We tried this week (11/5/14) some New Reds:
1. DryCreekVnyd Zin Estate/DCV9/Spencer'sHillVnyd/DryCreekVlly/SonomaCnty (14.5%; 5% PS;
www.DryCreekVineyard.com) 2011: Dark color; very strong blackberry/Zin very spicy/bit peppery light pencilly/
oak quite attractive nose; bit tart strong raspberry/blackberry/Zin/spicy light pencilly/oak flavor w/ light/
lean tannins; very long lightly tart very spicy/raspberry/blackberry/Zin/bit peppery light pencilly/oak
finish w/ bit of a tannic bite; needs several yrs; a classic DCV Zin that is very spicy/perfumed but not quite
up to the Beeson/Sommers level. $30.40 (VSP)
____________________
2. Ridge Zin PonzoVnyd/RRV/SonomaCnty (15.2%; Bttld: 12/13; Drk: 9/13-9/19-9/20: JO) 2012: Med.dark color; quite
attractive strong blackberry/Zin quite spicy bit perfumed talc light vanilla/oak slight earthy/dusty lovely
nose; slightly tart strong blackberry/Zin/very spicy slight perfumed talc/earthy/dusty light vanilla/oak quite
balanced/bright flavor w/ light/smooth/polished tannins; long quite spicy strong blackberry/Zin/bit boysenberry
light pencilly/Am.oak/vanilla light earthy/dusty finish w/ gentle/smooth tannins; lots of spiciness and lots
of blackberry/Zin fruit in a balanced package; one of the best Ponzos I can recall. $30.00 (Z-List)
____________________
3. Ridge LyttonSprings/DryCreekVlly/SonomaCnty (70% Zin/21% PS/6% Carignane/3% Mataro; 14.4%; Bttld:
Jan 2014; Drk: 11/13-11/23: JO) 2012: Med.dark color; very strong very spicy raspberry/blackberry/Zin/bright
quite dusty/OV very light pencilly/oak very perfumed/very spicy quite aromatic nose; lightly tart bright/
very spicy raspberry/blackberry/Zin rather dusty/OV balanced/structured quite fragrant flavor w/ ample/round
tannins; very long/lingering structured/balanced very spicy/raspberry/blackberry/Zin/bit peppery very light
smokey/oak quite dusty/OV finish w/ ample/ripe tannins; a classic LS Zin w/ loads of OV character and powerful/
spicy aromatics; fairly drinkable now but the structure to go another 10 yrs; beautiful LS Zin. $38.00 (Z-List)
____________________
4. Ridge Zin JimsomareVnyd/MonteBelloRidge/SantaCruzMtns (14.5%; 19 brls; Bttld: 3/14; Drk: 1/14-1/24-1/26: EB)
2012: Med.dark color; very strong bright/blackberry/raspberry/Zin/very spicy some dusty/OV light vanilla/oak
quite spicy/thyme/bit pungent slight licorice quite aromatic/lovely nose; fairly tart strong bright/blackberry/
raspberry/Zin/licorice very spicy some dusty/OV light vanilla/oak flavor w/ some angular tannins; very long/
lingering bright/very spicy/blackberry/raspberry/Zin/licorice bit pungent/thyme rather dusty/OV light vanilla/
oak finish w/ ample tannins; loads of bright/vibrant blackberry fruit; well structured and easily go out
10 yrs or more. $32.00 (ATP)
____________________
5. Ridge Zin PaganiRanch/SonomaVlly/SonomaCnty (90% Zin/9% AlicanteBouschet/1% Mataro; 14.1%; Bttld:
March 2014; Drk: 12/13-12/18-12/20: EB) 2012: Dark color; strong blackberry/boysenberry/ripe/Zin some sauvage/
earthy/loamy/mushroomy quite dusty/OV somewhat complex light smokey/oak nose; bit tart/spikey/angular strong
earthy/mushroomy/loamy complex strong blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/licorice quite dusty/OV flavor w/ some soft/
ripe tannins; very long bit mushroomy/loamy/earthy strong dusty/OV strong blackberry/boysenberry/ripe/Zin/spicy
finish w/ ample/soft/ripe tannins; loads of dusty/OV character and that classic Pagani sauvage/rustic character;
more elegant & restrained than recent Paganis; a beautiful expression of Pagani. $38.00 (Z-List)
____________________
6. Radio-Coteau Zin Robert'sBlock/SonomaCoast (EG; 232 cs; U/U; 13.8%) 2012: Dark color; beautiful very spicy
quite dusty/OV strong blackberry/Zin/peppery bit loamy/earthy quite fragrant/perfumed light smokey/oak complex
nose; fairly tart quite dusty/OV strong blackberry/raspberry/Zin/very spicy somewhatelegant/Pinotish complex
lovely flavor w/ light/smooth tannins; very long/lingering very spicy/blackberry/raspberry/Zin/peppery quite
dusty/OV light smokey/oak finish w/ light/polished tannins; a rather elegant Zin w/ loads of spicy/dusty/OV
character & nice balance. $45.00
____________________
7. JCCllrs Zin IronHillVnyd/SonomaVlly (15.5%) 2010: Very dark/near black color; very intense boysenberry/Zin/
chocolaty/some spicy very exotic burning metal/burning steel wool/ozone/pungent/WWII beacon/electric arc
welding mineral some alcoholic bit herbal/rosemary quite unusual/complex nose; soft quite pungent/arc welding/
ozone/mineral ripe boysenberry/chocolaty/Zin somewhat herbal/rosemary bit alcoholic/hot flavor w/ big/soft/ripe
tannins; very long soft strong boysenberry/ripe/chocolaty/Zin bit alcoholic very light toasty/oak weird pungent/
ozone/WWII beacon/arc welding/mineral finish w/ soft/ripe tannins; is this the IronHill/terroir speaking that
gives it the metallic character?; this is one weird Zin that I sorta like. $35.00
____________________
8. JCCllrs Zin Landy SweetwaterSpringsVnyd/RRV (15.5%) 2010: Very dark color; strong very spicy blackberry/
Zin/boysenberry/ripe slight alcoholic bit herbal/thyme/pungent light toasty/oak slight earthy more mainstream
classic RRV Zin nose; soft spicy/blackberry/Zin/boysenberry bit herbal light toasty/oak flavor w/ light/ripe
tannins; quite short blackberry/Zin/boysenberry light toasty/oak slight herbal/thyme finish w/ little tannins;
a rather classic RRV/attractive Zin nose but the wine abruptly falls off on the palate to nothing. $36.00
____________________
9. JCCllrs Zin Isabel DusiVnyd/PasoRobles (15.5%) 2010: Dark color; strong ripe/boysenberry/blackberry/Zin/
bit jammy/chocolaty some alcoholic light toasty/charred/oak nose; soft ripe/boysenberry/chocolaty/blackberry/Zin
some toasty/oak bit alcoholic slight dusty/OV flavor w/ soft/round/gentle tannins; long ripe/jammy/boysenberry/
Zin/chocolaty light toasty/oak bit dusty/OV finish w/ light/soft tannins; pretty ripe Paso Zin w/o being
over-the-top. $35.00
____________________
10. CortiBros CS NapaVlly TW (65'th AnnivBttlg: 1947-2012) StAndrews/Napa 2010: Med.dark color; rather herbal/
loamy/gout de terroir quite Bdx-like/elegant rather old-timey Calif Cab light toasty/oak/smokey some
blackcurranty/Cab rather complex quite fragrant nose; slightly tart/tangy some herbal/gout de terroir/loamy/
Bdx-like light toasty/oak some blackcurranty/herbal/Cab old-timey Calif Cab flavor w/ light/smooth tannins;
very long/lingering slight herbal/Bdx-like/earthy some ripe/blackcurranty/Cab light toasty/oak very balanced/
structured finish w/ light/gentle/silky tannins; a rather old-timey kind of Calif Cab you seldom see anymore;
lovely balance and will probably go out 10 yrs or more; very fairly priced at $38.50 (CB)
____________________
11. Ryme CabFranc AlegriaVnyd/RRV/SonomaCnty (12.6%) 2013: Med.color; some earthy/dusty/spicy/herbal rather
lighter Bourgeil/Loire/CabFranc light toasty/oak bit green nose; rather tart/delicate/light rather earthy/
dusty/herbal/Loire-like bit tangy/tart/lean flavor w/ light/green tannins; med. some herbal/dusty/earthy
slight toasty/oak finish w/ light/underripe/bitey tannins; an interesting/delicate CabFranc in the style
of a Loire but seems a bit lean/eviscerated on the palate. $32.00
____________________
12. BedrockWineCo CS KamenVnyd/MoonMtn/SonomaCnty (14.6%) 2012: Very dark/near black color; strong blackcurranty/
Cab/blackberry bit licorice light earthy/dusty light smokey/toasty/oak slight herbal almost Zin-like quite
lovely nose; slightly tart bit herbal/Cab strong blackcurranty/blackberry slight dusty/OV light smokey/toasty/
oak slight earthy/loamy flavor w/ ample smooth tannins; very long strong blackcurranty/blackberry/Cab bit herbal/
earthy/loamy light smokey/oak finish w/ some smooth/ripe tannins; almost seems like a Cab made by a Zin producer;
almost good enough to make me drink Cab again; nicely balanced and should go out 10 yrs at least. $59.00
____________________
13. Ridge MonteBello MonteBelloVnyd/SantaCruzMtns (88% CS/8% Merlot/4% CabFranc; 12.8%; 78 tons/58 acres;
Bttld: April 2013; Drk: 3/13-3/43: EB) 2011: Very dark/black color; beautiful intense coffee bean/smokey/toasty/
charred/oak very intense blackcurranty/Cab/licorice/huge Cab fruit very dense complex incredible nose; fairly
tart strong smokey/Am.oak/pungent/coffee bean intense blackcurranty/Cab/RCCola slight dusty/mineral/earthy
complex flavor w/ ample/hard tannins; very long/lingering strong smokey/pungent/coffee bean/charred/roasted/
Am.oak bit earthy/mineral/dusty intense blackcurranty/Cab finish w/ plentiful/hard tannins; ample tannins
and the structure to take it out 10-20-30 yrs; a stunning MonteBello. $nc (MR)/$135.00
____________________
14. Ridge ThreeVllys SonomaCnty (79% Zin/12% Carignane/8% PS/1% AlicanteBouschet; 14.2%; Bttld: Aug 2013;
Drk: 7/13-7/18: EB) 2012: Med.dark color; quite pleasant raspberry/blackberry/Zin/light spicy some Am.oak/
vanilla/bit DraperPerfume/classic Ridge bit smokey nose; slightly tart bright/raspberry/blackberry/Zin/lightly
spicy some vanilla/Am.oak slight earthy flavor w/ some tannic bite; long strong vanilla/Am.oak bright/spicy/
raspberry/blackberry/Zin finish w/ some bitey tannins; pretty classic Ridge Zin and seems more structured than
previous 3Vllys; needs a yr or two yet; quite a nice Zin for the price. $20.00 (KK)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
A more stuff from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Changes Afoot at Ridge: This should be the last of the Ridge 2012 Zin release, save for a few ATP releases
that'll dribble out over the next yr or two. I have to say that Ridge has done a great job w/ this vintage,
across the board. That said, I have to say that in tasting the Ridge Zins over the last yr or two, it appears
there is a quiet evolution in style taking place.
The Ridge Zins have always been distinctively Ridge, with that signature vanilla/Am.oak. As GeorgeH. terms it...
the "Draper Perfume". In blind tastings, the DraperPerfume always stood out and they were easy to identify.
Over the last few yrs, it seems to me that the signature DraperPerfume has diminishing in intensity, at least
in the top end Zins. It still is apparent in the 3Vllys/EastBench level, but seems much less obvious in the
top Zins. The wines just show more intense fruit and less oak, yet still retain that distinctive Ridge balance.
Furthermore, the high end Zins seems much more distinctive in character, display their terroir more,
if you will. The individual site seems to shine thru more. And furthermore, the ATP wines seems to be much
improved and receiving more attention. I used to give ole Donn a raft of $hit about the ATP wines being good
Ridge Zins, but just that...they weren't anything special. The Ponzo/Nervo/Cabbose/Buchiagnani...good/decent
Zins, but nothing special. This Ponzo and the latest Buchignani '10 are really the best I've yet had from those
vnyds. I don't know if this is a conscious decision by the Ridge winemaking team (Draper/Baugher/Olney) or things
are just evolving. Whatever it is, it's a good thing IMHO. The Ridge '12 Zins are some of the most successful
Zins they've yet made. Who knows.....maybe they'll even return to making Amador Zins from Esola & Eschen.
Probably too much to hope for the return of the Occidental or CoastRange Zins, though.
There was a bit of a hiccup in the delivery of the Ridge Z-List wines. And a delay in the ATP wines that
was not attributable to the Summer holds. Ridge actually moved their Milpitas warehouse (home of the reknowned
MaryDevine) in early Fall to a nearby (presumably larger) building. But don't go driving up & down Railyard
Ave looking for it. The sign on the new building still says "Sun MicroSystems" and they've felt no need to
pull it down.
On a sad note, it turns out ChristopherWatkins has left the building. He was the manager of the MonteBello
tasting room and one of the best when it came to customer service and answering (or getting answers) to my
many stupid questions. He was also the author of the 4488 Ridge blog (http://blog.ridgewine.com/). The blog
is now being overseen by RyanMoore. The blog is still very informative, if a little bit less idiosyncratic
in tone.
____________________
2. CortiCab: This was a wine Darrell had made in celebration of the founding of CortiBros grocers. It was
actually made at Clos du Val wnry. It reminded me a lot of the old-time Calif Cabs you would often see
back in the '70's. Unlike many over-blown Cabs you commonly see nowadays, it does not make a very dramatic/
florid statement of Calif Cab.
The CortiBros Reserve wines are typically quite good...and very fairly priced. One of the greatest Calif
Cabs I've had was a CortiReserve made by JedSteele at Edmeades back in '78. From AndersonVlly Cab grapes,
no less. At 10 yrs of age, it was an amazing wine w/ some Bdx-character, but distinctly Calif Cab.
____________________
3. JCCllrs: I have to say these three Zins of Jeff's were rather strange beasts vis a vis other Calif Zins. They
have fairly hefty alcohols but carry them pretty well. They are clearly on the ripe side but don't seem
overripe or raisened. Though I have doubts they will age well, I rather liked all three.
____________________
4. MonteBello: The current '11 MonteBello is one of the greatest young MB's I can recall. I first tasted it from
barrel w/ MarilynReisen and we were both struck by it. Because of the vintage, it has the highest level of
Cab that I can recall since the mid-'70's. Which, I think, gives it a bit of the rustic/old-timey quality
that I recall in the DaveBennion and early Draper MB's. It's a classic/monumental MB. When it reaches Eric's
predicted peak in 2043, I'll be only 101 yrs old...and still drinking Ridge is my plan. Heck...I may even
save one for my deathbed wine (so sorry Josh & Becca...none for you)!! Whatta way to go, I say.
Tom