The Underground Wine Letter Reviews our Fall Releases
The Underground Wine Letter
October 12, 2018
The Underground Wine Letter founder John Tilson publishes reviews of our Fall 2018 releases:
The Ridge Vineyards fall 2018 releases are out. They feature 5 red wines. And, true to form, they are all delicious wines with the typical Ridge character, balance, and appeal. New releases from Ridge are always a treat as this is one winery that only produces gorgeous, balanced, food-friendly wines that can be consumed young and also can age effortlessly for many years.
- 2015 Monte Bello – “Reduced yields resulted in a wine of great intensity that is also combined with great elegance. The color is very dark and the wine shows a stunning perfume with a myriad of black fruits, a touch of cedar, and a faint exotic tinge. With layers of fruit the wine is rich and full yet with great underlying structure and impeccable balance. Long on the palate this is a very great classic Monte Bello. I tasted and re-tasted it over several days and the wine continued to open and evolve. It is simply a great wine that will develop over decades and be a cellar treasure – Extraordinary.”
- 2016 Lytton Springs – “Dark in color the wine has a deep perfume of spice tinged blackberries with a very faint exotic nuance. With lots of fruit the wine is rounded and very harmonious, but, make no mistake, with additional age it will show additional complexity and develop over many years into the future – Outstanding/Outstanding Plus.”
- 2016 Lytton Estate Petite Sirah – “This 2016 is yet another great vintage for Lytton Estate Petite Sirah. The color is very dark and the wine has a subtle perfume with blackberry fruit accented by a touch of spice. This is a full throttle wine that maintains its sense of harmony and balance with balanced underlying tannins and lots of depth and richness. Tasted over a period of days the wine developed beautifully with even more expressive fruit and flavor – Outstanding Plus.”
- 2016 Pagani Ranch Zinfandel – “Dark in color with lots of berry fruit showing a faint exotic tinge the wine is rich and full with loads of fruit. It has great underlying structure that is balanced by the fruit and is very flavorful with impressive length on the finish. This is a real “under the radar” wine that will give many years of drinking pleasure – Outstanding Plus.”
- 2016 Ponzo Zinfandel – “This 2016 is really lovely in a harmonious and balanced claret style that is a pleasure to drink and a great match for many savory foods. It has a deep color and a lovely floral tinged red berry perfume with a faint cedary accent. Beautifully balanced with very pure red berry fruit showing a faint floral undertone this is a delicious wine to enjoy now or for many years into the future – Outstanding.”
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