Heading down the home stretch now on my orphan stash, I opened a case of old Zins & started ripping corks:
1. Chalone FrenchColombard Calif (CyrilSaviezVnyd/NapaVlly; 12%) 1975: A goner...down the drain.
_____________
2. RockingHorse Zin LambornVnyd/HowellMtn/NapaVlly (14.3%) Rutherford 1991: Totally shot...down the drain.
_____________
3. DavisBynum Zin SonomaCnty (13.1%) 1985: Another DOA...down the drain.
_____________
4. Topolos Zin RossiRanch (13%) 1992: Same story...down the drain.
_____________
5. GreenWood Ridge Vnyds ScherrerVnyd/SonomaCnty (70 yr old vines; 13.5%) Philo 1992: Rather oxidized/tired w/ very slight raspberry fruit remaining...down the drain.
_____________
6. CaymusVnyds Zin NapaVlly (13.0%) 1985: Med.dark w/ some browning; light raspberry/spicy/Zin some cedary/pencilly/oldZin/dusty bit toasty oak still alive nose; soft rather cedary/pencilly/oldZin light raspberry/Zin/spicy some toasty/charred/Caymus oak flavor w/ light gentle tannins; med.long slight metallic/tangy light raspberry/Zin finish; clinging to life & showing a bit of fruit but a bit on the tired side; pretty much shot by the next morning.
_____________
7. SaucelitoCanyon Zin ArroyoGrandeVlly (EB; 14.5%) SanLuisObispo 1992: Med.light color w/ some browning; some ripe/jammy/licorice/boysenberry/Zin bit earthy/dusty slight alcoholic some pencilly/smokey/oldZin biit complex nose; soft ripe slight dried-out/metallic very ripe/jammy/boysenberry/Zin/licorice bit hot flavor w/ light/smooth tannins; still some very ripe fruit and offers up a bit of pleasure but a bit on the tired side. $9.00
_____________
8. LimerickLane Zin CollinsVnyd/RRV/SonomaCnty (13.5%; Planted in 1910) Healdsburg 1992: Med.dark color w/ slight bricking; quite dusty/OV classic cedary/pencilly/oldZin light blackberry/Zin/peppery/spicy/DrPepper/RCCola rather complex nose w/ no evident oxidation; slightly tart some cedary/pencilly/oldZin/tobaccoy fairly strong blackberry/black cherry cola/peppery/RCCola complex flavor w/ light gentle slight tired tannins; very long slight dried-out/metallic/tangy rather dusty/OV finish w/ light gentle tannins; still has ample RRV Zin fruit and offers up pleasure but showing a bit of wear&tear around the edges; not much left by the next morning;
_____________
9. Ridge Zin LyttonSpprings LyttonSpringsVnyd (80% Zin/11% Carignane/9% Grenache; 13.9%; bttld April 87; Drk: 8/87-2/92-2/93: PS) Cupertino 1985: Very dark color w/ light bricking; strong blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/spicy/peppery rather dusty/OV slight metallic/burning metal/ozone/pungent rather lovely perfumed/fragrant very complex/oldZin nose; soft/light cedary/pencilly/oldZin very spicy/Zin/blackberry/boysenberry/licorice/black cherry cola slight vanilla/Am.oak/DraperPerfume/dill very dusty/OV complex flavor w/ light/smooth/bit astringent tannins;very long/lingering spicy/peppery/licorice/blackberry/Zin slight cedary/pencilly/vanilla/smokey/Am.oak/DP quite dusty/OV finish w/ lighht/smooth tannins; drying out a bit but an amazing amount of fruiit and still very much alive; still much the same the next morning.
___________________________
And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. This case was a 15-holer in the orphan stash. In this particular case, the btls were stored inverted, w/ the corks down. In most btls, there was a lot of gunk in the neck, a bit of crud underneath the capsule...but the amount of ullage was pretty nominal..none below the bottom of the neck. However, most of the corks, removed w/ an AhSo, were pretty saturated w/ wine all the way thru, not very solidly in the neck, and some of the corks crumbled upon removal. So much for keeping to cork immersed for a good seal.
________________
2. LyttonSprings: Hard to figure out exactly what vnyd this wine came from. The first Ridge LS '72 came from the ValleVistaVnyd there on LS Rd. Not sure where that vnyd was located, but I seem to recall it was on the other (North) side of LSRd from the "true" LSVnyd. The next yr ('73), Ridge started purchasing Zin from DickSherwin's vnyd, which they also labeled as LSVnyd. This continued thru '77, when Dick wanted to keep all the fruit & founded his LSWnry label. Ridge granted him permission to use the LS name on his ugly/black label. In 1991; Ridge purchased the "true" LS vnyd from Dick. It is now referred to LyttonEast to distinguish it from LyttonWest, on the other side of the U-Snatch Air Patch, up on the DCV Benchland afore you start to drop down into the DCV.
This '85 was a one-off Ridge LS Zin, as I recall. In that year, one of the Ridge shareholders purchased a "neighboring" (to Sherwin's "true" LS Vnyd??) ranch of 35 acres. This was clearly not Sherwin's LS vnyd, and don't think it was the ValleViistaVnyd either. So I can't figure out what the heck vnyd these "LS" grapes were sourced.
In the late '70's, the Ridge wines started to show distinct signs of brett. It got progressively worse thru the '82 vintage and I'd pretty much given up on the Ridge wines because of the barnyardy/horsecollar character. Fortunately, Paul figured out how to control the brett & with a wholesale purchase of new cooperage, had pretty much licked the brett problem by the '83 or '84 vintage. This LS was totally brett-free.
Tom