by Tom Hill

A self-admitted wine geek, Tom lives in Northern New Mexico and works as a computational physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory doing numerical neutron transport & large scale code development. He has been tasting wines since 1971, participates locally with a couple of large tasting groups in his area, and is practically a fixture at most California wine festivals, such as the Hospice du Rhône, Rhône Rangers, and ZAP. Other interests: Tom is heavily into competitive sport fencing (foil & epee), biking, cooking, basketball, skiing, backpacking, mountain climbing.

 

New Zins, New Ridges
Tasted this week (4/28/99) some New Zins, including the new Ridges:
Ridge Calif Coast Range (44% Zin, 30% Carignane, 10% PS, 10% Sangiovese, 6% Mataro; 13.6%) '97: Med.light color; attractive pleasant simple raspberry/Zin clean light Am.oak nose; soft simple clean fruity/raspberry/juicy/Zin bit lactic/Am.oak flavor; med.short soft simple bright/raspberry/Zin light spicy light Am.oak finish w/ little tannins; a simple pleasant raspberry Zin; not worth the $17.50
Ridge Calif Zin Sonoma Station (75% Zin, 13% Carignane, 8% PS, 4% AlicanteBouschet; 14.5%) '97: Med.dark color; very aromatic raspberry/blackberry very spicy some dusty nose w/ bit of Am.oak; deep blackberry/raspberry dusty/spicy light milky/Am.oaked flavor; med.long spicy/blackberry/raspberry light oaked finish w/ light tannins; needs a yr or so; much like the '96 but a bit softer & lusher on the palate; very well made classic Ridge Zin that I liked a lot; great restaurant wine.
Eberle Paso Robles Zin Steinbeck Vnyd (14.0%) '97: Med.light color; attractive bright spicy/raspberry light oaked nose; tart bit lean spicy/bright/raspberry/zippy clean light oaked flavor; med. bright/light/spicy/raspberry/clean/Zin finish w/ light tannins; an attractive bright zippy raspberry Zin.
Eberle Paso Robles Zin Sauret Vnyd (15.5%) '97: Med.color; bright spicy/raspberry/ blackberry dusty/old vines some toasty/oak some complex nose; tart very spicy/ raspberry/blackberry/dusty light oaked bit hard flavor; very long very spicy/bright/ blackberry/raspberry/dusty light oaked finish w/ fair tannins; needs several yrs; lots of bright blackberry fruit; no alcoholic hotness at all; another terrific Eberle Sauret.
Rosenblum Cellars Paso Robles Zin Sauret Vnyd (14.2%) '97: Med.color; typical lush/Rosenblum/ spicy/ripe raspberry slight jammy light oaked nose; soft very lush/juicy bright raspberry/blackberry slight dusty light oaked flavor; med. very juicy/lush ripe/ blackberry/spicy/juicy light oaked finish w/ light tannins; that classic Rosenblum lushness; very attractive juicy drinkable Zin.
Zoom Paso Robles Sauret Vnyd Zin (14.6%) '97: Med.dark color; spicy/ripe/blackberry/jammy some dusty/old vines bit toasty/pungent/Fr.oaked nose; tart ripe blackberry/jammy/very spicy bit dusty some pungent/Fr.oaked/smokey flavor; long rich/spicy/blackberry/jammy dusty/old vines some pungent/Fr.oaked finish w/ fair tannins; needs several yrs; a bigger more serious Zin than the Rosenblum.
Ridge Calif Lytton Springs (80% Zin, 15% PS, 2% Carignane, 2% Mataro, 1% Grenache; 14.9%) '97: Med.dark color; deep/dusty/old vines complex very spicy/peppery/blackberry light Am.oaked nose; rich deep/dusty/old vines very spicy/raspberry/blackberry complex balanced flavor; very long very spicy/blackberry/raspberry/complex deep/dusty/old vines lingering finish w/ fair tannins; best LS in yrs; some of that slightly funky/complex character you find in the Geyserville.
Ridge Calif Lytton Estate (60% Zin, 35% PS, 5% Carignane; 14.6%) '96: Very dark color; deep chocolaty/pungent/blackberry/plummy some pungent/smokey bit milky/Am.oaked nose; some tart/tannic deep ripe chocolaty/plummy/blackberry/very spicy some toasty/oaked flavor; very long rich/blackberry/chocolaty bit lean/hard rather toasty/pungent/oak slight brett/horsecollar finish w/ fair tannins; needs 2-5 yrs; not the lushness of the '97 but a big/serious red wine.
Dashe Cellars Russian River Valley Zin (10% PS, 5% Carignane; 14.5%) '97: Med.dark color; lovely lush/blackberry/mushroomy/RRV/dusty/very spicy/complex bit earthy some oaked nose; soft rich very spicy/blackberry/lush/dusty light oaked flavor; very long very spicy/blackberry some dusty/earthy light oaked finish w/ some tannins; needs yr or two; very well-made classic RRV Zin w/ lots of lush character.
Scherrer Alexander Valley Zin The Shale Terrace (14.5%) '97: Med.light color; beautiful lush/forward very spicy/blackberry dusty/old vines nose; forward light lush very spicy/blackberry/black cherry/racy flavor; med.long forward/lush lightish very spicy/ blackberry/black cherry finish w/ little tannins; more on the elegant/delicate part of the Zin spectrum; almost Pinot-like in character.
Scherrer Alexander Valley Zin Old & Mature Vines (14.5%) '97: Med.dark color; deep/dusty/ old vines ripe very lush very spicy blackberry complex/cinammon/cloves light oaked nose; soft very rich very spicy lush intense blackberry/boysenberry dusty/old vines light oaked flavor; very long/lingering very spicy loads of blackberry/boysenberry dusty/old vines balanced finish w/ light tannins; loads of very spicy blackberry fruit; another terrific Scherrer Zin.
Scherrer Alexander Valley Zin Special Cuvee (15.0%) '97: Med.color; deeper more complex less lush very spicy/blackberry/boysenberry aromatic/perfumed nose; lighter very spicy/ blackberry complex dusty/old vines perfumed light oaked flavor; very long complex fairly lush/blackberry very spicy dusty/old vines bit leaner perfumed/racy finish w/ some tannins; bit mor perfumed/aromatic & bit leaner than the O&MV version.
Ridge Calif York Creek Petite Sirah Spring Mtn (100% PS; 13.7%) '96: Very dark color; lots of buttery/oak/butterd popcorn spicy/licorice/pungent/peppery some earthy nose; soft lush very buttery/butterd popcorn rather milky/Am.oak spicy/peppery earthy/dusty flavor; long bit tannic milky/Am.oaked buttery soft/round/lush peppery/licorice fairly lush finish w/ some tannins; needs a few yrs; very balanced for Calif PS.
Ridge Calif Zin Paso Robles Late Picked (95% Zin, 5% PS; 15.6%; RS:0.5%) '97: Med.dark color; very intense blackberry/jammy/PR Zin very lush bit aromatic/volatile nose; very rich off-dry very lush classic PR/Zin/blackberry/jammy flavor; very long off-dry very lush/blackberry/jammy bit dusty slight raisened/overripe finish w/ some tannins; loads of lush/jammy/blackberry fruit.
Ridge Calif Zin Dusi Ranch Late Picked (100% Zin; 15.7%; RS:0.47%) '97: Very dark color; very intense blackberry/jammy/boysenberry chocolaty/overripe/bit late harvesty nose; soft rich mouthfilling/blackberry/boysenberry/jammy/chocolaty/Chambord almost Essence- like off-dry flavor; very long lingering intense blackberry/boysenberry/jammy/Chambord chocolaty Essence-like off-dry finish w/ some tannins; a bit of an over-the-top Zin but not at all raisened/pruney/or alcoholic; much like their old Essence but not as sweet; one of the best Paso Robles yet if you like that style.
And w/ a chocolate cake w/ raspberry coulis glaze, we had:
Bonny Doon DEWN Rubus-Cubed (79% Carignane, 21% Raspberries; 13.5%) NV('97): Med.light color; very intense raspberry/raspberry liquer nose; dry tart lean sharp/acidic very intense raspberry flavor; very long very tart/thin/lean essence of raspberries finish w/ no tannins; certainly the raspberry character is there; would like a bit of residual sugar and lushness on the palate. $18.00
Malvira Birbet Mosto Parzialmente Fermentato (Brachetto; 6.5% alc) NV: Light bit browning color; very fragrant/aromatic/Moscatty/Aleatico very grapey nose; frizzante slightly sweet/soda pop very Muscatty/grapey flavor; long frizzante/soda pop off-dry spicy/Muscatty/very fragrant floral finish w/ little tannins; a terrific wine much like soda pop. $17.00

And a bloody pulpit that can only be described as..... long & boring:
Eberle Zins: This is about the 3'rd yr of production of the Steinbeck Zin. As the vnyd matures, it seems to be getting better and better. This '97 is by far the best one yet. I had the Sauret '97 from barrel last Summer at Raisin'Rhones. I was blown away by it; it was loaded by incredible rich blackberry fruit, yet not that typical/classic blackberry/jammy/Paso Robles character; with great structure. I thought it the best Eberle Zin ever made and the best SauretVnyd Zin ever made. At ZAP in January, I found the wine pretty closed up & subdued, not much fragrance to it. It was a barrel sample drawn the day before, which may have been the reason. When my shipment arrived a month ago, I cracked a btl two days later. It still seemed a bit tight & lean & closed & hard & not the huge/lush fruit that I recall from the barrel sample last June. But I wanted to give it awhile before I threw it into a "formal" (at least, as formal as my tastings ever get!) tasting; to delay judgement on the wine. So..... we had the '97 Sauret w/ a bit of trepidation on my part. The fragrance & the aromatics seemed to be returning. It has a pretty fair amount of tannins & structure for Paso Robles Zin. It seemed a bit hard & closed yet; not the huge/lush character the barrel sample had. The 15.5% alcohol is not at all apparent. But the best Eberle/Sauret Zin ever??? I still don't know for sure. I recall liking the '95 more at this same point in time. Clearly, the '97 is not the mind-blowing Zin that I took it for last June. In a yr, it may evolve into the best Eberle/Sauret yet... I just don't know Zins well enough to predict. Make no mistake..... the '97 Eberle Sauret is terrific Zin, at a very fair price. It's worth buying (my group took 8 cases, untasted; and will take another 3 cases after we tasted it; they liked it so well); highly recommended. Many of the Paso Robles Zins have a slightly overripe very jammy/blackberry quality to them.... the 2 Ridges were typical of the genre... and a lush/fat softness on the palate to them. Gary Eberle's Zins always seem to not fit that mold at all. Even when the alcohol levels are 15% and above; they never seem to have that overripe/raisened character of their Paso Robles brethern. The aromatics seem to be more characteristic of DryCreekVlly Zin than Paso Robles Zin. And they always seem to have more structure and balance than other Paso Zins. Whatever Gary's doing w/ his Zinfandel, he's sure doing it right!!
The ZOOM Zin was made at RosenblumCllrs by Kent's winemaker. It identified the grapes as coming from a 29 yr old vnyd 10 miles north and 4 miles west of Paso Robles. That can be no other vnyd than Sauret.
FWIW: Tomorrow (May 1) they're having a tribute/celebration for Paso Robles premier Zin grower, Richard Sauret, there in Paso. There is probably not a more deserving grower in California. When I was there last June, Richard & I tromped around his two vnyds for almost 2 hrs one afternoon. And this was after he had been up since 3:00am out in the vnyd spraying!!! He's an incredible, friendly, likable guy that people should get to know. He usually comes to ZAP in January but mostly circulates thru the crowd unnoticed.
Lytton Springs : When I had the Ridge LS '97 at ZAP in January, I was very much taken by the wine. I've faulted the LS from the last 5-6 yrs as being a bit on the lighter/simpler side of the Ridge Zin spectrum. The '97 struck me as much bigger & richer and more serious than any they've done in a number of yrs. I then tasted thru the new Ridge releases a month ago in Albq and found all the new Ridges to be on the light & washed out side; quite disappointing. I think it was the venue there and the wines being served on the warm side. When tasted with my group in the absolutely objective/impeccable conditions we use; they wine was back to form.... the best Ridge Lytton Springs in a fair number of yrs. According to the Ridge literature, as the Lytton West estate has reached maturity; all the Zin will be going into their regular LS bottling and there will be no more Lytton Estate ATP Zin produced in the future.
Scherrer Zins: I've been following Fred Scherer's Zins from the very start and have always loved them; some of my favorite Zins. I find that many AlexanderVlly Zins tend to be a bit on the soft/underacid/bit porky side. Fred's have never been like that; they seem to have more balance & structure than any others. I regard him as probably the premier producer of AlexanderVlly Zins. They always seem to have a very strong spiciness to them I more often find in RussianRiverVlly Zins. With the '97 vintage; he brought out 3 different versions. As last yrs version, the Shale Terrace as a lighter more elegant/delicate side to it. The (new) Special Cuvee, in addition to higher alcohol, has a sort of exotic perfume to it that's a bit different than the O&MV. All the '97 versions seem to me to be not as big and extracted as previous versions but they have that classic Scherrer blackberry and spice. Terrific wines from a very talented winemaker.
Ridge PetiteSirah: The Ridge PSs are always tough for me to taste. It is a variety that I don't find particularly attractive. Usually black in color; it often is badly lacking in aromatics and loaded w/ tannins; a coarse/clunky red wine that is usually overloaded w/ oak. The Ridge PS is seldom this. Paul Draper clearly knows tannin management probably better than anyone around & I feel YC PS probably brings those skills more to the forefront than any other wine. Though a big wine that usually ages for yrs, it seems to have a suppleness & balance & roundness to it that few others can achieve w/ PS w/o making a thin/ivescerated wine. Ridge PS is just one of the world's unique. And when served an old one blind, I'm usually totally clueless (one of my particular traits) as to the identity of the wine. And the wines seem to age so well. The '71 YorkCreek PS served at the LosAngeles Ridge Retrospective in February was one of the most stunning/sensational Calif red wines I've ever had.... and still going strong.
The Ridge Paso Robles Zins '97: When I tasted the PR LP '97 at ZAP, I was quite impressed by it an thought it one of the best Ridge PRs yet. I still am of that opinion. It was interesting to taste it aside the DusiRanch. I much preferred, as did the rest of my group, the DusiRanch. It's a bit of an over-the-top Zin but has sooooo much intense blackberry fruit w/o having that alcoholic/raisened character very ripe PR Zin can have. Terrific stuff. Both wines have a slightly off-dry character to them but definitely are not the slightly sweet character of some very ripe Zins. As he usually does in these cases when the wine has a sensation of sugar on the palate; Paul Draper puts the residual sugar level on the label... which is .5%... below the threshold of sugar in red wines.
The Birbet was sold to me by Wayne Belding at BoulderWineMerchant as a great wine to go with chocolate. As usual, he was right on. A partially fermented Brachetto (a member of the Muscat family), the sharp/frizzante character sliced right thru the richness of the chocolate cake; it had a liveliness & zippy character on the palate that worked very well. It reminded me a lot of Aleatico and a lot of a graceful/lighter style of Lambrusco. Worth checking out next time you're having M&Ms.