Rumblings on beer, wine, food, music and the occasional cigar...
1 Notes
2008 Ridge Lytton Estate
Grenache/Syrah
Dry Creek Valley Sonoma
Like a genie out of the bottle, this beaut immediately leaps with expressive scents of charred smoke, cigar box, toasty almonds, blueberries, raspberries and baked red fruits. A bright, balanced delivery of red fruit, fronted by baked cherry pie, blueberries, raspberries, cola, and forest floor. She finishes strong, with stoney minerals; pencil lead, rock, more red raspberries and the like. Like a firework at dawn, it smokes.
1 Notes
2003 Calon Segur
St. Estephe
Bordeaux
Aging nicely, the 2003 Calon Segur (60% Cabernet Sauvignon / 40% Merlot) has a deep purple, ruby hue and an opulent nose of mulberries, blackberries, truffles, licorice, and spice. A hot vintage in Bordeaux, 2003s often have more fruit and density than typical Bordeaux vintages. This is no exception; giant berry flavors rush over the palate in a velvety soft attack. Long with minerals and black fruits and a tart, acidic, exclamation on the very end of the finish. Sublime…
2004 Chateau St. Jean ‘Cinq Cepages’
Sonoma
The follow-up to the Calon Segur tonight, was the top drawer release from Chateau St. Jean in Sonoma; the Cinq Cepages. A Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (77%), Merlot (9%), Cabernet Franc (7%), Malbec (4%), and Petit Verdot (3%), exhibits a nose of blackberry, cherry, violets and mocha. Wonderfully Californian but stylistically French, it is aging well and is in its prime now. Drink up!
Ridge
2008 Mazzoni Home Ranch
50% Zinfandel, 49% Carignane, 1% Petite Sirah
Meanwhile back at the ranch… The Mazzoni Home Ranch is a hand crafted field blend of Zin, Carignane and a tiny 1% of Petite Sirah. According to Ridge, Giuseppe Mazzoni & brother-in-law, Abramo Trusendi, purchased the hillside vineyard in 1899 and were producing wine professionally by 1910.
This wine reflects the age and style of this vineyard site. Rustic & brambly, yet elegant and balanced with notes akin to an Italian Field Blend.
Dark crimson and pink around the inside edge of the glass, which is huge. On the beak, abundant black cherries and dark fruits . The fruit mingles with an olfactory jam of savory mint, eucalyptus, cinnamon and a strike of black pepper. The savories hover throughout but there are funky notes of graham cracker, smoky grill and cocoa in there. ZONK!! Medium weight, ripe and finishes with pleasant tannin grip.
**This is an ATP Club wine from Ridge
5 Notes
Château Saint-Georges 2002
Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion France
Pretty Crimson red color and very little amber age around the rim. Seems to be aging nicely. After 2 hours in the decanter very little fruit was coming through. Mostly cigar box, fig, tobacco leaf, cedar. Elegant wine no doubt. After 4 hours open, some of the dark berry, black cherry flavors started to reveal themselves, alongside more cigar box, fig, brambles & violets. Plush finish with more weight and body than appears in the attack and mid-palate. Like Thor this wine was light on its feet but had intensity (thunderbolt in hand). Great length and definition, I loved it!
2 Notes
Ridge 2009
East Bench
Zinfandel
Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
100% Zinfandel. Brimming with sour cherry, plums, fresh leather (think Bass Weejuns), pumpkin & Asian spice. Fruit driven but bright, high-toned acidity for Zinfandel. Truckloads of flavor; baked plums, black cherries. Delicious.
1 Notes
Backyard 4/28/2012
