Tasting Note                         

91+    2001 Ridge Lytton Springs    9/7/03($32)

Color: Very deep purple-garnet. Dense.(4.0) Bouquet: Somewhat closed nose, showing firm tannin, smoke and alcohol. But balanced with full blackberry fruit in the background.(2.5) Body: A lot of youthful power, though surprisingly well balanced with enjoyable fruit even now.(4.0) Flavor: Tart Zinberry flavors combined with quite a bit of black pepper, oak and fierceness. Has a distinct herbal component similar to a big, young top-notch Merlot. (3.0) Finish: Sweet tobacco and cedar cling to your tastebuds for a half a minute or more after it goes down. Fruit closed here, but again no rough edges.(2.0)
Overall: This is a serious, fierce, young wine with great potential. Few Zins show this kind of youthful, unformed power, more like a young Cabernet. It is difficult to judge at this early stage, but it is excellent even now and I expect it to improve significantly with age. Don’t touch it for 4-5 years, at least.(15.5)