Mark Lipton wrote:


2002 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc ($15.95)
n: grassy, grapefruit
p: grass, tropical fruits, grapefruit
One of my favorite CA SBs, this year's version again hits the mark with
enough acidity and fruit to stand up against the Kiwi competition.


I totally agree with your assessment of this wine. Even better when I
find it on sale for around $10.

2001 Luna Pinot Gris ($17.95)
n: toasty, pineapple
p: clean entry, follwed by juicy pineapple and a crisp finish
Not a producer I know from Napa, but a well rendered PG. It could use a
bit more of everything, but was very attractive nonetheless.

If you ever make it to Napa, Luna is a very nice winery. They
specialize in Italian varietals, mainly Pinot Gris and Sangiovese. They
make a late harvest PG that is wonderful. It's nice to take your
generous taste of this wine and go to the top of their bell tower and
get a scenic view of the Silverado Trail side (quiet and peaceful) of
the southern Napa valley.


2001 Ridge Lytton Springs ($25.95)
n: cedar, tar and blackberry fruit
p: rich entry, red berry fruit with balanced acidity, medium-full body,
ending in a slightly tannic finish.
One of my favorite wines, year in and year out, it didn't disappoint.
Classic Lytton Springs Zin with a good future ahead of it. Glad I've
got some squirreled away in the cellar. It still needs a year or two
before it'll be at its best, IMO.

All things considered, price and quality, this is always my favorite
Ridge wine.

I'm looking forward to a tasting of Ridge wines at a local store on
March 4th. We will be tasting 10 Ridge wines and from the sound of
their announcement, Paul Draper, their winemaker, may be attending.

2001 Renwood 'Old Vines' Zinfandel ($22.95)
n: minerals, cedar, red fruit
p: juicy entry, with mint and tart fruit flavors, followed by acids and
tannin in the finish.
Very nice Zin, though it was a bit overshadowed by the Lytton Springs.

Usually a nice wine, but price creep has removed most of its best
selling point. This is also a wine that very seldom seems to go on
sale.

2001 Cline California Zinfandel ($9.95)
n: minerals, cedar, tart berry fruit
p: mint, medium body, berryish fruit, slightly tannic with an acidic
finish
Another good bargain Zin! Maybe a touch more acidic than it needs to
be, but still a nice wine for drinking while your Geyserville is
developing... ;-)

This has usually been my bargain zin around the house. This year
though, I stocked up on the 2002 Castle Rock Russian River Zin for the
same price.

2000 Duckhorn Paraduxx ($49.95)
n: tart, Zin berry fruit
p: rich entry, berry fruit and some oak, followed by a clean finish.
I've liked this Cab/Zin blend a lot in the past few vintages, and this
one isn't bad (but not up to the level of the fantastic '98 or '99). It
comes across like a medium-full bodied Zin without much Cabernet
character showing at the moment. Not worth the pricetag this year, I
think.

This winery usually has very good wines, but they are usually marginally
over priced in my opinion. I still enjoy tasting their wines and
occasionally pick up a bottle


Thanks for the great notes.