92 2001 Ridge Home Ranch Cabernet/Merlot (Santa Cruz Mtns) 12/6/15 ($40)
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot 14.3% alc
Color: Very deep garnet. (3.5) Bouquet: Rich, ripe cassis and some black ink with briar and subtle cedar. A bit muted. (3.0) Body: Heavyweight with excellent fruit and nice acidity and smooth tannins underneath. Tangy mouthfeel. (3.0) Flavor: Delicious in the mouth with tangy cassis. (3.5) Finish: Less precise than the flavor, but still long and tasty. (3.0)
Overall: A very tasty Bordeaux blend with serious concentration and structure. Could certainly age another 5 years, but its ripeness makes it slightly disjointed, so don't know if it will improve from here. Home Ranch red was an experiment (only made in '01 and '02 as far as I know) to make a Cabernet blend between the SCM and Monte Bello in quality. I prefer the two Cabernet model versus the three. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! (16)
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