2007 Ridge Lytton Springs- USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (11/7/2010)
From the historic Lytton Estate vineyard, planted in 1901. A tough year for crooks - Scotland Yard creates a fingerprint archive.
14.4% alcohol. 71% Zinfandel, 22% Petite Sirah, 7% Carignane. Initially opened the previous evening. Dark-purple ruby. Very expressive red fruit and spice aromas. On the palate, rasberry, cherry, black fruit, pepper and bramble. Rich and well balanced with a lingering aftertaste. Very enjoyable now, this iconic field blend wine has many fine years ahead of it. (92 pts.)
mike - glad to see your positive notes, i bought quite a bit of this and the couple i have had were pretty closed for business…perhaps i should have decanted!
Craig – I’ve also had one bottle that was quite tight while two others that were popped and poured were juicy and fruity. Go figure. Any way you slice it, it’s beautifully balanced so I expect it will have a long, elegant life ahead.
thanks guys - will give the others some time. maybe its the petite in this wine that lenghtens its drinking window…most zins i’ve had drink much better early. i got 1 bottle of this in a mag format that could age for quite a while (?)
“11/6/2010 rated 93 points: Decanted for 90 mins, which perhaps contributed to this seeming to be seamless. True to the Zinnish nature of this blend, on the darker side of things, long finish. A Zin that’s profound? This sure seems close!”
Sorry to stray quite a way off topic, but opened an '85 Geezer Sat night and it showed tremendously for a 25 year old zin. On an absolute level, regardless of variety or origin, it was a very good wine, not great, but very good. It had no edges from beginning to finish, and instead was harmonious in a way you just don’t get with young reds. The difficult thing to do with nice old zins is to avoid hyperbole based on meager expectations. Otherwise, I might contradict myself (about zin and nobleness, though Geezer as we all know is not really a zin per se) and say it was a “great” wine.
The petite sirah probably helps. But I suspect that old vines and good balance have as much to do with it. After all, many years the Geyserville has a good whack of carignane – not known for aging – and it can still go the distance, too.
Thanks, Mike and others. More expensive up here, $45, but I still bought 3 and am happy to see these notes. I will be trying my first this weekend at a dinner party, will post notes and try to remember to cross-post over here as well.
I had a bottle of this Saturday night at Bayona restaurant in New Orleans, a mere $47 or $48 off their wine list. It showed beautifully without any decant, though I think it’s a wine which will age well for 15 years or more.
I had an early 1990s Lytton Springs earlier this year that was terrific and nowhere near the end of its peak years. Great stuff.
2007 Ridge Lytton Springs- USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley (5/19/2018)
Drank this on our 16th anniversary with a prime dip sandwich and GFC chicken sandwich from our local joint, Prime by Shenandoah. This bottle drank beautifully! Yes, the American oak signature is there, and I’m usually a huge critic, but this wine worked it out pretty well and I didn’t find it at all objectionable, as it has integrated well at this point. I still would have preferred less of it, but I’m not complaining because this was so pleasing, rich, and balanced. An American classic! (93 pts.)
Height of the recession, and from a big local store sale, I grabbed two cases and my Dad grabbed one case, at $18.99 per!! I should grabbed the fourth case… Drank really well to me from day one, and at that price, it was house wine. Now all gone, sadly.
