewhat of the fruit it had a few years ago, though smoothed out quite a bit. Acidity and a little spice on the back end with tannins completely and fully integrated. Med length finish. Love seeing how Ridge wines evolve over the years.
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3/15/2013 - mlwhitfi wrote: 87 Points
Past it's peak but still aging gracefully. Dusi character still evident.
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1/27/2013 - pkatz Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drinking very well now. Varietally correct, attractively showing some age and some raisiny character.
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9/18/2012 - Fatusdadus wrote: 89 Points
agree with Upfromthecellar
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1/4/2012 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 88 Points
This well aged Zin had lost none of its grace, liveliness or attraction. The nose was all jammy fruit but not raisiny (despite the 14.8% alcohol) and on the palate it was rich, smooth, some spice, slightly sweet with lots and lots and lots of brambly zinberry. There was enough acid to keep it lively although all the tannins were well resolved so wouldn't hold any bottles much longer. Ridge makes careful age-worthy wines and this one was no exception.
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12/15/2010 - pkatz wrote: 88 Points
Good but at an awkward stage.
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11/8/2010 - sakemakibug wrote: 86 Points
rust on the jam now. kept too long.
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7/5/2009 - timewithwine wrote:
This isn’t labeled “Dusi” but the folks at Ridge assure me it is 100% Dusi fruit. Apparently, the Dusi Vineyard ripens in 3 phases and picked by/for Ridge accordingly. Only one particular block is labeled “Dusi” while the rest is labeled “Paso Robles.” Made of 100% Zin. Filled with Zin funk, cloves and vanilla on the nose. Some coffee eventually makes it way to the surface. Unlike the bottle I had a month ago, the second bottle of this showed some of the telltale rhubarb notes, but only after the bottle had been opened for several hours. It has powerful Zin funk and bramble berry on the attack, followed by blueberry, clove, vanilla, coffee and some mocha. A fine mouthfeel with powdery, fine grained tannins. While smooth, it is not quite seamless. A shadow of sediment has formed on the shoulder of the bottle. 14.8% alc. With dry rubbed smoked pork ribs with the Olsholves as guests. 07.05&06.09. (Used notes from a month ago to jumpstart this note.)
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6/6/2009 - timewithwine wrote:
This isn’t labeled “Dusi” but the folks at Ridge assure me it is 100% Dusi fruit. Apparently, the Dusi Vineyard ripens in 3 phases and picked by/for Ridge accordingly. Only one particular block is labeled “Dusi” while the rest is labeled “Paso Robles.” To my knowledge this is the only “regular” bottling (read: non-ATP) of Zin made by Ridge that is 100% Zin, although the York Creek had 99% Zin in ‘06. I haven’t tried this wine for over two years. Delicious stuff, this is too. This is still fairly primary, showing Zin funk, cloves and vanilla on the nose. Some coffee eventually makes it way to the surface. Unlike most Zins, this did not show the usual rhubarb notes I pick up. No idea why. It has powerful Zin funk and bramble berry on the attack, followed by blueberry, clove, vanilla, coffee and some mocha. A round mouthfeel with powdery, fine grained tannins. While smooth, it is not quite seamless. A shadow of sediment has formed on the shoulder of the bottle. 14.8% alc. With smoked beef brisket. This is the first time we’ve made brisket, smoked or otherwise. While not bad, the wine would have paired much better with real pulled BBQ, pork, that is. Recommended. (Used the “Dusi Zin thread” started by Mary Baker on the Wine Berserker’s BB.)
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2/20/2009 - econobob wrote: 90 Points
I was pretty impressed with the character this showed. The fruit was quite intense, and the tannins were very nicely integrated. Nice berries and spices. This opened up very nicely over the 2 hours or so that we tasted.
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1/29/2009 - guitarguy wrote: 87 Points
I believe this to be the least expensive of Ridge's Zin offerings (about $20 retail, I think). Charming and understated in a way, I think this is probably at least a year beyond its optimum drinking window. Still life left, just more of a Sigourney Weaver than a Megan Fox, if you get my drift. So drink up. Nose is phenolic, a little VA and hard to detect a lot beyond that. A bit hot on entry, although not Turley or Mollydooker so, this wine does still have nice muted Zinberry fruit, some brambles and a bit of fennel. A little bit like rolling in clover on a warm summer day. Nice at first, but then you get hot and scratchy. Not zippy and feels a bit tired. All in all, this probably delivers just below the price point.
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12/14/2008 - swisstip wrote: 90 Points
Intense fruit and spice. Excellent w/ my NY Strip!
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11/29/2008 - pgb67 wrote: 92 Points
Really pleasing mouthfeel and a superlong finish considering the wine’s moderate pricepoint. Initial flavors of bramble fruits, with an interesting midpalate of spice and cinnamon, and a long finish of cassis and raspberry. Color and texture are textbook aged zin – holding onto zins for a few years offers rewards. The nose suggests jammy berry fruit.
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9/30/2008 - guitarguy wrote: 86 Points
Pretty simple zin-fruit, light in color and at first, some VA indicating age and perhaps some hot weather during the growing season. Tannins are nearly non-existent and there is no zingy acidity to keep this alive. Probably needs to be drunk soon, as recommned by Paul Draper on the label.
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12/23/2007 - GoldenTbne wrote: 90 Points
Initially had a weird funk out of the bottle, but the flavors I remembered tasting at the winery really came out after about 20 minutes of air. Lush, fruit forward and jammy nose, turns to a fruit forward wine balanced by nice spice notes. Delicious.
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11/4/2007 - ogres3 wrote: 87 Points
Very fruity but not much tannin. An average ridge.
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2/18/2007 - timewithwine wrote:
The Daytona 500. The day called for an American wine. Something that was high octane and full of flash, but also something with substance and tradition. This is 100% zin excitement, sorta like the last 40 laps of the Daytona 500. Blood red core shading to ruby on the rim; colors as brilliant as the sponsor filled paint jobs on the track. A full throttle zinfandel nose of zin funk, blueberry, rhubarb and a bit of menthol sliding in on the side about like Clint Bowyer’s sliding across the finish line on his roof. Which is to say that this might not be the prettiest zin, but just like Bower sliding across the finish line, this zin gets the job done. All those notes tag along on the palate like Junior hitched up to Ricky Rudd’s bumper; but the move if not seamlessly then at least better than that Snickers bar with a Bud chaser. Like Harvick, the vanilla edges out on final shoot out, denying the zin funk the glory of the finish. A jammy wine; not too much, but satisfying enough to bring a grin across your face just like knowing both Bush brothers start the season with a DNF due to “a most unfortunate” series of collisions. 14.8% alc. A shadow of sediment on the shoulder. Recommended. With cassoulet of white bean and duck confit ... and pizza.
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1/27/2007 - mraabpfg wrote: 90 Points
Very nice Zin good solid fruit throughout.
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11/14/2006 - BGStahnke wrote: 89 Points
Nose of jammy dark fruit with notes of oak and butterscoth. Medium bodied and concentrated, good moutfeel. Well balanced with nice acidity up front leading into smooth tannins. Flavors of dark brambly fruit with blackberries dominating and hints of plum and blueberry. Some spice in the mid palate leads to smooth finish of cinnamon and cloves with hints of dark cherry. Drinking good now and over the next 1-2 years.
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5/4/2006 - BuckeyeSmitty wrote: 86 Points
This was OK, but not up to par with Ridge's best Zins. Medium bodied, with some cherry and strawberries along with the darker berries.
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11/21/2005 - hrdtsk wrote: 90 Points
Deep cellarable purple. Liquerish (sp) and doctor's office on the nose. Dark ripe fruit in good quantity. Tannins start mid-palate and extend on a long finish.
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