My Ridge ATP arrived Fri so thought I'd Pobega:
1. Ridge Zin CarmichaelVnyd/RanchoSotoyomi/SonomaCnty (8% Carignane/8% PS/2% AlicanteBouschet; 14.8%; 40 brls; Bttld: 2/13; Drk: 12/12-
12/18-12/20: EB) 2011: Med.dark color; strong vanilla/oak/Draper perfume bright very spicy raspbberry/blackberry/Zin rather perfumed/aromatic nose; rather tart strong vanilla/Am.oak bright/Zinberry/raspberry/Zin very spicy some dusty/OV very attractive flavor w/ some tight/lean tannins; very long fairly tart bright/Zinberry/raspberry quite spicy bit dusty/OV finish w/ slight bitey/sharp tannins; lots of spiciness that reminds me a lot of LyttonSprings but not the depth or rich/lush character; needs some age yet; another very good Carmichael Zin. $30.00 (ATP)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. The '10 Carmichael was, I thought, the best Carmichael Zin to date and a step up from many of the ATP releases. This '11 version is not quite up to the '10, but pretty close.
I have, of course, followed the Ridge ATP wines from the very start. Over the last few yrs, it seems to me that Eric/John have been notching up the quality of their ATP wines. Both the last few Buchignanis and Carmichaels seem to have shown improvement. The Ponzo and the EastBench (and, of course, the 3Vllys) seem to be the weak ones.
Tom