65% zin, 20% petite sirah, 9% carignane, 3% mataro, 2% alicante bouschet, 1% grenache. 13.8%. $23 at PJ’s in NYC.
I haven’t loved this wine in the past. Of Ridge’s cheaper zins, I preferred the Dry Creek East Bench. (Man, the 2008 of that was a gem!) And I wasn’t sure what to expect from the difficult 2011 vintage, but I wanted something fairly fruity for Italian sweet sausage with peppers and onion, and this did the trick.
It’s got a good bit of Dry Creek zin blackberry up front, but also some dark chocolate that gives it an almost cabernet-like structure. It’s a bit austere, which I like, with some tannins – even a trace of hard, green tannin. There’s something a bit rustic, perhaps from the big dose of petite sirah, or maybe from the cool vintage. Or both.
You can tell it was a year when ripening was difficult. This is that rare California wine that conforms to that maxim in Europe that the greatest wines are grown at the northern limits of ripeness (e.g., Burgundy). Not a great wine, but a really enjoyable, balanced $23 zin that demands your attention when you’re sipping it because it’s not facile – it doesn’t provide instant gratification on the first sip. For me, in the 86/87 range, which makes it very good value for zin these days.
Agree with you about that East Bench! 2009 was a dandy, too. Thanks for the reference point on the '11 Three Valleys. Never been a huge fan, or buyer, but a good reference point nonetheless. My local guy does not have the full '11 line-up yet, but been hearing good things about the Geezer. We just got in the '10 Geezer and LS, and both are damn good.
I’m such a whore for Ridge, but I’ve never cared for the Three Valleys, it was always a bit sour to me. Also never liked the Chardonnays, but that’s beside the point.
I’ve felt that way about the the Three Valleys before. Some may feel that way about the '11, as the fruit is definitely less ripe than a typical Ridge zin. To me, though, the structure and that less ripe fruit makes it intriguing and challenging – it makes me pay attention.
The East Bench was a different story. It was more approachable but really delicious – no apologies necessary. And at $15 less than the Geyserville and Lytton Springs, it was easy to love. I enjoyed the 08 every bit as much as a GV or LS, though it was a little less “serious.” Haven’t seen it around in the last year in the stores I frequent in NYC, though.
Ponzu Vineyard can be very good as well. Below, from the Ridge Vineyards site:
Bob Ponzo has farmed these grapes for us in the Russian River Valley since 1999. Bob’s vineyard, on deep gravely loam soils four and a half miles south of Lytton Springs, provides all of the fruit for this zinfandel. The Russian River Valley’s cooler microclimate ripens this fruit shortly after Lytton Springs and Geyserville. Small amounts of petite sirah are interplanted with zinfandel in the oldest block.
Three Valleys was my go-to back in the day, but have been largely unimpressed with it since about, oh, the 08 vintage perhaps? Certainly not reflective of the typical Ridge awesomeness of so many of their other bottlings. Almost cheapens the brand, IMHO.
Would love to know of any other quality Zin-based blends out there. Orin Swift and Duckhorn sure haven’t cut it for me either.
There was about an inch and a half of the Three Valleys left in the bottle in the refrigerator last night, which I finished off. Still quite fresh after two days, with a nice attack of zin blackberries. The follow-through was more red cherries, though, and reminded me of a barbera. Indeed, the wine could be mistaken for a Barbera d’Asti, I think.
This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea zin-wise. But I liked it.