“…drinking so well right now, it’s hard not to pull another cork…”
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Now that I’m completely recovered from Electric Forest, it’s time for me to get back to blogging about wine. For the uninitiated, Electric Forest is a four-day music festival held in Rothbury, Michigan in late June. It features mostly (but not entirely) electronic music and jam bands, and has been held every summer since 2011, when, Phoenix-like, it rose from the ashes of the great Rothbury festivals of 2008 and 2009. My co-pilot for these adventures during these last several years has been our old Gang of Pour accomplice, Alan Kerr. The night before heading off for this year’s event, Kerr, Kim and this taster enjoyed some good food and a few bottles of wine. As was so often the case back in our Gang days, it was the Ridge Zin that really caught our attention.
2018 Ridge Rancho Lambert Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley, 95% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah, 15% alc., $32.99: Mmm, so much to like here, from the beautiful color to the lovely bouquet that all-but-explodes from the glass, to the sleek, polished mouthfeel that has been a Ridge hallmark for so long now. This is very much in the style that I used to refer to as “all that Draper perfume,” back in Gang of Pour’s heyday. It’s a rich melange of blackberry, black raspberry, blueberry and lavender, with some subtle earth underneath it all. Full bodied, but not at all heavy, and structured to go another three-to-five years, no sweat, yet drinking so well right now, it’s hard not to pull another cork, especially with Canadian Zinfan here. Unfortunately, this was my last bottle. So it goes.
This is our second release from this three acre bench-land vineyard in Dry Creek Valley. As with most Sonoma zinfandel, in 2018 the vines set a full but balanced crop. Warm summer weather subsided in the last half of August. The cooling trend extended the ripening period, allowing flavors to fully develop. Ten months aging in American oak brings spice to the plentiful fruit. Enjoyable now, this classic Dry Creek zinfandel will evolve over the next six years.
I had bought this during the summer of ‘22, so it’s not a current selection. Having said that, it’s not one of Ridge’s better known Zin bottlings, so I’m betting that there’s a good chance it can be found out there in some out-of-the-way nooks and crannies. I’ll be keeping my eyes open for more in my travels, and if you’re a fan of Ridge Vineyards, you should too. This one is a winner. Find this wine
Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo
