WTN: The Three-eyed Ravenswood

[David M. Bueker]

2011 Ravenswood Zinfandel Old Hill - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (1/11/2018)
It had been a long time since my last Ravenswood Old Hill, but the wine brought back all the good memories. Ripe red berries, spice, a bit of bay and rosemary were all together on the nose, and then the palate amped up the fruit and spice. Medium bodied, it holds its alcohol well, though there is more than a hint of volatile acidity. Still, it’s along a line from the Ravenswood I remember, and in a style that I very much enjoy.

I know they are known for their "supermarket wines", but the wines they show at their Sonoma tasting room were quite nice,
actually. A pleasant tasting room experience, as well.

The only Ravenswood I've had was a supermarket wine and it did not impress me. Maybe I'll give this one a shot.

[David M. Bueker]

There is a world of difference between the supermarket $10 bottles and the vineyard designate zinfandels. Ignore the cheapies. The real Ravenswood is in the single vineyard stuff.

Would you mind giving me a few Ravenswood bottles I should try?

[David M. Bueker]

Old Hill is the standard bearer. The other single vineyard Zins are Dickerson, Belloni Road and Big River.

I have enjoyed their Pickberry Sonoma Valley Bordeaux Blend as well.

https://www.ravenswoodwinery.com/Pickberry-Vineyard

[David M. Bueker]

Yes on Pickberry. I still have some from the mid-1990s in the cellar.

At what temperature should I be cellaring my wines? Can it be in a wooden cabinet with the outside air being 22.5 degrees celsius or should i go for colder. I dont have a proper cellar or anything of the sort so until my cellar gets insulated, i am not sure how I can age my wines

For aging wine, avoiding wide temperature swings is more important than the actual temperature.

-Paul W.

so if my cupboard has a stable temperature of lets say 20 degree celsius would that be okay to age my wines in for 5-10 years?

or even just temporarily, maybe 1-2 years until I can find a more suitable place

[David M. Bueker]

20 is not so bad, especially if it is constant. That won't do for long term, but if the wine is in there for a year it should not do much harm. Overall though, you need to be at 12-14 C or so for long term cellaring. Even 15-16 C is not too bad.

Would it be worth it to buy a wine fridge?

[David M. Bueker]

Yes, especially since they are pretty inexpensive.

Okay, should I go for an expensive large one or start small? I'm only just getting into it so i only have two bottles for aging at the moment.

[David M. Bueker]

Umm...dangerous question. I once thought a 70 bottle wine fridge would have me set for life. I now have a few thousand, so...

Oh my word........you sir have a lot of bottles....