Impulse buy today thinking it has a good reputation and might give me some insight to its big brother
Let it breathe for couple of hours, this is going to sound really strange knowing the reputation of 13 in general but the wine for me was flat and almost old. There was a certain bricking around the rim of the glass and the fruit was nowhere to be seen, he wine had that dry dusty shavings texture that the Bdx lovers crave.
I would not buy this again and frankly it was a disappointment
Interesting note. Given the bricking color you noted, do you think it was an off bottle?
Sounds like a bad cork. Btw, did you try it before letting it breathe?
Didnt seem off, just flat.
I did try it before breathing and it was basically the same, i was hoping air would open it up
I think this is probably just a mismatch between the wine and Alan’s taste. I like the wine quite a bit but it can come off as lean compared to many CA Cabs. FWIW it’s the only one I buy now. I have a friend who loves it and buys a bunch every year to drink young, so I started buying a few to age so we can try them later.
+1
Flat is the last thing that I’d say about this wine. I’d also not call it lean, at least not for my palate:
It’s a big cab to me! Break out the banjo!
Bricking really makes it sound like it wasn’t a representative bottle. I have had a few of these and haven’t had any that were flat or bricking.
Except for the bricking, I agree with Craig and I think your notes are consistent with someone who had a sound bottle but prefers a different style of wine.
As for the comparison to MB, I can see someone who dislikes a young estate wine liking an aged MB; they are very different. I always thought the 13 estate was well made but I don’t have a burning desire to drink them now and I’m guessing I’ll prefer them with (a lot) of age.
I’d bet it wasn’t bricking, it’s just not as purple as a lot of the wines you usually drink. Compared to Saxum or Caymus it will appear a little rusty in color. I would associate a more red/rust colored wine to have more acidity than a purple/magenta wine which fits into Ridge’s profile.
I agree with this. I sort of discounted the bricking comment because it just means the wine was a different color than expected. I expect it was a sound bottle.
I wouldn’t recommend this wine to someone who likes bigger wines. My recommendation for a cross-over Cab (appealing to both AFWE and riper wine lovers) would be Dehlinger.
I’m with Robert. The 2013 Ridge Estate is the least lean Ridge cab I’ve had in a while. Too far the other way for my palate.
Yeah. Tasted in May it had picked up a lot of weight, and had come out of its shell with a surprising amount of ripe expression from how it had shown a year before. I’d guess Alan’s bottle was oxidized due to a bad cork. The browning and flatness are consistent with that. (Could be from a dried out cork, rather than bad, per se. Standing up on a shelf in a somewhat arid environment for over a year could do that.)
There is a near-zero percent chance this wine is flawed. On the other hand, there is about a 100% chance Alan’s palate is.
This is something that I have an irrational fear about. Dry corks are the handiwork of the devil. Seriously.
Opened this tonight. It is awesome.
You guys are overthinking this. Alan could drink a case of this and still not like it.
Alan, I suppose you think Carlisle is icky too? Meh. 
Well, I am with Op on this. Love MB, may never buy another estate.
If your OK drinking labels go for it, i judge whats in the bottle. Palate maybe flawed but it has a mind of its own which more than you do
Yep, ive tried really hard to like Carlisle and i just dont.