Tonight Jean wanted a Zin to go with some smoked chicken and toasted cous-cous, so we opened one of our older bottles:
2002 Ridge Lytton Springs nose: initially, soy sauce and butterscotch over plummy fruit, turning fresher and more berry-ish with time palate: initially, a bit glossy and soft, but becoming more structured and focused with time; by the end, firm acids and vivid berry fruit
Once again, my initial fears are allayed with time. Yes, this initially seemed a bit oaky and stewed but the wine became fresher and fresher the more time it sat open. Paul Draper suggested 10 years of improvement in '03 so I'll leave my remaining bottle for another few years to see how it develops.
Mark Lipton