1. Ridge Carignane BuchignaniRanch/SonomaCnty (OldVine; 100% Hillside Grown; 14.6%; bttld 12/15; Top/Front/Hillside blocks; Drk: 8/15-8/20-8/21: JO) 2014: Very dark color; very strong black cherry/cherry/Carignane/framboise bit licorice/pungent/boysenberry/ripe very light smokey/vanilla/oak rather dusty/OV complex beautiful nose; lightly tart/lean/hard structured rich/lush very strong Carignane/black cherry/black cherry cola/spicy/cherry ripe/boysenberry/licorice rather dusty/OV light vanilla/oak complex flavor w/ ample hard/ripe/round tannins; very long/lingering very strong black cherry/Carignane/boysenberry/black cherry cola fairly dusty/OV slight earthy light vanilla/oak structured/rich/lush finish w/ ample ripe/hard tannins; needs 4-8 yrs; reminds some of the Paganis but still has a bit of that hard/tannic Carignane bite on the palate; may be the best Ridge Carignane ever. $28.00 (ATP)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. My disappointment w/ the Ridge Carignanes has been on-going for many yrs. I just sorta resigned myself to you can't make a silk purse outta a sow's ear...even if you're a talented Ridge winemaker. I've found that they have a pleasant enough Ridge nose...but on the palate they have a rough/hard/coarse tannic bite that you don't find in their Zins. They lack the texture & mouthfeel I look for in Ridge.
So...when I poured this first glass & noted the deep/dark color...my suspicions were aroused that something was different. The first smell & taste confirmed my suspicions..not only do we have a silk purse here...but maybe even a $4000 Gucci handbag (which my son, working for Gucci, can get me on an employee's discount for $3500!!). This is the first Carignane from Calif I can recall (save, maybe, the Bedrock '12 Carignan) that has measured up to some of the great Priorat OV Carignanes I've liked. I had the Ridge Triangle/Geyserville last year & thought it quite good (TN below). This one is even better. Not sure what John did different w/ this. It seems a bit riper than past Ridge Carignanes, but not at all overripe or alcoholic or anything.
Anyway....after 40+ yrs of making Carignane...Ridge has, finally, figured it out.
8. Ridge Carignane TriangleBlock/OldVines/GeyservilleVnyd (13.8%; 44 brls; Bttld: 2/13; 110 yr old block; Drk:
12/12-12/17-12/18: EB; Yield: 3.1 tons/acre) 2011: Dark/very dark color; strong vanilla/Am.oak/toasted coconut/
ZagNutBar strong black cherry/Carignane/spicy/blackberry bit Zin-like some dusty/OV/earthy interesting nose;
soft strong vanilla/Am.oak/coconutty strong black cherry/Carignane/RCCola bit dusty/OV bit earthy/rustic slight
complex flavor w/ some hard tannins; very long strong black cherry/Carignane/cola/spicy/bit Zin-like/blackberry
strong coconutty/vanilla/Am.oak finish w/ some hard tannins; actually resembles Geyserville more than Buchignani
Carignane in character; one of the best Ridge Carignanes I can recall but still not a silk purse. $28.00 (ATP)
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2. The '14 vintage is, maybe, Ridge's most successful one yet. Every Ridge '14 I've tried as been a notch up, sometimes several notches, from previous efforts. Don't pass on these.
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3. The End of the DraperPerfume: Over the yrs, the Ridge reds have had a signature oak aroma to them. This has been termed the "DraperPerfume" by Geo (GeorgeHertier...Gang of Pour). The first whiff of a Ridge and the tell-tale oak would give it away as a Ridge. Over the last 5-6 yrs, there has been an evolution, I sense, of the oak treatment at Ridge. They still have a (lessened) oak aroma, but it's not the classic Draper Perfume anymore that was a dead-giveaway that it's a Ridge.
Mirroring the evolution of the Turley Zins under EhrenJordan (and now Tegan), the Ridge reds are now (to me) much more reflective of the vnyd origins (can't bring myself to use the dreaded T-word) and less of Ridge winemaking. The Ridges these day are probably the best they've ever been. Not that I'd know....only been drinkin' them for 40+ yrs!!!
Tom