Cracked the last night after my '79 Babcock GWT and JR were duds:
1. OjaiVnyd Apricots Zin HallRanch/UpperOjai (30 cs; 13%) 1995: Dark color w/ slight bricking; strong smokey/charred/oak/toasty lovely rich/blackberry/boysenberry/Zin bit pungent/licorice quite spicy/spicy sausage complex lovely mature Zin nose; soft rich/lush some smokey/charred/oak ripe/boysenberry/blackberry/Zin very spicy fairly smooth bit pencilly/old Zin complex flavor; very long rather charred/smokey/oak/pencilly strong blackberry/boysenberry/Zin very spicy bit licorice fairly smooth/balanced finish w/ slight drying tannins in the aftertaste; lots of toasty/charred/oak & much like the older Ojai Syrahs but definitely Zin; probably not going to get any better so drink up.
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A wee BP:
1. Apricots was a Zin that Adam used to make from time-to-time. Don't think the Zin is there on Hall Ranch anymore. Least, he hasn't made one in yrs. They used to (maybe still do) grow apricots there. There was an old wooden irrigation wagon located right there on the road by the driveway with a big "Apricots" painted on the side to advertise them. Still there last time I drove down the highway. Not very far from RollRanch, in upper Ojai; probably the hottest area from which Adam takes grapes.
Anyway, I was most pleasantly surprised how much fruit was still there. Alas, overnight in the decanter didn't help it any and it made a poor match for my PostToasties.
Tom
