Ridge Zin

in article JBasd.28445$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com, Tom S at snipped-for-privacy@dontspampacbell.net wrote on 12/3/04 7:58 PM:

I don't recall whether Ridge offers tastings of Santa Cruz bottlings at Lytton Springs, but I was wondering whether you had a chance to taste any vintage of their Jimsomare Zin. I attended a Santa Cruz Mountain wineries tasting, at Copia last weekend, where it was poured, and it was the only really memorable wine for me of maybe 30 or so I tasted.

Speaking of Copia I have been there a couple times when in Napa. Personally I was not impressed. It was too sterile of a facility. Too bad they did not do the same thing at the CIA as that is a building that would have been great.

The Julia Restaurant was very good. But again, I like Bistro Jeanty even better.

I guess there is only so much culture I can take. Other than art and music I don't really care for museam type atmosthere.

Unfortunately, Ridge Lytton Springs only offers for tasting wines made on the premises. Come to think of it, I don't think they even offer the Cupertino winery's wines for sale.

Something I forgot to mention is that Ridge will no longer be producing their Fiddletown Zin. I think that's really a pity, but I guess it was too much of a logistical headache for them to ship grapes all the way from the Sierra foothills to either Sonoma or Santa Cruz.

Tom S

I've been through a lot of Ridge zins over the years, but surprisingly never tasted the Jimsomare of any vintage.

With dinner last night (a sesame-teriyaki-honey marinated porterhouse off the grill and a spinach souffle) I had the 2002 Ridge Ponzo Vineyard Zin. Previously I had noted the wine as a runner-up to the Paso Robles '02, but last night's bottle was as big a zin as I've seen from Ridge. Lots of up-front fruit, mostly red raspberry, a bit of leather and a load of butterscotch/vanilla flavors. Long smooth finish.

When an additional glass was needed to supplement the after-dinner conversation, I brought up the 2000 Pagani Ranch. My tasting notes from October of '03 on the wine said: "Best Ridge zin I’ve ever tasted. Loads of blackberry aroma then a blackberry explosion in the mouth. Hint of leather in both aroma and taste. Smooth, already settled and nicely integrated. Ridge claims improvement likely for three to five years."

Surprisingly, last night I found the Ponzo better than the older Pagani Ranch.

And, as an aside, that Syrah/Grenache that was tasted at Lytton Springs sounds like it might have been an ATP (Advanced Tasting Program) bottling. Ridge does what seems like ten or more small batch bottlings of about 30-35 barrel lots each year and offers them through a club/subscription program. I was a member for about three years but dropped out several years ago.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled"

Diverging a bit - did I miss your critique of the Santa Cruz event?

To date, I've not seen the Jimsomare Ridge. Gotta' get out more :-}

Hunt, hoping you had a great trip and tasting.

Sounds like the side label tasting notes are spot on. I've found that to usually be the case.

I used to get those too, but the label always said ATP. The Syrah/Grenache was not so labeled, but according to their website it was originally offered only to ATP members. I guess that wasn't broad enough distribution to move

Tom S

I am a major fan of the Ridge Pagani wines but I think the 97 St Fancis Pagani was the best wine ever made from the Pagani grapes. Maybe it was because 97 was such a great year for Zins. Bill

in article snipped-for-privacy@news1.newsguy.com, Hunt at snipped-for-privacy@hunt.com wrote on

No, you didn't miss the critique. I was kindof 'underwhelmed' by the experience. Except for the Jimsomare, there was not much that I would want to recommend. Not surprising that most haven't seen that Zin, as they apparently produce a very limited amount. The tasting at Copia was of the

The comment, made earlier, that Copia is something of a disappointment, is unfortunately true. I'm not sure what the long-term plans are for it, but it just seems like a place that doesn't really know what it wants to be. I think a lot of the problem is that of location. In the Napa valley, you can have a much more hands-on, rich experience in just a day of winery visits than can be had by a visit to Copia. I don't think we would have gone, except for the opportunity to taste 31 wineries from Santa Cruz. Didn't eat at Julia's, which I gear is worth the visit on it's own.

I guess I should insert that I did like a few other wines beyond the Ridge, though not nearly as much. Among them were a Cooper-Garrod Claret, Storrs Pinot, and Thomas Fogarty Pinot. I wish I had taken notes.