Tonight Jean wanted a Zin to go with some smoked chicken and toasted
cous-cous, so we opened one of our older bottles:

2002 Ridge Lytton Springs
nose: initially, soy sauce and butterscotch over plummy fruit, turning
fresher and more berry-ish with time
palate: initially, a bit glossy and soft, but becoming more structured
and focused with time; by the end, firm acids and vivid berry fruit

Once again, my initial fears are allayed with time. Yes, this initially
seemed a bit oaky and stewed but the wine became fresher and fresher the
more time it sat open. Paul Draper suggested 10 years of improvement in
'03 so I'll leave my remaining bottle for another few years to see how
it develops.

Mark Lipton

On Apr 12, 10:13*pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Tonight Jean wanted a Zin to go with some smoked chicken and toasted
> cous-cous, so we opened one of our older bottles:
>
> 2002 Ridge Lytton Springs
> nose: initially, soy sauce and butterscotch over plummy fruit, turning
> fresher and more berry-ish with time
> palate: initially, a bit glossy and soft, but becoming more structured
> and focused with time; by the end, firm acids and vivid berry fruit
>
> Once again, my initial fears are allayed with time. *Yes, this initially
> seemed a bit oaky and stewed but the wine became fresher and fresher the
> more time it sat open. *Paul Draper suggested 10 years of improvement in
> '03 so I'll leave my remaining bottle for another few years to see how
> it develops.
>
> Mark Lipton

I have the baby Montebello from that year and they are just starting
to open though obviously not Zinds.