TN: '97 & 2000 Ridge Lytton Springs

[geo t.]

1997 Ridge Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley, 80% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah, 2% Carignan, 2% Mataro, 1% Grenache, $20, 14.9% alc.: I ran into a stash of these in the cellar of an out-of-the-way Detroit area retail outlet, and remembering our experience with it a year ago, I brought home all eleven of them at the price listed. Such a deal, especially since it’s showing even better than it did then. Deep, dark garnet, with soft, lovely Draper perfume over a kaleidoscope of red and black berries that bursts forth on the palate with a deeper, darker heart, but it’s all good. Dense, yet impeccably balanced, and there’s still significant structure here; this is a young wine that opens with air to blossom into a classic Lytton Springs, probably the best one I’ve had in the last three to five years. My final impression reads “goo-gob drippingly gorgeous,” so it’s probably not surprising that it was the wine of the night for all three of us.

2000 Ridge Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley, 80% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah, $30, 14.8% alc.: I opened this for Kurt Weineke to try, and while it was much as we remembered it from last summer, it’s most interesting in how it contrasted with the older ’97, especially with the American oak showing much more prominently at first, as well as a certain youthful green streak. Still, it gives big lovely black raspberry and blackberry flavors and aromas, turning sleek with air, as the green thing dissipates and morphs into “all that Draper perfume.” It's still on the way up, so I'd advise holding for even better days.

- from (Not Just) Flotsam and Jetsam

Reporting from Day-twah,

geo t.

[BobFoster]

My experience is that Zin blended with other grapes ages better, and carries the fruit longer, than wines that are all Zinfandel.

[geo t.]

My experience is that Zin blended with other grapes ages better, and carries the fruit longer, than wines that are all Zinfandel.

I agree, Bob. I don't think that very many of these find their way down under, so not many of the folks who post here get a chance to try them, which is too bad. I think they'd be very well received.