WTN: Ridge PaganiRanch '15 & '16...(short/boring)

Just got my Z-List shipment last week, so took one for the team:
1. Ridge Zin PaganiRanch/SonomaVlly/SonomaCnty (83% Zin/10% AlicanteBouschet/7% PetiteSirah; 15.0%; bttld April 2017; 16 mo. in brl; Drk: 2/17-2/27-2/29: EB) Cupertino 2015: Very dark/near black color; very intense blackberry/boysenberry/Zin/ripe slight alcoholic rather sauvage/licorice/pungent/earthy/mushroomy quite dusty/OV classic rustic Pagani complex nose; lightly tart/tangy intense blackberry/noysenberry/Zin/licorice/ripe rather earthy/mushroomy/rustic quite dusty/OV classic sauvage/Alicante/Pagani flavor w/ ample ripe/chewy tannins; very long/lingering intense boysenberry/blackberry/Zin/licorice classic Pagani sauvage/rustic finish w/ ample ripe tannins; no signs of oak obvious, more a Carlisle Zin than a Ridge; the classic Pagani/Alicante/sauvage/rustic character comes thru load&clear; a pretty huge Pagani that needs age. $45.00 (SFW&S)
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2. Ridge Zin PaganiRanch/SonomaVlly/SonomaCnty (14.8%; 88% Zin/9% PetiteSirah/3% AlicanteBouschet; bttld Dec 2017; Drk:
8/17-8/24-8/25: JO) Healdsburg 2016: Very dark/near black color; very fragrant blackberry/Zin/very spicy/bit raspberry rather vanilla/Am.oak somewhat high-toned some dusty/OV less complex more classic Ridge nose; bit softer very strong blackberry/raspberry/boysenberry/very spicy some dusty/OV some vanilla/Am.oak bit simpler flavor w/ modest ripe/smooth tannins; very long/lingering strong blackberry/raspberry/boysenberry/Zin/rather spicy/high-toned some vanilla/Am.oak finish w/ modest ripe tannins; more restrained/high-toned/blackberry/raspberry/Zin more classic Ridge Zin more vanilla/toasted coconut and lighter sauvage character; a more traditional Ridge Pagani. $36.00 (Z-List)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I much preferred the '15 for its intensity and sauvage character, presumably because of the higher Alicante fraction. But the '16 is no slouch of a wine, much more like the Ridge Paganis of yore than the '15.
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2. Well...that's a surprise!! Always in the past, the Pagani has been made by EricBaugher at the MonteBello wnry...which has always been a puzzle to me. This '16 was made by JohnOlney at the LyttonSprings wnry. Not sure what to make of that. It may just be a one-off change to balance out things at te two wineries...or it may be a permanent change. I'll try to find out. To tell the truth, even though they vinify different wines, I've never been able to identify a difference in John's and Eric's winemaking style..they both speak of Ridge winemaking in a single voice. Of course, being a LosAlamos guy, based on this single data point, I'll make a wild-a$$ed grand extrapolation and assert that John's winemaking style is more feminine than Eric's!! Heck...us LosAlamos guys can make grand extrapolations based on zero data points!!
Tom

So no hint of residual sugar in the 2015, Tom? I thought I remembered almost a gritty sweet note but maybe I am misremembering.

I didn't taste as much oak in the 2016 as you noted. I preferred the 2016, but that may be based on fading memories of active dislike of the 2015

So no hint of residual sugar in the 2015, Tom? I thought I remembered almost a gritty sweet note but maybe I am misremembering.

I didn't taste as much oak in the 2016 as you noted. I preferred the 2016, but that may be based on fading memories of active dislike of the 2015

Not that I could pick up, Brian. But the fruit in the '15 is so intense that it may seem to have a little r.s.
The '15 was sort of an outlier for recent Ridge Paganis and I can see how some folks would not
particularly like it.
So on to the '16 Lytton and Ponzo this afternoon. Paired w/ the '14's.
Tom