90 2003 Ridge Geyserville 6/2/06 ($28)
76% Zin, 18% Carignane, 6% PS 14.6%alc.
Color: Deep garnet, just a touch of purple. (3.0) Bouquet: Loads of briary spice and concentrated black cherry/Zinberry fruit with black pepper. Sweet with just a hint of alcohol, but tannic. (3.5) Body: Heavyweight tannin with oak on a middleweight frame. Not showing a lot of fruit or charm at present. Seems tight and closed. Nonetheless, there is balance underneath the tannin. (3.0) Flavor: Bitter tannin with almonds, dry sherry and black cherry fruit in the background. Closed.(2.5) Finish: Parallels flavor, but bigger with a rich nuttiness that lingers. (3.0)
Overall: This one definitely requires patience, but I like its structure and underlying sophistication. Despite its somewhat brutish tannin, it is surprisingly reserved and complex. It needs 5 years or so. Reminiscent of the young ’95, but maybe not as big. It is interesting to compare the last 3 vintages of this wine. All show a family resemblance (complexity & terroir), but the impressions I have engraved in my memory of each are very different: ’01 giving and silky, ’02 big, delicious and ageworthy, ’03 hard, but promising. All three are beautiful examples of what this wine can achieve, but I think the ’02 will be hard to beat. (15.0)