Posted from CellarTracker
I find the same with Ridge Perrone Merlot bottlings as well…they don’t drink well early, but they reward you with a few years. Agree on the ‘Cabernet sensibility’ as well - more structured than a Merlot would normally be.
I have one '09 Ridge Torre remaining, which I am very curious about. High expectations.
I bought some of that 09 Torre. it was the only Torre or Perrone readily available at the winery, and at original release price (uh oh). After two bottles, my verdict is, for my palate, consistently blah. But with age who knows. I’m pouty about this wine, not judgey, because I have some and it was pricey.
George,
Buy cautiously. It’s not a wine that is going to turn heads. It’s classic, structured and more about intellect than showing off.
Classic and elegant and balanced. Me like. Unless it’s overstructured with drying tannins for the fruit power and will dry out before the structure mellows, and I’m not hearing that.
Have you had a Historic Vines? Gentle, the vines are losing power bigtime, but so beautiful.
I don’t ever remember faulting a Ridge red for being too light. OTOH boring, or flawed with diacetyl, or finish not complex, or oak won’t budge, or crowdpleasing (Lytton), those I fault. For my palate. And I’m usually wrong about the oak anyway, it almost always eventually “integrates.” Make that always. Even if, on release, I gagged on the American oak.
George, I haven’t tasted this in at least five years. When was the last one you opened?
I bought it at the winery when it was selling it recently, then drank two bottles, all within the past two years, at the time the only Torre or Perrone they were selling. Another uh oh. They also were selling recently the 2006 Monte Bello Chardonnay at release price, another uh oh, and sure enough for me those had an ox issue for my palate. No flaws, but Ridge does not sell older rare distinctive wines at anything close to release price IMO as a rule, unless there’s something about that wine to break that rule.
Sometimes these older Ridges wake up brilliantly. Let’s hope this is an example!
Absolutely. I went back to this thread to add, whatever you do, decant the eff out of it and also watch it grow over time after decanting. 2009 Ridge to me equals very young Ridge. I hope it blossoms into Draper perfume and herbs and perfect structure and something ineffable on the finish, and it might.
We went to Ridge last fall, after the fires, and bought some of the 2016 Torre Merlot and 2016 Klein Cab. Ridge had an open house with food that weekend, and were generously donating a portion of each sale to the Relief efforts. Tried a bottle of each within a few weeks, and bought some more during the Berserker Day sale. Not much to add except they are both excellent, and the Klein really needs some time to show its best. Glad to have both of them in the cellar.
Ed
One of the themes of the Final Assemblage events for a while was they bust out quantities of a library wine that was ready to go, and sell it at a greatly reduced price. Often a Monte Bello about 10 years post release. Then, when the April event was new, maybe the first one, they brought out the '95, '97 and '99. Then for (one? or) two years between the April and May the blew out 375s progressively of the '88, '90, '92 and '94 Monte Bellos.
This is like telling me you were backstage at Woodstock for three days and too bad I couldn’t make it.