The following three beautiful renditions of some of our very favorite wines were enjoyed the night after Christmas with Alan Kerr aka Canadian Zinfan and the enigmatic Madame Mystery. The two from Monte Bello Ridge were our first tastes of each since the great Ridgestock Sunday affair, while the '99 Thackrey was our first taste of that vintage period, and our first renewal of acquaintances with any Orion since August of 2005. All were well worth the wait.
1990 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains, 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 13.5% alc.: This dark garnet colored Mr. Ridge is showing little if any bricking as of yet, and if you stuck your nose into a glass unnamed, no one would blame you for mistaking it for something Bourdeaux-ish. It offers earth and cedar, with some black currant in support, along with some shading of dusty cocoa; these impressions echo and expand on the palate with what CZ describes as “super-ripe plum, an almost oyster shell mineral aspect, seaweed and iodine.” Ms. Tree added that it shows “more cassis as it opens, with that underlying green tone that you don’t get from other fruit.” Still lush and well structured, this would seem to have a good 10-15 years of great drinking ahead of it, and yet it already makes a marvelous match for grilled lamb-sicles.
1997 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains, 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 12.9% alc.: Deep, dark garnet in color, with a dusty cocoa and black currant nose and some subtle Draper perfume that emerges with air; rich and lush in the mouth, with black currant, plum and earthy undertones. Nothing ripe or extracted about this, it’s all about balance and structure, with pure claret character and while it has a long future ahead of it, it’s already starting to hit its stride and drink really well, and also pairs deliciously with those lamb-sicles.
1999 Sean Thackrey Napa Orion California Native Red Wine Old Vines Rossi Ranch, 14.8% alc.: A deep, dark garnet in color, with big dark plums and blackberry aromatics right away; MM finds some heat here, but Alan and I don’t. Kerr added, “It’s plastic-y on the nose; I know that’s not going to sound complimentary, but I like it.” I get none of that either; I do get a note of eucalyptus, leather and pine needle, and all of these follow through on the palate, being rich, ripe and yet fabulously balanced. As it continues to open, it elicits such descriptors as burnt couverture chocolate from Kim and iron from the Mysterious Madame, and Alan mentions something about getting “a tilt in me kilt.” So nice right now, but it’s almost certainly not yet at its peak, and can easily go for another 10 years and more. Of these three truly great wines, this one may have been the Wine of the Night, and that, my friends, is saying something.
-From More Drawing of the Threes
Reporting from Day-twah,
geo t.