WTN: Another lousy Ridge

[Jenise]

Purchased six 2012 Lytton Springs on release. Gave one away along the way. Since David B's going to roll his eyes (again), here are my notes on the five we drank. The most recent bottle resembled the one in 2019.

6/3/2021 - I DON'T LIKE THIS WINE: (Edit)
Plodding and unpleasant, dim and dull compared to the bottle of same, all from the same purchase on release, that we opened in January this year. Offputting so vacuvinned and refrigerated for sampling several times days later, but no improvement.

1/14/2021 - I LIKE THIS WINE: (Edit)
In a splendid place right now. Evolving blueberry fruit with generous length. Agree with others' estimate for prime drinking window being the next 2-3 years.

11/20/2019 - NEUTRAL: (Edit)
Reductive and not showing much acidity or tannins, some alcholic edges. So we added a few drops of water (maybe 1/4 tsp: trust me, this works) to each glass which both freshened and firmed up the wine. But this isn't going to be one of those long-lived Ridge zins.

7/5/2017 - I LIKE THIS WINE: (Edit)
Black currant and blueberry fruit, silky in the mouth; no noticeable heat in the finish as some have reported.

9/16/2015 - I LIKE THIS WINE: (Edit)
Rich black fruit on the nose, vibrant on the palate. Reaffirms itself as one of the best young LS's I've ever tasted. But--everything closes down a bit on the second glass, suggesting the wine is getting ready for a long nap. I'll let the rest sleep and will look to 2018 to wake them up again.

[David M. Bueker]

You probably saw my most recent note, but here it is.

2012 Ridge Lytton Springs - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (6/16/2020)
About 6 months from my prior bottle, and this is in a nice, early maturity, place. Not so much on the bottle aged characteristics, but it has gotten a shave, and has put on a freshly ironed shirt. There's plenty of depth and also structure for it to develop further over the next three to five years, but no harm in drinking now. Wish I had more than two half bottles left. I could probably run through a case of them in a year or so.

I'll open another 375ml sometime soon, maybe alongside the 2009 Geezer and 2009 Lytton.

[Jenise]

I don't doubt your experience. But I had three good bottles and two bad bottles over about five years--all purchased and stored identically. That's a pretty deplorable rate of bottle variation--too high.

[David M. Bueker]

If you look at all my notes on CT, I had some very uninspiring performances until recently when I found the wine to be much more open and pleasurable. I'll check in again.

[Jenise]

Last weekend's bottle should have been pleasurable too, but it wasn't. And it wasn't holding back, it was just off. That was the last of my Ridge 750's but for a '92. I'm happy to be rid of them.