Tried this the other night w/ pasta al forno:
1. Ridge Zin PaganiRanch/SonomaVlly/SonomaCnty (14.7%; 78% Zin/18% AlicanteBouschet/3% PetiteSirah/1% Mataro; Bttld Feb 2013; Drk: 12/12-12/19-12/20: EB; calcium carbonate) 2011: Very dark/near black color w/ no bricking; beautiful intense blackberry/boysenberry/ripe/licorice/Zin/very spicy smoke smokey/pungent/Am.oak bit roasted quite complex nose; fairly tart intense blackberry/boysenberry/licorice/Zin/very spicy very dusty/OV bit rustic/sauvage modest smokey/pungent/oak fairly complex flavor w/ modest bit tangy tannins; very long/lingering intense blackberry/very spicy/Zin/boysenberry quite dusty/OV modest smokey/Am.oak fairly complex finish w/ modest tannins; starting to dry out slightly & should be drunk up in next few yrs but a beautiful mature Pagani.
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I always love the Pagani because it has a fair amount of AlicanteBouschet w/ gives it a somewhat rustic/sauvage character and seldom the high-tones/polished notes of LyttonSprings or Geyserville.
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2. It's always been a bit of a puzzle to me the inconsistency in the way Ridge indicates their bttling dates on the label. Sometimes it's Bottled 2/15, sometimes Bottled Feb/15, sometimes Bottled February/15, sometimes Bottled February 2015. I've always wondering why they're not consistent in their labeling. Normally Draper (who still gives final say-so on each label) is pretty precise. Well....I finally I found out, from MarkVernon. They use whatever format works for filling out the line on the label, to balance the appearance, for the esthetics. Whew...I'd been losing sleep on that one for over 30 yrs.
Tom