Tom Hill Wine Tasting Notes Archives (Ridge/Bipin Desai Tasting, February, 1999)

The Tom Hill Archives

The Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium presents the musings and reflections of Tom Hill. We think it's great that Tom, who has sampled so many wines, has shared his tasting notes with us. We do have, or have had for sale a few of the wines Tom writes about, and we include a link to our stock page whenever it is a producer we carry (but since the stock page is kept up-to-date and the wines are sold, don't expect any but the newest of wines to show up in our stock!). Mostly though, since we specialize in County of Santa Barbara Wine and Central Coast Wine, we don't carry a lot of the wines Tom writes about. But we think it is important that you be able to have an idea what they're like in case you are planning to buy some somewhere, or have them in your own collection. Enjoy.

Here are Tom's notes from the February, 1999 special 3-day Ridge tasting:

A Ridge Vineyard Retrospective Tasting

    Highly-regarded UC/Riverside particle physicist and wine collector Bipin Desai organized recently (Feb 5-6-7) the most comprehensive vertical tasting ever held of the many wines from Ridge Vnyds. Because of the timing (right after ZAP and just before a big competition), I had planned not to go; even though Ridge is probably my favorite winery & I've followed their wines for nearly 30 yrs; I was very disappointed to say the least. However, in early January I received an invitation to go as a special guest and decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up. So... if I finish in the bottom half of the Nick Toth Tournament next weekend; I now have an excuse!
    The Friday night dinner was at Spago w/ the cusine from Wolfgang's Chinois restaurant and focused on some of the more unusual (esoteric was the term used) Ridge wines, mostly Zins. Saturday's lunch was at Valentino's and was a very comprehensive vertical of Geyserville Zins, w/ a few Lytton Springs. And
    Saturday's lunch was again at Spago's w/ the biggies; Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet. Winemaker Paul Draper was in attendance & offered comments at all three events.
    I had never met Bipin before but knew well of him from many writeups in various wine publications of the huge vertical tastings he holds from time to time. But I knew he had to be an OK guy... he's a physicist!! And I must say I was quite taken by him. Quiet, very gracious, very charming, very sharing (all the things most physicists I know are not!!) and very well organized. You have to be to pull off such an event as this. I can only guess at the amount of work he had put in aforehand to bring it all together. Truly, he is a first-class gentleman. And this an event that will never be repeated. Alas.
    I was pretty apprehensive about attending this event because I knew there would be a lot of high-end collectors here and I expected a lot of stuft-shirt types to be there... not the kind of crowd I usually hang out with. Tom Hill in Beverly Hills..... not an image that would come to most people's mind!!
    There were some pretty heavy-hitters there, including Stephen Spurrier, Serena Sutcliffe, and Frank Prial to name a few. But wine-snobs & stuft-shirts.... not to be found. It was an absolutely amazing group of folks; very friendly, trading ideas and opinions and thoughts; all brought together by their common passion over Ridge wines. I never cease to be amazed at how the name "Ridge Vnyds" always brings up an out-pouring of warm feelings amongst wine lovers (Kay-Moose should be so lucky). That was in abundant evidence at this weekend's events.
    The format was to have five flights of six wines each, matched with the five courses. So, 30 wines with each event. There were no spit buckets obviously available, so I had serious concerns about my "functionality" towards the end of each tasting. It turned out to not be a problem. Spread out over 5 hours time, with food, and not drinking all of some of the older or lesser wines, I found my note- taking skills held up well throughout.
    A really nice touch to the whole event was the bound notebooks Bipin provided to all the attendees. It contained the list of the wines, the participants, and ample room to take notes. Definitely a first class operation Bipin runs!!
    Between each flight, Paul usually got up and made a few comments on the nature of each yr's harvest and some background on the wines. I found this really helpful in picking out things in the wines that I might have overlooked. And such background knowledge always adds something to the intelluctual pleasure of a wine. And then Bipin would introduce someone special to the group and ask them to make some comments on the previous flight of wines. This, too, added a different perspective on the wines and helped me in picking up other nuances in the wines.
    The seating was at tables of 5-6 people, assigned in advance by Bipin. This worked extraordinarily well as it eliminated much of the milling about looking for seats and jockeying around for "more favored" seats. And the tables were small enough that you could comfortably carry on conversations with everyone at table.
    The wines were served progressing from the oldest to the youngest, at Paul's suggestion, orthogonal to the normal way. I much preferred this ordering as it allowed one to focus one's intellect on the early and more complex wines, and then savor the younger more sensual wines that were already old friends.
    Behind the scenes, there was a remarkable logistic operation taking place. Huge tables w/ glasses carefully lined up, all marked w/ a small tape identifying the wine on the base. The wines would be decanted, poured into the waiting glasses, until all 6 wines in a flight were poured, and then taken out to the tables. The operation worked like a well-oiled machine, very little sediment in the old wines and they always came out to the tables just before the food. Were these people generals in the US Army, we would never have to worry about losing the next war!!
    So, all in all, it was the most incredible of weekends, totally immersed in Ridge Vnyds. Great food, great wine, and the most special of friends... exactly what it's all about.

Friday, Feb 5, 1999

    Up early & into work about 4:00am to squeeze in a half day's work. Thirty minutes of hoops, clean up, pack bags, and off to the Albq airport, with the usual stop at Sage BakeHouse in SantaFe for a badly needed double espresso. The epee blade makes it thru security w/o a hitch, disguised as a gamma-ray interferometer transponder antenna. However, the X-ray showing the orthopedic/pistol grip for the epee catches their attention & they ask to inspect my carry-on bag, since it looks a bit like a small derringer pistol. They are mollified w/ my explanation that it's a special toilet flush handle for severely arthiritic patients that I've invented! Catch a lot of ZZZZ's on the flight into LAX.
    Grab my rental car, head up to Santa Monica, and check into the BestWestern. Assemble the epee and go down into the underground parking garage for some fencing drills. Apparently, the security TV monitor catches me excuting flesche attacks on the concrete pillar, as a security guard comes down to see why someone is vandalizing their garage, fearful, I guess, that I'd attack their guests. If I were going to damage a concrete pillar or attack people, a practice epee would certainly NOT be my weapon of choice! He's satisfied that I'm totally harmless, if a little weird. Clean up & change for the night's dinner, read a bit, and then off to Spago.
    Arrive in plenty of time for the 6:00 pm dinner, but, upon reviewing the schedule note that it doesn't start until 8:00pm. So take a stroll down Canon Dr and then catch a little shut-eye in my car.

    Return to Spago at the correct time. The entrance/bar area is loaded with Hollywood/Beverly Hills/beautiful people-types and I know I'm exactly in my milieu!! But, alas, I'm directed back to the private dining room that's occupied by nothing but wine- types. Finally get to meet Bipin Desai, a true gentleman in every sense of the word. We chat a bit about physics and his work. Turns out my Laboratory director had been out to visit his physics department a few weeks before, so Bipin already knew a bit about me.
    At the entrance table to the dining room stands an attractive young lady, supplying sticky-name tags; whom I expect everyone had dismissed as a Hollywood air-head type there to gussy up the scene. When I notice the "Caitlin" on her nametag, I know immediately that it's Paul's daughter, a sophomore at Occidental College there in LA. So I introduce myself and visit with her for awhile. I was quite impressed; a very charming and very poised young lady. Then mingle a bit w/ a few others there in the bar area outside the private dining room. Immediately recognize Stephen Spurrier, Decanter magazine writer and noted wine persona, and Frank Prial, of the NY Times. Notice a few other familiar faces but can't dredge up their names. Paul then arrives w/ Serena Sutcliffe, another British wine writer. Visit w/ Paul a bit, whom I hadn't seen since the week before at ZAP.
    We are directed into the dining room to our tables. I find that I've been seated beside Stephen Spurrier. It was one of my highlights of the weekend; an extremely knowledgeable wine person, of course. I start soliciting his opinions on California wines and am quite surprised on how abreast of the scene he is. On the Calif/Rhone area, he is pretty much on top of all the movers & shakers, only a few he'd not heard of. I was amazed to catch him taking notes on some of the things I was saying about Calif/Rhones. Also sitting at my table is Bipin, so I get a much better chance to become acquainted with him.
    This set of wines was titled "The Diverse & Esoteric", a sort of over-view of some of the lesser-known wines of Ridge. The menu was based on Wolfgang Puck's cusine from his Chinois restaurant:

Sweet Shrimp Tempura w/ Ginger Chinese Mustard Glaze
Crispy Crab Springrolls "Sweet & Sour"
Thai Beef Lollipops w/ Roasted Peanut Sauce
Potstickers w/ Hoisin Glaze
Seared Maine Lobster w/ Ginger Black Bean Sauce, Jasmine Rice (served in a cute Chinese take-out box) & Emerald Leaves
Grilled Chino Lamb Chop w/ Cilantro Mint Vinaigrette & Szechuan Green Beans
Tea-Smoked Breast of Squab & Minced Squab in Lettuce Cup w/ Salted Cashews
Bitter Almond Souffle w/ Mandarin Sorbet

Across the board, it was a stunning dinner w/ all the wines going very well with each dish. In particular, the minced squab w/ the Petite Sirahs was genuis.

And the wines:

Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Chard '79: Slightly oxidized/resiny some earthy/dusty pungent/oak light melony/fruit nose; tart bit tired some oxidized/pungent resiny dusty/earthy flavor
Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Chard '95: Slight pungent/reduced some pineapply/melony light oaked nose; tart earthy/lean/hard SCM Chard light pungent/oak flavor Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Chard '96: Pleasant fragrant melony light oaked nose; rather lush pineapply noticible dusty/earthy/SCM some graham cracker/oak flavor
Ridge Santa Cruz Mountain Merlot '91: Bit closed/dusty/pungent some black cherry nose; fairly hard/closed/dusty spicy/black cherry/cola flavor w/ ample tannins; needs age yet.
Ridge Santa Cruz Mountain Merlot '92: Big lush fragrant slightly herbal rather black cherry/cola some smokey/oak nose; softer fairly lush/black cherry/cola rather earthy/dusty light herbal flavor; needs a few more yrs. Ridge Santa Cruz Mountain Merlot '93: Fragrant some herbal/olive lush black cherry/cola/ Dr.Pepper some spicy/cinammon/cloves nose; tart bit lean dusty/earthy black cherry/cola sligt herbal light oaked/pungent flavor; needs 2-6 yrs age.
Ridge Morgan Hill Barbera '77: Slight gunpowder/pungent/smokey some earthy/dusty bit tired nose; soft earthy/plummy/grapey/dusty slight bretty/horsecollar bit tired flavor; a bit on the thin & tired side but still some life here and rather interesting; still has that CentralCoast plummy character.
Ridge Whitten Ranch Carignan '92: Strong black cherry/bing cherry/cherry cola/ Dr.Pepper/dusty old vine some pungent/smokey oaked nose; hard tannic very strong black cherry/plummy/cherry/cola rather tart/hard flavor w/ fair tannins; needs 3-8 yrs age.
Ridge Lytton Estate Grenache '96: Rather lush/fragrant/floral/very strawberry/ Grenache nose; soft lush bit flat fragrant/floral/strawberry/Grenach flavor w/ a bit of tannins; lovely nose but would like a bit more richness & extract on the palate.
Ridge Bridgehead Mataro '96: Wonderful plummy/Mourvedre/ContrCosta dome dusty/ earthy bit milk-of-magnesia nose; soft lush complex plummy/earthy flavors w/ light tannins; a great drinking red.
Ridge Lytton Estate Syrah '96: Rather milky/Am.oaked some plummy/gamey light blackberry/Syrah nose; tart milky/Am.oaked some gamey/Syrah/berry flavor; the oak seems really dominating in this wine tonight.
Ridge Jimsomare Zinfandel '70: Med.strong old Zinfandel/cigar box/tobaccoy rather tired/ dried out nose; tart dried-out earthy/lean mostly tobaccoy/cigar box/pungent/ old Zinfandel flavor; an intellectual experience, not unpleasant but doesn't deliver much on the palate.
Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel '74: Strong old Zinfandel/cigar box/tobaccot/somewhat tired slight bretty/horsecollar nose; strong tart cigar box/tobaccoy/charred/smokey/ old Zinfandel rather dried out flavor; pretty tired Zinfandel; a bottle I had the week before was pretty similar.
Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel '76: Strong old Zinfandel/cigar box/tobaccoy slight black- berry/plummy nose; elegant complex light blackberry/plummy some tobaccoy/cigar box/old Zinfandel flavor; very smooth & elegant w/ some fruit still there; on the the downhill slide but still a good balance of sensual & intellectual.
Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel '90: Very strong blackberry/blueberry rich dusty/old vines some oaked nose; soft lush rich blackberry/spicy some dusty/complex flavor; really great drinking lush sensual Zinfandel.
Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel '91: Attractive some oaked/blackberry bit weaker nose; soft fairly lush raspberry/blackberry some buttery/oaked flavor; a bit weaker than the '90 or '93. Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel '93: Beautiful lush blackberry/raspberry complex fragrant slight volatile/perfumed nose; very strong lush/blackberry/raspberry some complex/ oaked flavor; a lovely sensual Zinfandel.
Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel '95: Bright forward raspberry/blackberry light oaked spicy bit dusty nose; bit tart/lean spicy raspberry/blackberry flavor; needs some age yet.
Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah '71: Very dark color; very intense Am.oaked/dusty/ earthy peppery very perfumy/smokey/pungent complex nose; beautiful lively dusty/earthy/peppery/smokey/pungent/complex very perfumed/fragrant flavor w/ some tannins yet; loads of Am.oak but very well integrated w/ the peppery character; an absolutely incredible wine in marvelous condition.
Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah '75: Deeper more earthy/dusty classic PS/peppery/ licorice some Am.oaked nose; soft bit clunky peppery/some black cherry fairly lush some oaked finish w/ some tannins; a bit on the clunky & not the complexity of the '71 but still lots of life yet.
Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah '85: Strange chlorine some clunky/chocolaty/peppery bit bretty Am.oaked nose; tart hard tannic light peppery some oaked/bretty flavor w/ some tannins; seems a bit tired & clunky & not going anywhere at all.
Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah '90: More fragrant peppery/PS aromatic/dusty some Am.oaked nose; tart rather hard/tannic peppery/spicy/licorice some oaked flavor; needs much age; best of the young PSs.
Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah '91: Strong milky/Am.oaked some peppery/spicy/PS nose; soft bit clunky strong milky/Am.oaked some peppery/PS flavor; needs some age but a bit clunky.
Ridge York Creek Petite Sirah '95: Fragrant spicy/peppery/PS some blackberry rather perfumed/oaked nose; softer lush spicy/peppery some blackberry rather pungent/oaked flavor w/ ample tannins; will be a keeper; seems to have softer/ rounder tannins than the other ones. Very well made Petite.
Ridge Occidental Late Harvest Zinfandel '70: Very intense lush pungent/licorice/tarry/ charred/toasty/smokey bit volatile/perfumey very complex nose w/ only a slight old Zinfandel/tobaccoy character; tart hard tannic dried-out some licorice/pungent/ complex/smokey dusty/earthy flavor; a beautiful complex nose but rather dried out on the palate; sensual nose but an intellectual experience in the mouth.
Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel Late Harvest '77: Very ripe blackberry/plummy/boysenberry loads of fruit slight volatile/aromatic some complex nose; intense blackberry/ boysenberry some dried out/tannic flavor; still loads of very ripe blackberry fruit but drying out a bit on the palate; very similar to the one I had a few weeks before; drink up.
Ridge Lytton Estate Late Harvest Zinfandel '92: Very intense grapey/blackberry/boysenberry some overripe/jammy/sweetish nose; very sweet intense blackberry/jammy/ boysenberry young/fruity/grapey bit overripe flavor; quite ripe but not raisened or pruney; still a quite young wine & will probably go for 10-15 yrs.
Ridge Zinfandel Essence (Lodi) '68: Very complex/earthy/Lodi/dusty very raisened/ pruney/mincemeat pie/plum pudding bit smokey nose; off-dry very classic/Lodi/ earthy/dusty raisened/mince meat pie rather complex flavor; lots of Lodi character but a wonderfully interesting wine; you CAN make a silk ear from a sow's purse!
Ridge Zinfandel Essence (Paso Robles) '78: Intense overripe/raisened plummy/blackberry/ jammy bit volatile some pencilly/oaked nose; very sweet very raisened/pruney some blackberry/jammy complex bit dusty flavor; lots of overripe character but seems to be maturing fairly rapidly.
Ridge Zinfandel Essence (Paso Robles) '93: Very intense Paso Robles/jammy/blackberry/ boysenberry/cassis bit volatile/perfumey/aromatic nose; very sweet very intense Paso Robles/blackberry/boysenberry/cassis/jammy flavor; pure essence of blackberry fruit; lots of ripeness but not raisened or pruney; terrific dessert Zinfandel, maybe Ridge's best Essence yet.

And for Friday's bloody pulpit:

Ridge has never been noted for their Chardonnays, which is rather unfortunate I feel. Santa Cruz Mountain Chards tend to have a distinct rather lean/hard/dusty/ earthy character to them that doesn't appeal to many Chard drinkers. The early Ridge Chards had that character in spades. The recent ones have much more classic Chard fruit to them but still that SCM character underneath. The early ones I did not care for when I first started tasting them. In one visit to the Ridge, I commented to Dave Bennion that his whites need work to compare w/ their Zins. Dave took that as a personal challenge and started pulling older Chard, Riesling, and Sylvaner from the cellar. With some age on them, they turned into wonderful, complex, very interesting wines. He made his case; end of discussion!
I had not paid much attention to the Ridge Merlots before.... Merlot is Merlot, a variety I find singularly uninteresting (at least from Calif), with only a few exceptions. These wines were real eye-openers for me. These, folks, are very serious Merlots. Not quite as multi-faceted as the Monte Bello Cabs; they still have that pungent/smokey/dusty character that shouts Monte Bello Ridge. I certainly would not call them "lesser" wines than the Monte Bello Cab.
For all the folks at my table, the Carignane was the real eye-opener for them. I've always liked the Ridge Carignanes, but find them pretty hard & tough in their youth. But w/ some age, they turn in to some very lovely floral/cherry kind of wine. Ridge probably does better w/ Carignane than any other wnry in the world. Hardly what you'd expect from a "lesser" grape.
Again, for most of the folks at my table, this was their first exposure to Ridge Mataro/Mourvedre. I always find this to be a really tasty, good-drinking Ridge red. I don't think it has the bigness and structure some of the better Calif Mourvedres show from cooler areas. But certainly that plummy/ContraCosta character shows thru. Which is alright; every Ridge doesn't have to be a big, blockbuster of an ager. It's a good drink red that they are able to get some wonderful/complex/old vine flavors from.
This set of Lytton Springs Zins showed quite well, I thought. I've thought the LS since the '90 have been a bit weaker & simpler, more straightforward/ raspberry fruit than the '90 or earlier ones. The '91 & '93 didn't particularly show that here. The unreleased '97 is, I felt at ZAP, the best LS Ridge has made since the '90.
Petite Sirah is one of my least favorite Calif red wines. I find them often too soft/fat/underacid clumsey/clunky little fruit tannic but unstructured; a Pillsbury DoughBoy kind of wine. They seem to lack that high-toned fruit I like in a red. Good blending material but not attractive on its own. Ridge has always been one of my favorites. A bit more forward fruit that most; they have a hard/ tannic structure to them that begs for more age. The '71 York Creek PS was one of my first Calif Petites I had & I fell in love w/ that wine. It was loaded w/ oak from the start & it still has a lot of oak; but the oak really works well w/ the peppery fruit. This '71 is in incredible shape and will probably last another 10 yrs. Yet it has a complexity that you never find in mature Calif Petite. I regard this '71 has one of the greatest red wines ever made in Calif; truly a wine of epic proportions. And it's Petite Sirah!!
The '70 Occidental was to me pretty typical of old Zinfandel wines. They often have a beautiful complex cigar box/cedary nose but are hard & tannic & dried out on the palate & don't deliver what the nose promises. In rare cases, the tannins seem to resolve and the wine will be a lovely complex elegant delicate wine on the palate. Doesn't seem to happen too often, though.

So, an incredible start to what became a pretty incredible weekend. As we all start to leave somewhear after midnight, I feel compelled to tell Paul how mightly impressed I was with the '71 York Creek. He agrees. Leave Spago in great condition for having 30 wines; coming from 8,000' elevation to sea level helps a lot in that department. Return to the motel in SantaMonica & crash.

Saturday, Feb 6, 1999

    Up fairly early, but to gloomy/cloudy skies & some dampness, so no hoops this morning. Down to the parking garage for some fencing drills, grab an espresso down in downtown SantaMonica. Read thru the morning's LATimes, what a refreshing change to read a good newspaper in the morning. Make some notes, some calls home, and then off for today's lunch.
    This event is held at Valentino in Santa Monica and is to focus on a pretty comprehensive vertical of Geyserville Zinfandel w/ a few Lytton Springs thrown in for comparison. I arrive a bit early and visit a bit w/ Rod Smith, Bay area writer for Wine & Spirit magazine. And then, in loo of Jim Clendenen, I notice Jim Adelman, winemaker at ABC/Qupe/etc, so I visit w/ him a bit. He compliments me on my Raisin'Rhones'98 trip report and that everyone there at the winery enjoyed reading. So I find out it was tied up on a string and hung in the head there at the winery!! So much for being a famous author!!
    Today, I'm seated at a table w/ Paul Draper; Mike Lonsford, a wine writer from the Houston area; Fumiko Arisaka, probably the foremost Japanese wine writer who flew in just for this event; Ed Lazarus, founding editor of The Underground Wine Newsletter; and Earl Singer of Connoisseurs Guide (their upside-down glass pan of the latest Pagani Zinfandel '96 did not come up; but I'd already raised hell w/ Charlie Olken at ZAP about it.... their description of the wine sounded like Pagani Zinfandel is supposed to taste & smell).
    At the start of the event, Paul spoke a bit on the Geyserville vnyd & its back- ground. The are propogating a new Old clone vnyd there of three clones: the Pichetti clone; the Heart's Desire from the Geyserville vnyd; and the Mendocino clone from the DuPratt-DuPattie vnyd. He comments that because of it isolation; the Mendocino clone from this vnyd is incredible clean & virus-free for such an old vnyd.

Piero Selvaggio's special menu for today's lunch is:

Curried Scallops Piccanti in Bruschetta
Ligurian Cuttlefish w/ Caramelized Beets and Bottarga
Snails & Funghi Lasagna w/ Fontina
Herb Crusted Duck Breast w/ Olive Pate & Escarole
Lamb Ossobuco w/ Gremolata & Sardinian fregola
Pecorino di Fossa & Hazelnut Honey i Cannoli

And the wines:

Ridge Geyserville '70: Some fresh fruit/blackberry bit licorice/pungent/dusty/ peppery fairly complex nose; tart bit dried out cranberry some old Zinfandel/tobaccoy some complex astringent flavor; lovely complex nose but rather dried out & tited on the palate.
Ridge Occidental Main Harvest '70: Slight musty/corked rather dusty/earthy bit complex nose; hard tart dried out dusty/earthy slight tobaccoy flavor; the corkiness clears a bit into a pretty attractive complex/tobaccoy/cedary nose; very good nose but dried out & tired on the palate; this was my seminal Ridge Zinfandel experience so a bit disappointed it didn't hold up longer; but it did good in its time and sure hooked me on Ridge.
Ridge Geyserville '72: Rather tobaccoy/old Zinfandel somewhat bretty/horsecollar dusty/ earthy light blackberry nose; tart some dried out light blackberry rather bretty/horsecollar flavor; bit unclean & on the tired side.
Ridge Lytton Springs '72: Beautiful very fragrant/peppery/spicy/some blackberry very complex nose; soft smooth round some blackberry/raspberry very spicy/ complex flavor; in great shape & a very good example of a Zinfandel that has matured very well.
Ridge Geyserville '73: Beautiful lush rather blackberry/spicy dusty/old vines verycomplex some tobaccoy/cedary nose; dusty/old vine soft tobaccoy/cedary light blackberry rather complex flavor; lovely nose & slight signs of drying out on the palate; last bottle I had of this, my alltime favorite Ridge Zinfandel, it seemed pretty tired & far gone; this bottle still had some life in it.
Ridge Lytton Springs '73: Rather peppery/spicy/licorice some complex/cedary nose; bit chalky light blackberry bit dried out/astringent some cedary/complex/ peppery flavor; very nice nose but drying out on the palate.
Ridge Geyserville '74: Beautiful spicy/complex/meaty some perfumed/plummy/ smokey very complex nose; soft very lush blackberry/blueberry some smokey/ pungent rather complex flavor; great drinking & one of the best of the old Zins. Ridge Lytton Springs '74: Beautiful lush blackberry bit Mosel valve oil/appely rather complex nose; tart rather lean dried out bit musty/metallic some blackberry/earthy flavor; very nice nose but drying out on the palate.
Ridge Geyserville '75: Slight corked/musty rather chocolaty/licorice/peppery light blackberry nose; tart very spicy/plummy peppery/complex light pencilly flavor; a very nice fully mature Geyserville.
Ridge Lytton Springs '75: only 11.7% alcohol: very plummy/blackberry/ripe spicy/ peppery some oaked/complex nose; bit tart dried-out metallic spicy rather lean/ hard flavor; very good nose but doesn't deliver on the palate.
Ridge Geyserville '76: Pungent smokey/oaked dusty bit funky/Geyserville nose; light funky/complex smokey/pungent bit minty rather Alicante/dusty flavor; in very good shape & showing the classic Geyserville funkiness.
Ridge Lytton Springs '76: Beautiful complex toasty/smokey/pungent very spicy almost Rhone-like dusty nose; rich complex very Rhone-like/spicy/peppery pungent/smokey very complex flavor; a very exotic wine very unlike old Zinfandel. Ridge Geyserville '77 Late Picked, 16.2% alcohol: bit funky/bretty smokey/ plummy/licorice complex some tobaccoy/Old Zinfandel some blackberry/very ripe nose; rather lean dried-out bit hot/alcoholic some old Zinfandel/tobaccoy/complex flavor; lots of ripe character but a bit shakey on the palate.
Ridge Geyserville '78 Late Picked: Very strong plummy/blackberry/smokey/oaked complex almost Burgundian/toasty/pungent nose; tart spicy bit lean/dried-out tobaccoy/complex/old Zinfandel flavor; very nice nose but drying out on the palate. Ridge Geyserville '79: Very fragrant plummy/blackberry lots of high-toned fruit spicy fairly complex nose; bit tart/lean/dried-out some plummy/blackberry flavor; starting to dry out some.
Ridge Geyserville '80: Intense young rather blackberry/plummy bit metallic/valve oil/high-toned/raspberry some Am.oaked/complex nose; fairly rich/blackberry/plummy some oaked/licorice/plummy complex flavor; lots of the Geyserville funky character; in great shape & a delight to drink.
Ridge Geyserville '81: Slight bretty/funky/horsecollar dusty/blackberry/pungent nose; tart/hard/rather lean rather funky/bretty/horsecollar flavor; seems one of the lesser Geyservilles.
Ridge Geyserville '84: very strong plummy/blackberry ripe/lush some oaked/complex nose; tart very rich plummy/blackberry bit funky/dusty cranberry some Carignane/ black cherry flavor; very interesting Geyserville in great shape.
Ridge Geyserville '85: Classic plummy/blackberry/ripe fruit bit pungent/smokey rather complex more Carignane/black cherry nose; tart bright cranberry/Carignane/ black cherry spicy/pungent flavor; seems to be Carignane-dominated; in great shape.
Ridge Geyserville '86: Beautiful perfumed/exotic/aromatic/plummy/blackberry dusty/old vine complex nose; rich spicy lush exotic/perfumed blackberry/plummy some oaked dusty/old vine flavor; bir rich lush classic Geyserville.
Ridge Geyserville '87: Slight bretty smokey/oaked/plummy/blackberry/licorice complex nose; soft rather bretty/horsecollar slight dried-out/lean some blackberry flavor; lovely complex nose but drying-out a bit on the palate.
Ridge Geyserville '88: Lots of bright raspberry/fruit forward/lush high-toned cranberry nose; fairly tart bright forward spicy/cranberry high-toned slight pungent/oaked flavor; lost of bright forward spicy fruit; lots of Carignane.
Ridge Geyserville '89: More typical funky earthy/dusty lush blackberry some pungent/oaked nose; soft lush forward blackberry/raspberry some dusty/oaky flavor; good Geyserville/blackberry fruit bit a slight hollowness to the structure; much better shape than any '89's of late I've had.
Ridge Geyserville '90: Very strong Am.oaked slight milky ripe lush blackberry pungent/dusty/old vine rather complex nose; soft big ripe lush blackberry/ plummy dusty/old vine slight Geyserville/funky complex flavor; a classic lovely Geyserville in wonderful shape.
Ridge Geyserville '91: soft lush/blackberry dusty/earthy some pungent/oaked/ funky/complex nose; big soft round lush plummy/blackberry dusty/old vine some pungent/oaked flavor; much like the '90 but a bit harder.
Ridge Geyserville '92: rich classic Geyserville bit more ooked slight bretty nose; rich round lush Geyserville more oaked/bretty flavor.
Ridge Geyserville '93: beautiful lush blackberry Geyserville; bit leaner & harder.
Ridge Geyserville '94: soft rich lush blackberry classic Geyserville
Ridge Geyserville '95: bit more Am.oak, slight bretty/horsecollar character
Ridge Geyserville '96: more bright raspberry fruit, bit leaner & harder but one of the more successful '96 Zins made.
Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel Essence '78: bit oxidized very raisened/pruney/late harvesty slight alcoholic nose; tart fairly sweet rather raisened/pruney/overripe flavor; not that rich lush blackberry character of the '93.

And for Saturday's bloody pulpit:

What an incredible set of Zinfandels to taste. In the last/young flight; they had so much similarity that it was hard to pick out much differences; they were... just classic Geyservilles; loads of blackberry fruit w/ just that hint of what I call Geyserville funkiness; a complex and lack of purity of Zinfandel fruit that obviously comes from the terrior and the other varieties. The young Geyservilles are just extraordinaryily lush sensual wines to drink. I see no reason that these, too, will not carry for 10-15 yrs. At around 10 yrs of age, the Geyservilles start to show their differences amongst the vintages. Those from the '80's were all in wonderful shape, still had the sensual fruit to them, but were starting to show more of their interesting/intelluctual character. And those from the '70's were classic examples of old Zins. Showing that old Zinfandel/tobaccoy/cedary character in the nose w/ lots of complexity; they don't always deliver on the palate what the nose promises.... interesting intelluctual experiences but not great sensual experiences. Yet all of them were, I thought, in remarkably good shape and none I would through out. So after tasting 24 different Geyservilles, one would think that, at last, I "know" Geyserville Zinfandel. Probably not. My guess is that Geyserville is a wine that's going to continue to evolve and, I would guess, 10 yrs from now the Geyserville '08 will be a somewhat different Geyserville than we've all come to know and love; and undoubtedly "better" in some sense.
The older Lytton Springs from the '70's seem to be holding up much better than I originally expected them to. The Lyttons from the middle '90's ('92-'95) seemed to me to be not as big & rich as the Geyservilles. The '96 and, certainly, the '97 seem, to me, back up there w/ the Geyserville & Pagani in quality.

   Again, the wines went extraordinarily well w/ the food; some of the best Italian food I'd ever had. An unbelievable afternoon.
    Head up to the Wine House just off Pico. A terrific selection of wines. Wind up buying 2 cases worth; mostly Zins and Calif/French/Oz Rhones, to have shipped back to NewMexico. Return to my motel, catch a few winks, makes some notes & calls home. Around 9:30pm, decide I am hungry enough for dinner. My first choice was Campanille, but the drive up there was more than I wanted to do. So decide to do Valentino, since their wine list is so highly regarded.
    The meal this time was rather ordinary; not bad, but just not of the caliber I had expected. A potatoe & spinach gnocchi in walnut/cream sauce was pretty heavy. The breaded sweetbreads (I can never pass up sweetbreads on a menu) w/ fresh veggys was good, if a bit bland. But the flourless chocolate cake for dessert was outstanding.
    The only saving grace of the meal was the wine. Find an Il Podere Toreldego '95 lurking on the list, so order that. A big rich grapey rather tannic wine that didn't go so well w/ the food but was quite good on its own. Since single diners appear rare/nonexistent here, I fall into conversation w/ the two tables on either side, all of whom are serious wine folks. None had heard of Toreldego before, so the bottle gets passed back and forth, and I do a little educating of them on the variety and Il Podere wnry, also new to them. After a very ordinary cup of coffee, head back to the motel and some badly needed rest.

Sunday, Feb 7, 1999

    Up early to fairly clear skies, so down the street to a pretty little park to shoot a few hoops. 7:00 am in Santa Monica is a pretty quiet place. Then back to my room, read thru the LA Times, and get cleaned up.
    On the flight out, I sat next to a lady from Indianapolis whose two sons were both ministers and she was obviously most proud of. At the baggage claim at LAX, she introduces me to the younger one picking her up & he gives me a pro-forma invitation to his church on Sunday. So, with time to kill, I head down Centinella Avenue to his 9:00am service. As just about the only white-guy there, I sorta stuck out in the congregation. At the welcoming of visitors, I stand and introduce myself; they probably don't get many LosAlamos folks at their services. The lady from the airplane was beaming from ear-to-ear.... certainly made her day. Afterwards, get two invitations home for Sunday dinner, but, unfortunately have to decline.
    The last event was lunch back at Spago, with Wolfgang's Spago cusine, and focusing on the Monte Bello Cab vertical. Check out of my motel & arrive up in BeverlyHills a bit early, so wander down Canon Rd, where the Sunday morning farmer's market is being held. Absolutely gorgeous fruits and vegetables.... at equally astonishing prices... guess one shouldn't be too surprised. Notice a few youngsters (8-10 or so in yrs) strolling around w/ cell phones attached to their waists. I guess I should realize BeverlyHills is not exactly the real world by now.
    Return to Spago for today's lunch. Visit a bit aforehand w/ Earl Singer, Mike Lonsford, and Jim Adelman. Also get a chance to chat a bit w/ Stephen Spurrier and Serena Sutcliffe. Alas, friends Larry Archibald and Laura Chancellor from SantaFe are gravely ill and cannot make it as planned. Since this is Monte Bello Cabs, there are some new faces in the crowd. Ann Colgin is here today. Several of the folks who got up to speak during the tasting made some comments really blasting the high- end, highly-sought-after, cult Cabs. She looked a bit uncomfortable about it and I thought a few of the comments were... ill-considered.
    Today, I'm seated next to Frank Prial, of the NY Times. I was quite taken by the man; genuine, very friendly, sharing, pretty low-key, down-to-earth sort of guy. As we were tasting thru the wines; I made the comment to him about Paul's favorite has always been the '70 Monte Bello and, in fact, that his auto license plate is (or was at one time) is MB70 to reflect that fact.

Today's lunch menu is classic Wolfgang Puck:

Sesame Cones w/ Tuna Tartare
Smoked Salmon Pizza w/ Caviar
Potato Latke w/ Smoked Sturgeon & Horseradish
Four Cheese Pizza w/ Black Truffles
Terrine of Foie Gras on Toasted Brioche
Pizza w/ Fontina, Parmesan, Arugula, & Prosciutto de Parma
Seared Maine Diver Scallops w/ Celery Root/Apple Puree & Black Truffle Nage
Braised Veal Leg & Crispy Brain Viennoise
Wild Scottish Wood Cock w/ Cabernet Mole, Young Leeks & Prune Gratin
Assorted French Cheeses w/ Toasted Walnut Bread
Grapefruit Vanilla Bean Sorbet w/ Carmelized Oro Blanco

The food was simply stunning, some of the best I've ever had, especially the scallops, the brain (I'm big on organ meats), and the Wood Cock; simply incredible.
The wines dated back to very very start of Ridge Vnyds, the '62, both bottles of which were provided from the cellars of Ron Light and Shawn Denkler:

Ridge Monte Bello '62: Med.light bit browning color; low key light cedary/cigar box/ old Cab complex nose; smooth/elegant rather light bit washed out light cedary/ cigar box flavor; in balance & very smooth but little intensity and rather on the infeebled side.
Ridge Monte Bello '64: Med.color; old Cab/cigar box/tobaccoy nose becomes very aromatic/perfumed/dried rose petal/licorice pungent nose; somewhat astringent cigar box/cedary/old Cab/tobaccoy rather tired flavor; going downhill. Ridge Monte Bello '67: Med.color; slight oxidized rather tobaccoy/cedary/complex/ pencilly slight dusty nose; very smooth/elegant cedary/cigar box/tobaccoy/complex flavor; light/balanced elegant not much intensity; delicate but fading into old age more gracefully than I.
Ridge Monte Bello Hollywood Barrel '68: This was from a barrel bottled specially for the Hollywood Food&Wine Society: Med.color; attractive rather herbal/cedary/very complex/pencilly bit vanilla extract nose; somewhat dried-out/astringent/tannic rathe cigar box/pencilly/cedary flavor; beautiful complex nose but hard & dried out on the palate.
Ridge Monte Bello '68: Med.color; usual cigar box/cedary/tobaccoy some bretty/ horsecollar complex nose; soft smooth elegant cigar box/tobaccoy some brett/ horsecollar flavor; bit more unclean but much more attractive on the palate.
Ridge Monte Bello '69: Med.dark color; much more classic MB/pungent smokey/cedary/ pencilly very complex rather aromatic/high-toned almost Zinfandel-like nose. According to Paul, this wine was always his & Dave Bennion's least favorite because of a high volatlity to it. It seems not to have suffered over the yrs for that.
Ridge Monte Bello '70: Beautiful intense MB/smokey/pungent dusty/cedary/pencilly some smokey/oaked nose; somewhat tannic big rich cigar box/cedary/pencilly complex smokey/dusty flavor; classic complex old MB but still not come together on the palate and may never.
Ridge Monte Bello '71: Beautiful blackcurranty/cedary/pencilly/some fruit slight brett/horsecollar nose; soft smooth lush some blackcurranty/fruit cedary/pencilly complex very balanced rich flavor; a beautiful sensual Cab to drink and surely at its peak.
Ridge Monte Bello '72: Very strong butterscotchy/caramel/oaked smoked meat/licorice charred/pungent dusty some blackcurranty/fruit complex nose; bit herbal old Bordeaux/cedary/pencilly toasty/charred/pungent/smokey complex flavor; smooth and round on the palate; a pleasure to drink; come together very well; a terrific wine for what was widely-regarded as a weak vintage.
Ridge Monte Bello Merlot/Cabernet '74: Rather new oak/winery-smelling some dusty/ earthy pungent nose; some herbal dusty/pungent rather astringent flavor; lots of oak in the nose & some dried out on the palate; not held up well.
Ridge Monte Bello '74: Very dusty/earthy light blackcurranty bit closed nose; rather hard/astringent closed some pungent/dusty flavor; seems rather closed and not much there; surely not just in a dumb phase?
Ridge Monte Bello '75: Classic MB/pungent/smokey/dusty some blackcurranty/Cab slight bretty nose; big rich complex pungent/dusty/smokey smooth/balanced some cedary/pencilly complex flavor; a pleasure to drink & come together well; a classic mature MB Cab
Ridge Monte Bello '76: Beautiful complex/pungent/smokey/toasty/cedary some old Cab/ tobaccoy classic MB/pungent nose; rich bit dried-out/astringent pungent/smokey/ dusty light blackcurranty/toasty slight bretty flavor; bit hard on the palate but a classic mature MB Cab nose.
Ridge Monte Bello '77: Some eucalyptus/herbal rich blackcurrant Cab/chocolaty rather Bordeaux-like smokey/pungent nose; somewhat tart/hard/lean bit herbal/ Bordeaux some blackcurranty pungent smokey flavor; reminds me some of Chateau HautBrion; wonderful nose but needs some age yet.
Ridge Monte Bello '78: Beautiful intense dusty/pungent/peppery very exotic/perfumed aromatic almost Cote-Rotie-like nose; big beautiful intense pungent/dusty very spicy very peppery/toasty/charred smooth/elegant rather Cote-Rotie-like flavor; a stunning mature exotic Monte Bello. My favorite of the bunch.
Ridge Monte Bello '79: (only 3 barrels; the Santa CruzMtn Cab '79 is a terrific Cab because of this): very intense butterd popcorn/smokey/exotic pungent nose; soft smooth buttery very buttered popcorn ripe blackcurranty flavor; a rather exotic/eccentric MB but I really like the wine.
Ridge Monte Bello '81: Bit herbal rather clocolaty/blackcurranty/Cab smokey/toasty/ pungent dusty/oaked nose; tart bit lean/hard herbal/chocolaty/Bordeaux-like round smokey/pungent flavor; still needs a bit of age but getting there.
Ridge Monte Bello '83 (declassified): Very ripe/blackcurranty/Cab buttery/oaked more Calif-style slight bretty nose; bit hard/rough/rustic blackcurranty/Cab smokey/pungent bit bretty flavor; needs a bit more age yet.
Ridge Monte Bello '84: Unusual menthol/minerally classic MB/pungent/smokey nose; rather tart/hard bit minerally/earthy/stoney bit menthol smokey/pungent MB/Cab flavor; unusual and almost a Languedoc character to the wine.
Ridge Monte Bello '85: Rather green olive/blackcurranty some toasty/pungent/ smokey complex nose; rich balanced some herbal/Bordeaux/green olive pungent/ toasty flavor; lots of Bordeaux character
Ridge Monte Bello '87: Some green olive pungent/dusty classic MB/Cab rather perfumed/aromatic spicy/cloves nose; big rich pungent/smokey classic MB/Cab lush/ripe/perfumey flavor; terrific rich sensual MB Cab
Ridge Monte Bello '88: Somewhat gamey/smokey/toasty pungent/MB/dusty some ripe blackcurranty nose; rich smokey/pungent toasty/charred/dusty some blackcurranty flavor; another classic MB that needs some age.
Ridge Monte Bello '89: Beautiful complex/smokey/pungent/toasty/charred oak dusty blackcurranty nose; lovely round/ripe/blackcurranty/lush toasty/charred oak/ pungent classic MB Cab; my favorite of te '80's but will still age.
Ridge Monte Bello '90: Some milky/Am.oaked some blackcurranty/Cab classic smokey/ pungent nose; young rather milky/Am.oaked blackcurranty/Cab some smokey/pungent/ toasty fairly tannic flavor; needs age but not the complexity of the previous ones.
Ridge Monte Bello '91: Classic MB/Cab pungent/smokey/oaked nose; rich lush mouthfilling ripe blackcurranty/Cab toasty/smokey/pungent flavor; classic Monte Bello
Ridge Monte Bello '92: Some minty/menthol/eucalyptus classic pungent/smokey nose; bit harder/more tannic some minerally/menthol classic MB flavor
Ridge Monte Bello '93: Intense classic MB smokey/pungent blackcurranty/Cab slight menthol nose; softer/lusher classic MB/pungent flavor
Ridge Monte Bello '94: More smokey/oaked pungent rather intense blackcurranty/Cab nose; rather hard/tannic rich/big/blackcurranty/black cherry rather pungent/smokey/ oaked flavor; seems the biggest & the hardest of these '90's.
Ridge Monte Bello '95: Intense smokey/pungent ripe blackcurranty/Cab classic MN nose; round lush ripe more balanced flavor. Ridge Monte Bello '96: Classic MB/pungent nose; hard & tannic and needs age.
Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel Essence '93: Again, a stunning Essence; very intense black- berry/jammy/cassis nose w/ no raisened or pruney character; very sweet/tart intense blackberry/jammy/boysenberry flavor; probably the best Essence Ridge has made. We need more of these wines!

And for Sunday's bloody pulpit:

I was very surprised how well the MBs from the '60's had held up. Classic examples of old Calif Cabs.... intelluctual but not sensual experiences. The '69 was clearly a different breed of cat and a real pleasure to drink.
In the second flight from the early '70's; I had expected the '70, always Paul's favorite MB, to be spectacular. It was merely terrific. Maybe it'll never come together?? What was interesting was the two weak vintages of the '70's, the '72 and the '75, were absolutely wonderful. Undoubtedly, it's the rather ruthless selection they make to assemble MB Cab.
These wines show to me an astonishing consistency in both style and quality, undoubtedly because of the rigorous selection used. Yet each one is a distinct and individual wine, hardly what you'd call assembly-line wines.
Cleary, Monte Bello is one of the world's great and unique vnyds. The wines have a distinct smokey/pungent/dusty character to them and not a lot of the intense blackcurranty/Cab fruit you find in, say, Napa Cabs. I've found that when MB Cab is served amongst other high-end Calif Cabs, if often is down-rated because of its unusual pungent character. Unless you recognize.... aha... that IS Monte Bello Cabernet.
As I tasted thru these wines, that unique pungent/dusty/smokey characeter of MB Cab would make my mind wander of to the Rhone Valley. I find a rather Rhone-like quality in MB Cab that I seldom find in other Cabs; almost a Hermitage-like character. Sure would like to see what Syrah would do up on Monte Bello Ridge!
With the youngest flight, it was hard to describe what I was finding in the wines (but NOT because of the effect of the alcohol!). They all had that classic Monte Bello/pungent character but were still distinct. And has I'd go back and taste thru that flight, I'd find something different in each wine. One usually associates "complexity" in wine w/ older/mature wines that have bottle bouquet. But you can also find "complexity" in young wines, too. These MB Cabs are a classic example of that. And though they are big & rich & powerful wines, you always return to the "balance" in these wines, the fact that nothing really stands out by itself and everyting is in proportion. That's one of the things that makes MB unique. Clearly, the '90-'96 vintages are a pretty incredible string of successes for MB Ridge. Not a weak one or a lesser one in the bunch. It's really hard, at this point, to pick out a flavor. Probably 10 yrs down the road, I'll flog myself silly for not buying more of one or the other!

So, an incredible way to finish off an amazing weekend. Bid adieu to a lot of both new and long-time friends. Grab the car, collect my scattered wits, and head south to LAX. The 8:30 flight is over an hour late, so catch a lot of ZZZ's in the terminal and on the flight home. With a pretty shakey drive, finally arrive home around 2:30 am. Monday was NOT a productive day for me!!

Some Final Comments

All in all, one of the most unbelieveable weekends I've spent. You come away from an event like this w/ a much bigger appreciation for Ridge wines. Alas, there were a lot that were not included (Amador Zins, Howell Mtn Zins & Cabs, Paso Robles Zins). This thing could have gone on for another 2-3 days yet.
Everything ran smoothly like clockwork. Clearly Bipin's enormous efforts aforehand was the major reason; with a lot of people behind the scenes making sure everything got done. And Paul Draper's comments and sharing of his thoughts and background on the wines and Ridge made the event one that, alas, will never be repeated. Good food, great wines, and the most special of friends.... can't be beat!

TomHill

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