WTN: 6 from Ridge (Lyttons, Montes & a Geezer)

[geo t.]

It's no secret that we like our Mr. Ridge here at Gang Central, so when Dan and Carol Myers inquired as to whether or not we'd be interested in revisiting several old acquaintances at their home, of course, we said "Of course!" So did Jim and Faye Friedman, and since no Ridge - fest is complete without Alan Kerr, aka Canadian Zinfan, we dragged him along too. A full report can be seen here, including images, recipes and three other tasting notes. For expediency's sake, here are the notes on the six Ridges we enjoyed.

1999 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello Chardonnay, $23.99, 14.5% alc.: This pale gold Chardonnay has progressed nicely since we last had it almost a year ago; it's showing restrained sweet toasty oak over refined apple and pear Chardonnay flavors and aromas that are just starting to develop a note of hazelnut. This has a reserved, not - quite - delicate personality, along with a velvety texture that compliments the ultra smooth butternut squash soup with truffle butter, crouton and caramelized shallots very nicely. Jim found this to be more reminiscent of white Burgundy than most of your usual Left Coast suspects, and it should continue to develop nicely for at least another year or two.

1996 Ridge Geyserville, 75% Zinfandel, 17% Carignan, 6% Petite Sirah, 2% Mataro, 14.9% alc.: There's just a hint of brick to the dark garnet color of this 8 - year old Geezer, and it exudes a little smoke and a good dose of "Draper perfume" (Dan said that he'd heard the phrase before, but finally got it with this one) over spicy black raspberry and blackberry flavors and aromas, with a subtle note of cream. It has a creamy smooth texture too, with flavors that echo and expand upon the aromatics, soft tannins, balanced acidity and a lovely finish. Still on the way up, and yet drinking so well right now, this has that lovely elegant balance that is Ridge at its best.

1995 Ridge Lytton Springs, 84% Zinfandel, 14% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignan: Even visually, this one is not as dense as the Geyserville, with the vaguest hint of brick to the dark garnet color; it's not as big on the nose or in the mouth either, with a not - quite - restrained Ridge perfume and black raspberry and blackberry flavors shaded with what Mr. Kerr describes as eucalyptus and cooked beet. Kim called this one right when she exclaimed, "Man, is this soft; it's very pretty." And indeed, it has a lovely feel to it, with soft tannins, balanced acidity and a somewhat creamy texture. Dan found it somewhat overripe and Port - like, a bit of a detraction for him, while I liked it the best of the three Lytton Springs, being absolutely delicious.

1996 Ridge Lytton Springs, 78% Zinfandel, 19% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignan, 1% Grenache, 14.5% alc.: Jim summed it up when he remarked about this, "It tastes a little tighter than the '95." Another dark garnet with the vaguest hint of rust, it shows (surprise!) Draper perfume over black raspberry and blackberry on a medium full to full bodied frame. It's not quite silky smooth, and not quite up to the '95, but still very nice to drink on its own terms.

Both Lyttons made a fine match for the confit of veal breast et al, but the following course demanded Cabernet, and a welcome old friend is was.

1991 Ridge Monte Bello, 1991 Monte Bello - 85% Cabernet, 10% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 13.1% alc.: "Restrained on the nose this ain't," Dan exclaimed upon taking a whiff of this one, and no one begged to differ. Much as we remember it from our last taste, it's still showing little if any brick to the deep, dark garnet color; and exudes a big perfume of cassis, black currant, cigar box, soft chocolate with some subtle dusty herbal qualities, all of which follow through in the flavors beautifully with silky tannins, balanced acidity and a long, lovely finish. A joy to drink, with or without the roast rack of lamb, and while it will likely hold or improve for some time, it's so good now, why wait?

1997 Ridge Lytton Springs, 80% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignan, 2% Mataro, 1% Grenache, 14.9% alc.: Another variation on the theme of the previous two vintages, this one shows just a hint of brick to the dark garnet color, with "all that Draper perfume" over black raspberry, blackberry and sweet spice aromatics; these follow through on the palate with some tannins that need time yet. Rich, delicious and still somewhat youthful, this one is still a few years away from its peak.

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.

Edited December 4, 2004 by geo t. (log)

[Rebel Rose]

Today we had an interesting opportunity to try:

1990 Ridge California Mataro, Evangelo Vineyards, San Francisco Bay Region, 90% Mataro, 5% Zinfandel, 5% Alicante, 13.6% alc.:

A grower brought this in and opened it for a group of us today, eight in all, and the tasting notes that follow are our communal opinion. First of all, the label says, "should develop fully over the next five years." So, this was more an excursion into vinarcheology than anything else. But hey, why not? The price sticker said $9.99.

Bottle: After we'd poured some wine out, we examined the bottle, which had that nice unfiltered-unfined sediment around the neck. Above the wine level, the champagne-green glass (that's the deep color green, not the dead-leaf green) was tinged red. Very heavy red pigment deposits--enough to turn the green glass red when held up to the light--which indicates that the wine was probably much darker upon release.

Color: Brick red but still fresh, no tinge of brown at the edge.

Aroma: Sawdust, some French oak, pencil lead, roast beef. No fruit at all.

Flavor: Nice acid. Plenty of acid. Caramel flavor, and teasing undertones of not-quite-ripe strawberry. The consensus was that the flavor was long gone, but the acid made even the caramel a little, well, racy.

Finish: Zero. Except for a very green note that only half the tasters objected to.

All in all, an interesting excursion in time. BTW, after being opened for 2 hours, there's still a little fruit--sort of like a strawberry dried in cinnamon powder.

[geo t.]

14 years was probably a little too much to expect from this one, Mary, although the '92 Evangelo was showing really well a little over a year ago. Here are my notes from then:

1992 Ridge Evangelo Mataro, 95% Mataro, 5% Alicante, 13.6% alc.: I was not that impressed with this when I tried it several years ago, and the reason was probably that it was just too young, because it's showing really well right now. There's just a hint of rust to the deep dark garnet color, with nice Draper perfume over red currant, black cherry and just a hint of that ol' barnyard. It's a little earthy on the palate, but otherwise, the rich, smooth flavors show the same pretty character as the bouquet, with some tannins still to shed, and enough acidity to keep it moving along. Very nice.

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Just some added data points...