Tuesday, March 31, 2009

2001 Ridge Zinfandel, Pagani Ranch

A visit to my OLD TASTES page will tell you I have been a fan of Ridge Zinfandels since the early '70's. Ridge began bottling old vine, field-blend zins from the Pagani Ranch in 1991. I purchased a couple of bottles of the 2001 vintage on its release in August of 2003 ($28 each) and I opened the first bottle on March 25, 2009. This zin is fabulous! Dark ruby color with very little garnet hue. Huge aromatics leap from the glass - raspberry, spice and cinnamon. Super-ripe but no signs of jam or prunes. Lush, massive, mouth-filling flavors are supported by crisp acidity. Soft, ripe tannins. If you did not check the label, you would never suspect this wine has 15.4% alcohol. I guess its overall balance is the key. I think this zin can hold its own with Turley Hayne Vineyard and Martinelli Jackass Hill Zinfandels, and that is high praise. I hope you have some of this wine in your cellar.

Rhoda Stewart's fine book, A Zinfandel Odyssey (2001), contains a section on page 319 about the Pagani Vineyard, which was planted by the Pagani family in stages between the late 1800's and 1918. Her interview with Louis Pagani is both interesting and poignant. Mr. Pagaini passed away in 2000 at the age of 98.

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