WTN: Ridge Lytton Estate syrah 1996

This is one of the few Ridge wines available only for those in the private mailing list. 95% syrah, 5% viognier. 14.2% abv. Dark red color. Aroma of dark fruit and caramel. Full body, initially showed little in terms of intensity. The wine put on weight with aeration, exhibiting flavors of dark berries, violets and tobacco. Very sweet and with tannins fully resolved. It lacks acidity. Medium finish. Good, not great. The back label indicates the grapes come from the Lytton West vineyards, a property Ridge acquired in 1995.

as I recall Ridge's first venture into Syrah. From fairly young vines. I had a btl about 7-8 months ago. The wine is a nice wine, quite nice in fact. Bit is speaks, and always has, spoken more of Ridge winemaking than of varietal Syrah character. I used to not care for their Syrahs at all, but have come to like them quite a bit..... as good Ridge red wine, but not as Syrah. They have a new LyttonWest Syrah '03 out that's probably their best Syrah to date. A bit more expressive of Syrah varietal character, but still mostly about Ridge winemaking.
I'm not altogether convinced that DryCrekVlly is the best place in Calif for Syrah. Like Amador, the Zin character seems to overwhelm the Syrah character. Really/really good DryCreekVlly Syrahs are few & far between.
Tom