WTN: Ridge Pagani and Cusino Macul

[Jenise]

1995 Ridge Pagani Ranch Zinfandel
David Bueker's note on the 99 Geyserville inspired me to indulgence, so to go with the Argentine style steak with chimichurri sauce I made for dinner last night and I opened our last mature Ridge zin, the 95 Pagani Ranch. Dark garnet color. Lovely sweet raspberry-boysenberry aromas with the tobacco and clove of an unlit Indonesian cigarette. On the palate there's those plus a little earth and Morroccan leather on the finish. Perfect balance for a mature wine, and drinks splendidly now but it should hold here, and possibly develop further, for years.

2003 Cusino Macul Anigua Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile
I picked up a small handful of these for like $6/ea awhile back at auction, and what a nice deal that turned out to be. Initially, there's that unfriendly green nose that's almost raw pine that Chilean reds wines often have upfront, but it dissipates quickly and shows rich blackberry fruit, earth and a foresty note that's not as sweet as cedar but still attractive on the dry finish. Big bodied with mild tannins, possibly deceptively so so I'm unsure about aging potential, but the wine's in a good place right now for a pop n' pour.

Jenise, you got one heckuva deal there!

I've long been a fan of the Antiguas Reservas from Cousino-Macul. They've maintained their traditional and more 'rustic' style in the face of modernization and technology, so it's more like the best of "old Chile" than the best of "new Chile".

You described the wine particularly well too, especially that part about the 'green pine' note (i usually pick it up as Pine-Sol/cedary/bitter herbs) that usually blows off after a little aeration. That has always been a characteristic of the wine.

I wouldn't worry overmuch about the ageability either. C-M Antiguas Cabernet tends to hang in there for a good long while; especially as compared to some (most) of the other Chilean cabs out there these days. What you have will likely hold for a good five, maybe up to ten, years.

And then again, maybe not.

[David M. Bueker]

Jenise!

I have one lonely bottle of the '95 Pagani left in the cellar. Now I'm going to have a hard time keeping my hands off of it.

I opened our last mature Ridge zin, the 95 Pagani Ranch.

Damn. Guess I forgot to tell you I was doing a mature Ridge zin event.....

The 94s and 95s have shown very well with age on them. But then I LIKE old zins (at least the minority that age well)

[Jenise]

Damn. Guess I forgot to tell you I was doing a mature Ridge zin event..... [/quote]

BANG BANG.

The 94s and 95s have shown very well with age on them. But then I LIKE old zins (at least the minority that age well)

They have, I had quite a few of each. This bottle showed much better than a bottle of the 95 Geyserville that I brought to a lunch a few years ago.

[Jenise]

I've long been a fan of the Antiguas Reservas from Cousino-Macul. They've maintained their traditional and more 'rustic' style in the face of modernization and technology, so it's more like the best of "old Chile" than the best of "new Chile".

Every time I have one of these cabs, it's so good that I'm surprised that I don't run into them more often or hear their praises sung on these boards. Got to be one of the best value cabs around, and as you say--traditional! Thanks for the reassurance about ageability. I only have a couple left, but would be nice to hold at least one for the long-term.

Nice to see you posting here again, btw.