Rejoined the Ridge "Zin List" recently. They send out six bottles, two
each of three offerings, twice a year. You get six in the Spring and
six in the fall, displaying the Zinfandels that Ridge will be shipping
from their primary vineyards. These are not the very limited ATP
productions, but the more familiar names like Geyserville, Lytton
Springs, Sonoma Station, etc.

This offering included two each of 2000 Geyserville, 2000 Pagani
Ranch, and 2001 York Creek Late Picked.

Here's my impressions on two corks that we pulled last night. The
Pagani Ranch may be the richest, most full-bodied Zin I have ever
tasted. The color is a deep purple, showing long legs. Alcohol is 15%,
which isn't as intense as a lot of Ridge offerings. The nose shows a
very mellow blackberry concentration with just a hint of leather in
the background. On the palate, the blackberry intensifies and really
delivers great flavor. There are some tinges of leather, vanilla and
oak delivered with a subtle hand. The finish is velvety and long.
Ridge claims this one should improve (!!) for three to five years.
That will be something to experience. The wine is almost too powerful
for accompanying food. It's a great fireplace sipper.

The second bottle was the York Creek Late Picked. I'm still working
through a case of '96 Paso Robles Late Harvest that is almost
port-like in its sweetness. The York Creek surprised in that it was
not an overwhelmingly sweet wine. It was dark and almost black in the
glass. 15.8% alcohol. The nose held some spice and that aroma of red
berries in a field that makes a mid-western boy remember walking by
the farms of Indiana or Illinois in July. On the palate it was only
slightly heavier than the Pagani Ranch, with blackberry, raspberry and
cinammon notes. Finish was a touch tannic, leaving the mouth just a
bit puckered. This one will need a year or more in the cellar to
settle down.

Can't wait for the Geyserville. That's always been my Ridge favorite.