The Underground Wineletter Reviews Our Recent New Releases
The Underground Wineletter
John Tilson of the Underground Wineletter has written a very nice article and review of some of our most recent Fall release wines. The following are a few short excerpts from his article as well as a list of the wines he reviewed. He also talks a little bit about ingredient labeling at Ridge. Please enjoy the article from John!
“When it comes to Ridge Vineyards it is easy to get carried away. For as long as I have been involved in wine, Ridge has been very special. For nearly 50 years I have been buying, drinking, and cellaring Ridge wines. I drink them often and have more Ridge wines in my cellar than any other wine. That pretty well sums it up. In my visit To Ridge Vineyards late last year I had some of the most remarkable young Ridge wines I have ever had in all my years of tasting…”
- 2014 Ridge Lytton Estate Petite Sirah – “Winemaker John Olney has proclaimed this Petite Sirah as one of the most elegant ever produced by Ridge. I fully agree. And, I know from experience that these wines really improve with bottle age and can keep for decades…great intensity on the palate it again shows a myriad of black fruit flavors accented by spice tinges. Balanced and structured with well integrated underlying tannins, this is a California classic in the making. It will soften over the next 10 years and continue to gain additional complexities for another 10-20 years – Outstanding Plus/Extraordinary Potential.”
- 2014 Lytton Springs – “…balanced with well-integrated tannins and impressive depth and richness this is a classic claret style wine that will develop and evolve over a decade or two – Outstanding Plus.”
- 2014 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel – “This is a really great Pagani Ranch Zinfandel with its characteristic richness and exotic fruit quality…Delicious now, but the underlying acidity will integrate beautifully over time. Give it 5-10 years and it will be magical with a life well beyond – Outstanding Plus”
- 2014 Ponzo Zinfandel – “…perfume is full of berry fruit with spice tinges. On the palate, there is lots of very pure complex berry fruit with a faint spiciness and the wine is balanced and straight forward…will give great drinking pleasure over the entire cycle. A win/win – Outstanding.”
- 2013 Monte Bello – “I don’t recall ever having tasted a young Monte Bello better than this. With 13.6% alcohol the wine has a very dark color and a great intense perfume with cassis and blackberry fruit accented by cedar and a faint exotic quality. Rich, concentrated, and lush, it is loaded with fruit that is complex and beguiling with an exotic nuance. The structure is there with well integrated tannins wrapped in layers of fruit. Already this Monte Bello shows incredible balance and exhibits great complexity. One can only imagine what a wine it will be as it starts to hit its stride in 10 years –Extraordinary Plus.”
Read the Full Article