EWG DOES ZINFANDEL AND SLIDERS - Conrad Green’s Abode (5/30/2010)
The East Side Wine Group’s latest edition was Zinfandel paired with some outstanding gourmet home made sliders. Conrad hosted us yet again and was assisted but Gregg Greenbaum cooking up three rounds outstanding burgers. We had the best tuna burger sandwich I have had, smoked Mozzarella and arugula beef slider and a St Augur. bacon and caramelized onion beef slider. This was all enjoyed with outstanding company on Conrad’s back patio in Eagle Rock on a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. The weather couldn’t have been better. Another great time.
The wines were solid but not impressive overall. Three stood out to me though in looking back nothing rocked my world. It would be a three way tie between the '91 Ridge Lytton Springs, '97 Ravenswood and '03 Carlisle Carlisle for WTONs. The '78 I brought was a nice surprise.
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1998 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut La Grande Dame - France, Champagne
Nose shows fresh white bread and an oxidative note. The palate seems more filled out and expressive than previous tastes of this. Getting better and entering a drinking window I would say.
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1996 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru - France, Champagne
Mostly sulfur aromas on the nose. Palate is pretty tight showing straw and chalky/minerally qualities. The length seemed to pick up as it sat in the glass but it still remained wrapped up to me. Leave to sleep.
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1978 Shenandoah Vineyards Zinfandel - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County
The color was still vibrant only showing bricking at the edges. Bright nose full of red berries. Still very alive with some grip left. Was a bit short with a touch of heat but an otherwise clean palate. This drank pretty well right out of the bottle for about 20 minutes or so and then just dried up. A nice surprise.
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1991 Ridge Lytton Springs - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
The nose smelled like a baked red berry dessert with a kiss of spice. The still seems big and rich though not fleshy and extracted. Displayed a nice balance of fruit, acid and tannin. Very nice and one of my favorites on the night.
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1994 Ridge Geyserville - USA, California, Sonoma County
Subtle complex nose with a touch of oxidation. Clean feeling yet somewhat dirty in expression. Dark and rich with plenty of grip. Some heat and it seemed a bit advanced to me. This displayed the Old World qualities that these old Geezers often can but I think this bottle was a bit passed its prime to me. Good but probably not its best showing.
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1997 Ravenswood Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Jammy stony Zinberry nose that is remarkably fresh and young. Big and brightly fruited, very expressive with a great acidic, almost minerally finish. I was very surprised at how young and fresh this seemed and the way the acids balanced out the fruit. Terrific and one of my favorites on the night but not for the kind that insist on fruit taking a secondary seat in aged wines.
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2007 Ridge Geyserville - USA, California, Sonoma County
Decanted about 6 hours prior to consumption. The nose shows soft big berries and notes of nectarine, wet paint and oak. Rich, dense and tannic with a long finish. The fruit shows a sugar crystal berry quality but ultimately seemed on the less than expressive side. The last glass taken home was the same the next night. Potential is here but in need of sleep. Come back in five years or more.
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2002 Ridge Zinfandel Dusi Ranch - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Lots of ripeness on the nose with a touch of VA. Jammy, bright, thick and juicy. This seems to stick to the palate. Well made for a Paso Zin but still too ripe and forward for me. This doesn’t need anymore age but isn’t on the down slope yet.
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2003 Carlisle Zinfandel Rossi Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Soft nose showing vanilla and dark fruit. Thick and dull, short and hot.
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2003 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Ripe, clean Zinberry nose. Juicy palate showing dark berries. Very clean with great acidity. This was terrific and reminiscent of the '97 Ravenswood with its fresh expression. Big Zin done right.
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2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Montafi Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Nose shows candy like fresh berry fruits. Big, thick and rich with lots of juicy ripe dark fruit. Some mocha and chocolate with heat on the back end.
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2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlo’s Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Ripe nose showing a bit of VA…and TCA. Big fruited but there is TCA on the palate as well. Corked. NR (flawed)
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2007 Carlisle Zinfandel Papera Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Big bright berries on the nose with some candy like qualities and a touch of heat. Edgy with a lean feel and a touch of heat. This seemed more structured than other Carlisle Zins. I think this has a better future ahead of it.
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2007 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Crisp nose with vanilla and red berries. Juicy and clean but clearly tight. Like the other 07 this seemed to show some good acidic structure. Give it a couple years.
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2004 Martinelli Zinfandel Jackass Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
The nose is pure and pretty showing a cherry/berry combo. Dark and rich but not thick. Some sweetness and heat. A huge Cali Zin to be sure. This was probably best closer to release.
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2005 Linne Calodo Cherry Red - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Sharp nose of apples and berries. Palate is light feeling and clean with ripe juicy fruits. Not as big and over done as I expected. Solid.
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2006 Linne Calodo Cherry Red - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Aromas of wood and a bit of pepper followed by heat. Juicy and thin with a late grip. Perhaps needed some decanting.
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2007 Vineyard 29 Zinfandel Late Harvest Aida Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena
Nose of sweet syrup. The palate is sweet but not sugary. Overall a bit bland.
Posted from CellarTracker
Cris:
Thanks for being the group’s scribe, once again. While I think we all agree on the quality of the cuisine, it seems opinions were all over the place on the wines, and I suspect no single wine would have gotten a majority as WOTN.
With the Ridges, I expected to like the 91, but didn’t. I’m not sure a 19-year old wine can be shut down, but this was close. My favorite of the Ridges, for its wonderful fruit, was the 02 Dusi. The 94 Geyserville was also excellant. I did not appreciate the Ravenswood (which I brought) as much as you and some of the others, but it should go on for quite a few years.
As for the Carlisles, I think the group would have rated the 2003’s the best, then the 2007’s and 2006’s. My favorite was the 2003 Rossi, as it was the most mature, with nice fruit and good balance, followed by the 2007 Papera, which shows great potential. Last year at a vertical Feeney/Montafi tasting, several participants suggested drinking the 06 Montafi soon, and I’m glad I did. It seems to be getting sweeter as time goes on.
I confess that I skipped the last flight, as I had consumed more than enought alcohol, and the warnings of enhanced enforcement got my attention.
Another great evening. Thanks to Conrad and Gregg.
What a fun evening. Thanks for typing up notes WR. The '96 Ruinart was fantastic, and after returning to it later in the evening, it had opened up considerably. Great wine that should age gracefully. The '98 Grande Dame was very young and tight and unfortunately never had a chance to return to it. I think we agreed on the '78 & '97, though that’s about it. My top wines were the '94 Geyser which is in a very nice place right now, The '02 Dusi was very complete and the '03 Carlisles were excellent with a slight preference for the Rossi which for me was not in the least bit, “Thick and dull, short and hot.” I’m with David re: Carlisle and the vintages. I enjoyed the '97 Ravenswood as much as you. I couldn’t drink the Martinelli as it was all port & prunes and sweet as hell. you think the 16+% abv has anything to do with that. I also liked the '05 LC Cherry Red at the end of the night. It was rich and walking a very fine line of over saturated but never going over the line. Perfect ending to the night. Thanks to everyone for their contributions and to Conrad for being the gracious host he always is.
A great night with a solid line up wines. I expected there to be a few more unpleasant things going on but I ended being pretty happy with most of the wines. The champagnes showed nicely 1996 Ruinart being the star. The 06 Carlisles were a bit of a miss for me with 1 being slightly corked and the other being too ripe, heavy and oaky. My palate was fairly shot by the final flight so my recall is not good but I did think the Linne Calodos were tasty and I wouldn’t mind trying on another occasion. The Martinelli showed exactly what happens when you go way over ripe, pruny and alcoholic. After a few years its all about the alcohol. This seemed about 3 to 4 years past its prime.
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1978 Shenandoah Vineyards Zinfandel - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County
This was a nice treat. As Cris mentioned it might have fallen off quickly but right out of the bottle I thought this was very enjoyable. The shinning point for me was the front palate. Still showing fresh bright fruit which was still zin tasty. The finish was short and not too appealing but I could overlook that at this stage. (89 pts.)
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1991 Ridge Lytton Springs - USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley
Seems like this was near the top for most peoples favorites list. It was for me. Showing younger than the 94 Gyserville. I like where this was at. Bright red fruits seemed to be the primary force but now it is bringing in some secondary elements. No sign of falling apart or going down hill but I would drink now. (93 pts.)
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1994 Ridge Geyserville - USA, California, Sonoma County
Big difference to the 91 Lytton, having more rustic and aged qualities. Maybe the purity of the 91 accentuated the slightly muddled quality of this wine. Still very good but walking the line of beginning to sing out of tune. (89 pts.)
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1997 Ravenswood Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Around 1997 is when I tapered off my Zin buying as they seemed to be getting more over ripe, heavier and hotter. I suspect this was very ripe and a bit hot when young but it seems to have walked that line just fine. Not heavy or pruney. The acids were bright and sweet rather than tart. Very good. (91 pts.)
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2003 Carlisle Zinfandel Rossi Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
This did not do much for me within the line up. Lacked the acid to wake up the fruit and break through its creamy quality. Enjoyable but I missed the fruit. With the lack of acid I can’t see this getting better. (87 pts.)
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2003 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
A big and ripe Zin with no heaviness and not too much heat. Still showing very young and has the acid to keep it going. This was one of my favorites. Great with food too. Seems like a drink one now and save one for 6-8 more years type wine. (92 pts.)
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2007 Carlisle Zinfandel Papera Ranch - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
A big switch after the older wines. A bit of a shock with the big candied fruit hit me. Big ripe zin that is a little jammy. Showing dark berries and oak. Nice structure and the alcohol seemed under control. Good now for some hedonism but I think this should transition just fine if you are looking for something a little more subtle. (91 pts.)
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2007 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Seems like the Carlisle Vineyard is one I should pay attention when it comes to Carlisle zins. I liked this wine. Big ripe red raspberry and a fairly thick mouthfeel. This also had a brambly/spice that created a complex wine. The acidity keep everything fresh and preventing the wine from becoming fatiguing. Good structure. A drink some save some wine. (92 pts.)
Thanks to Conrad and Gregg for the great food and thanks to everyone for sharing their wine.
Jason
Posted from CellarTracker
Cris,
Thanks for posting on this. I’m with you on the Ridges, loved them, especially the '91 Lytton Springs and '02 Dusi. Great night all around (despite some of those Zins being too big for me).
Cheers,
-Robert
