1993 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel - a ripe nose, the tannins now fully
resolved and some smooth mature flavours that complemented the cheese with
dinner. Yes, the berry fruit is long gone. No, with some Zins that is NOT all
they have going for them!

On 05 Jun 2004 14:51:09 GMT, ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:

1993 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel - a ripe nose, the tannins now fully
resolved and some smooth mature flavours that complemented the cheese with
dinner. Yes, the berry fruit is long gone. No, with some Zins that is NOT all
they have going for them!

The first Ridge Zin that I ever tasted was the '92 Lytton Springs.
That led me to the Ridge ATP program and then the Ridge Zin List. (ATP
or Advance Tasting Program, offers a couple of bottles about every six
weeks, usually of small batch wines from Ridge. Several zins, but also
alicante bouchet, grenache, petite sirah and other reds. The Zin List
gives three zins twice a year from the major Ridge bottlings. Three in
the spring--most recently '02 Geyserville, Paso Robles and Ponzo--and
three in the fall.)

I never tasted the '93, dunno why. Most rankings I've seen list the
'92, '94, '96 and '97 as the wines of note in the decade. Just
recently finished the last '96 and have about three of '97 still left.

And, I concur regarding the placing in the meal. They are usually too
powerful to really work well with the entree, but do quite nicely with
the cheese or even alone with a book before the fireplace.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

but do quite nicely with
the cheese or even alone with a book before the fireplace

Around here managing to be _alone_ with a book in front of the fire without
SWMBO sitting beside me, arm out, empty glass at the ready would be the
exception....;-)

On 05 Jun 2004 15:47:15 GMT, ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:

but do quite nicely with
the cheese or even alone with a book before the fireplace

Around here managing to be _alone_ with a book in front of the fire without
SWMBO sitting beside me, arm out, empty glass at the ready would be the
exception....;-)

Ditto....Isn't life grand!

And, it goes without saying, that at least once, the book should be
mine! ;-)


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

And, it goes without saying, that at least once, the book should be
mine!

I'm OK on that front - I read several books a week, while SWMBO reads at a
.....measured pace (no doubt the better to savour the content, though I
occasionaly tell her that she stops reading when her lips get tired or she gets
a blister on the end of her reading finger from following the text ;- ).

My tastes are (small 'c') catholic while hers are more circumscribed, and while
we do share some books with enjoyment (I get them first in recognition of my
less glacial reading pace), we also have our own libraries. Much better that
way, IMHO.

Ed Rasimus wrote:
On 05 Jun 2004 14:51:09 GMT, ojunk (Bill Spohn) wrote:
1993 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel - a ripe nose, the tannins now fully
resolved and some smooth mature flavours that complemented the cheese with
dinner. Yes, the berry fruit is long gone. No, with some Zins that is NOT all
they have going for them!

The first Ridge Zin that I ever tasted was the '92 Lytton Springs.
That led me to the Ridge ATP program and then the Ridge Zin List. (ATP
or Advance Tasting Program, offers a couple of bottles about every six
weeks, usually of small batch wines from Ridge. Several zins, but also
alicante bouchet, grenache, petite sirah and other reds. The Zin List
gives three zins twice a year from the major Ridge bottlings. Three in
the spring--most recently '02 Geyserville, Paso Robles and Ponzo--and
three in the fall.)

I am a bit confused and my memory is of no help. Somewhere along the
about 1990, Ridge purchased Lytton Springs. They kept on making Lytton
Springs wine through 1993 or there abouts and they also made a Ridge
Lytton Springs Vineyards that was bottled down at their Monte Bello Road
facility. My memory is there was the world of difference in the two
wines in that the Lytton Springs was a field blend with a lot of fruit
and the Ridge Lytton Springs Vineyard was almost pure Zin in the first
couple of years and then Ridge did the field blend also.

You two guys should have the answers to these questions.
Bill

Bill wrote:



I am a bit confused and my memory is of no help. Somewhere along the
about 1990, Ridge purchased Lytton Springs. They kept on making Lytton
Springs wine through 1993 or there abouts and they also made a Ridge
Lytton Springs Vineyards that was bottled down at their Monte Bello Road
facility. My memory is there was the world of difference in the two
wines in that the Lytton Springs was a field blend with a lot of fruit
and the Ridge Lytton Springs Vineyard was almost pure Zin in the first
couple of years and then Ridge did the field blend also.

You two guys should have the answers to these questions.

What questions, Bill? Everything you said is correct AFAIK. Keep in mind that
the grapes from the former Lytton Springs winery's vineyards do not end up in the
Ridge Lytton Springs bottling to any significant extent. At first, they went in
to the "Sonoma Station" wine, but now they also sometimes make a "Lytton Estate"
that may be sourced from those vineyards. And, of course, Ridge's Sonoma tasting
room is the site of the former Lytton Springs winery. I have some fond memories
of their Zins from the mid-to-late '80s. In fact, their '88 was one of the best
Zins of that vintage IIRC.

Mark Lipton

From the label:

40% Estate vineyard
40% Maple "
20% Norton Ranch

In the 15th year of producing Lytton Springs, they decided that they would drop
Zinfandel from the label - it is a blend of 85% Zin, 8% Petite Sirah, 3%
Carignan, and 2% each Alicante and Grenache.

Blended from 23 small separate fermentations. 14.5% alcohol

Bill Spohn wrote:
From the label:
40% Estate vineyard
40% Maple "
20% Norton Ranch
In the 15th year of producing Lytton Springs, they decided that they would drop
Zinfandel from the label - it is a blend of 85% Zin, 8% Petite Sirah, 3%
Carignan, and 2% each Alicante and Grenache.

I had the misfortune to buy a case of something that Draper called
Heart's Desire which came from some vineyard in the Healdsburg area
that they had just purchased. He said on the label that it was so
unique that he did not want to blend it with any other Zins. To my
knowledge they only did one year.

In ,
Bill Spohn typed:

My tastes are (small 'c') catholic while hers are more
circumscribed,



These days, even some Catholics (big 'c') get circumscribed.
gd&r

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 14:58:56 -0700, "Ken Blake"
wrote:

In ,
Bill Spohn typed:

My tastes are (small 'c') catholic while hers are more
circumscribed,



These days, even some Catholics (big 'c') get circumscribed.
gd&r

The restraint which I exercised in avoiding that response has proven
futile.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

What questions, Bill? Everything you said is correct AFAIK. Keep in mind
that
the grapes from the former Lytton Springs winery's vineyards do not end up
in the
Ridge Lytton Springs bottling to any significant extent. At first, they
went in
to the "Sonoma Station" wine, but now they also sometimes make a "Lytton
Estate"
that may be sourced from those vineyards. And, of course, Ridge's Sonoma
tasting
room is the site of the former Lytton Springs winery. I have some fond
memories
of their Zins from the mid-to-late '80s. In fact, their '88 was one of
the best
Zins of that vintage IIRC.

Mark Lipton

As I was reading over these posts (since I'm a big Zin/Ridge fan) I noticed
your mention of the '88 Lytton Springs (not Ridge) as being a great Zin for
that vintage. I knew I had an older Lytton Springs in the cellar so I went
down to check it out. It is indeed an '88. I'm not sure of when I will
open it, but your comments have given me a little hope for the time that I
do.

Thanks!

Sean

These days, even some Catholics (big 'c') get circumscribed.

Ooh - nipped in the bud!

Not a big fan of such truncation!

Barbarous act!

In ,
Ed Rasimus typed:

On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 14:58:56 -0700, "Ken Blake"
wrote:

In ,
Bill Spohn typed:

My tastes are (small 'c') catholic while hers are more
circumscribed,



These days, even some Catholics (big 'c') get circumscribed.
gd&r

The restraint which I exercised in avoiding that response has
proven
futile.


LOL! I tried hard to restrain myself, but failed.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

In ,
Bill Spohn typed:

These days, even some Catholics (big 'c') get circumscribed.

Ooh - nipped in the bud!

Not a big fan of such truncation!

Barbarous act!


LOL!


--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup