WTN: Living (and drinking) on the Ridge

This tasting at Enoteca Vin in Raleigh on Feb. 19 included 3-oz. pours of eight Ridge wines (I didn't finish all of the wines but did drain a couple.) You could reserve your own dinner time and choose from the regular menu. I went with the suggested course for the Monte Bello Chardonnay and made my own selections from the menu for the red wine pairings.
John Olney, vice president of Ridge and manager of the Lytton Springs facility, was on hand to answer questions.

2004 Monte Bello Chardonnay
paired with lobster bisque with Sherry and chervil (pieces of lobster in the bisque)
Scent of lightly charred oak. Pleasant, somewhat Burgundian flavor although perhaps more "drawn butter" than a typical French Burgundy. Viscous. Oak adds depth to the overall impression. Very nice pairing with the lobster bisque. Mr. Olney says they used to use French oak but now use American oak with the Chardonnay--30% new and about 20% one-year old barrels. I liked this Chard and so did the table next to me. I saved some thinking I might come back to it later, but with all those reds to try it became impractical to finish it.

Four primarily Zinfandel reds followed in flights of two at a time.

I ordered a serving of the Montgomery Cheddar cheese to accompany the Zins. It came with bread and dried cherries and I ordered addtional cheese and bread without additional fruit. For more information on the cheesemaking in Somerset, England see:
http://www.farmhousecheesemakers.com/ab ... lt_12.html

2005 Geyserville, Sonoma County
2005 Lytton Springs, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

2005 Geyserville and the Lytton Springs (hereafter L.S.) both leggy. The L.S. was more fragrant as I would expect. The Geyserville was mild enough to mesh nicely with the slightly nutty cheddar cheese--better cheese match than the L.S. which tasted rather primary and undeveloped at present. It needs more maturity. Mr. Olney acknowledged that the Geyserville is drinking beautifully right now and it seemed a particularly fortunate match with the Montgomery Cheddar. I normally love L.S. but couldn't judge it at this stage. On the palate it was more austere than the nose. It mellowed slightly after 25-30 minutes in the glass but is still very young.

2005 Paso Robles (Benito Dusi Ranch)
2005 York Creek, Mayacamas Range, Napa Valley

I have enjoyed Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel in other vintages. To my taste the 2005 was too ripe and jammy. Dark berries. Not one of my favorites of the evening.

The York Creek was a better match to the cheddar cheese (although not up to the Geyserville.) A bit tannic on the finish but not as lean as some of the background notes might indicate.

I had the waiter bring my entree with the Monte Bello reds--steak frites with maitre d' butter and red wine jus.

2003 Ridge Monte Bello
1992 Ridge Monte Bello
1991 Ridge Monte Bello
A blend of Bordeaux varieties in which Cabernet Sauvignon still predominates.

I found the 2003 worth a second and third lick of the lips. Sweet fruit but not jammy. Attractive.
Of the two older vintages I prefered the '91 which was both mellow and somewhat leathery.
I didn't care for a certain aftertaste with the '92 vintage. The '91 had a strong family resemblance to the '03. These were a good pairing for the medium rare steak.

The wine tasting cost $49 and the dinner items were priced separately. Fun evening.

Sounds like a great evening!

I liked the nose of the Paso Robles when I tried it at the Monte Bello Estate. I really liked the L.S. Syrah, though I generally prefer Syrah to Zin.

Agreed, sounds like a great time out with good food and excellent wines!
Have been hard pushed to find recent vintages of L.S.

[David M. Bueker]

Fabulous event. I can almost imagine being there (I wonder why...).

The 2005 Geyserville is a fabulous wine. I haven't had the Lytton yet, but am still planning to try it. I have found many recent vintages of the Paso (e.g. the '99 a few weeks ago) to be too pruney for my taste. I only have one bottle of the York Creek in the cellar, and that will disappear in a couple of months.

As for the Monte Bello, the '91 is legend, and worth the hype. I'm not a big fan of the '92 either. 2003 I have not tried yet. Soon.

Thanks for the notes.

Thanks for the great Ridge notes.

I think I've read maybe 3 notes on the board in the past 3 days on the 2005 Geyserville. My own experience last month was that this was certainly drinking fine but I would prefer to try again in a few years. Certainly compared to the 2004 Lytton Springs had that same night, this is much more on the approachable side.

2005 Ridge Geyserville Sonoma County. 77% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane, 6% Petite Sirah. The label says this is the 40th vintage of this bottling—a pretty impressive streak. Spices, soft rubber, gentle incense and all manner of tomato garden (fruit, leaves, dirt) make up the aromatic profile. In the mouth, it shows excellent richness and solid concentration of fruit. It is fresh and spicy, with chocolate and blueberry flavors. There are plenty of puffy tannins hanging around, but this can be drunk now or preferably several years from now.

-Michael