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- ddf68 - 04-05-2002
1994 S. Anderson Blanc de Blancs
Rich, ripe, and yeasty, this is my kind of bubbly. The bead could perhaps have been finer, but that's really picking nits.
1978 Arroyo Sonoma Cabernet
Low shoulder fill, strong vinegar aroma on removing the capsule, wet gray sludge on the cork, quite brown in the glass. Uh-oh. Surprisingly, it showed pleasant flavors of sweet cherry, caramel, and leather. Not particularly intense, but well balanced and lacking any off notes. Very good. I was given to understand that there was further flavor development and richness for those with patience, but by then I had moved on to
1978 Ridge Zinfandel Paso Robles
Red; rather stinky nose quickly blew off to reveal red fruits and hints of menthol; more cool red fruit on the palate. Good intensity, great balance, with a bit of a kick at the end. Far and away the best (and oldest) zin I have ever had. Wish I hadn't waited 'til the '99s to start buying Ridge zin. Outstanding, lacking only a bit of complexity to call it Extraordinary. Just edged out the Montelena for WOTN.
1982 Leoville Poyferre
Very purple with no signs of bricking; dark, earthy nose; cedar, black fruit, tobacco on the palate, with substantial tannins moving in quickly. This was surprisingly backward in comparison to other bottles and would have benefitted from some additional cellar time. Excellent.
1996 Montelena Not an older cab, but brought up last minute to back up the suspect Arroyo Sonoma.
Dark purple; I forget the nose; very primary and tannic, later developed some chocolate notes, but relatively simple and unevolved. Excellent, with potential for improvement. I know this is young, but I was expecting a better showing on the basis of a recent bottle of the '97.
1988 Melini Coltri
Dark red; floral/strawberry nose; smooth and red on the palate with mineral notes, plenty of tannin left, but drinking very well. Outstanding. I gather this is a cab/sangiovese blend, but I didn't see a whole lot of cab character, except maybe the tannin.
1992 Waterbrook Cabernet Columbia Valley
Dark red/purple; nose of chocolate and model airplane glue; no tannin to speak of. Excellent.
1994 Whidby Washington Port
I can't find (didn't take?) any notes on this. I remember it being good, and ready to go.
- winoweenie - 04-05-2002
Hi DDF68. Very surprised about the Arroys Sonoma as I wasn't enamored of the wine when it was fresh. As far a Ridge zins are concerned, I've made many posts on the older babes being fantabulous. The Lytton Springs and Geyserville are IMHO two of the great agers ever stuck in a bottle with a Zin varietal name attached. Think I posted of the 77 Lytton Springs orphan we opened last year. Would raise the hair on the back of Tellys' head. I'm sure the SLO from Mastuantanos' vineyard will go as will the Papagni Ranch. Sounds like you had some fun. WW
- ddf68 - 04-08-2002
Yes, it was a good night. Wish it could happen more often. It's tough being an oenophile out here in the wilderness.
I don't know what to say about the Arroyo Sonoma except that the guy that brought it has good luck with the '78 CA cabs. It was he who brought the surprisingly good '78 Jordan I posted on a few months ago.
As for the Ridge, I've often heard of their aging powers, but this is my first personal experience.
[This message has been edited by ddf68 (edited 04-08-2002).]
- wondersofwine - 04-09-2002
My all-time favorite zinfandels from the past were Ridge Lytton Springs (can't recall the vintage years). I wasn't as impressed with the '97s. Maybe I'm drinking them too young or have they changed the style since the '70's and '80's?
- winoweenie - 04-09-2002
Infatacida-vina-phile!!!WW
- wondersofwine - 04-12-2002
Okay, WW. I've got a couple '97s left. I will sock them away for how long? Do you think they'd be ready in 2005?
- winoweenie - 04-12-2002
Give'em another 2! WW