90 2001 Ridge Paso Robles Zinfandel 12/2/07 ($24)
100% Zinfandel 14.5% alc
Color: Medium garnet, looks ready. (3.0) Bouquet: Cocoa and Zinberry propelled by excellent acidity. (3.0) Body: Solid middleweight with ripe fruit meeting chocolaty oak and excellent acidity. (3.0) Flavor: Parallels bouquet with more Zinberry and tart pineapple (interesting) fruit. (3.0) Finish: Parallels flavor, being both sweet and tart. Excellent. (3.0)
Overall: After tasting this over the past two years, I thought it was in decline. I was wrong, it seems that it was going through a bad phase where the cocoa-oak predominated. The acidity has stepped up now to revitalize the fruit and put the cocoa in balance. I think I would still prefer this with less oak, but the cocoa does add something different. (15.0)