I don't think I have blogged a wine by Ridge, but I have had a few of their bottlings over the years and they are always impressive. I bought this magnum a year and a half ago when I was on a magnum kick, thinking I should have a few magnums around. Unfortunately, I love head to head comparisons so I never open the darn things!For a group of seven adults I opened the 2001 Ridge Lytton Springs comes from the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma (just a few more days...). Deep cherry in hue, with some brick at the edges, it showed pepper, dark berries (currants?), oak, liquorice, rose, and creme caramel (a "cultural" observation for Edward). Full-bodied yet extremely elegant, with supple tannins and a velvety texture. Beautiful fruit, but not overdone for a Zin, with the Petite Sirah and Carignane taming the fruitiness and adding structure. This is drinking very well now, but probably has a few more years in the magnum. One of the first times I have opened a bottle and had six adults stare at me with that "WOW!" look on their faces - that alone was worth the bottle price.
cork. 14.7% alcohol
Score: 18/20
Price: C$96 (SAQ, magnum)
This is a warmup for Sideways 3, a JoeTour of Sonoma, Oct. 10th-14th.
Cheers!
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2 comments:
Joe,
How interesting. I had the opportunity to taste the '05 vintage (but from a 750) from Astor yesterday.
My impression, given the short time I had, was "almost" the same. The best of this wine was the concentrated bouquet, the clean finish and the lively acidity.
BTW: Next time you may want to do a head to head comparison of '05 Lytton with a '05 Hartford Russian River Zin (available at Garnet in NY) and see how you feel.
They are about the same price and would be a good A/B test.
Hi Andrew. Neat idea, I love head to head comparisons. In fact, I will be in Sonoma next week - I will try to visit both Ridge and Hartford and bring some back! Cheers!
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