99 1993 Ridge Essence Paso Robles (half-bottle) 12/25/06 ($17)
100% Zin, 17.2% Residual Sugar, 13.4%alc
Color: Very, very deep garnet with a touch of onion skin, but no clearing. (4.0) Bouquet: Wow! What super-concentrated, very ripe (but not over-ripe) Zinberry and fresh fig fruit. Multilayered. (4.0) Body: Very rich and very well balanced. Mouth-coating, but elegant. Super-concentrated, but comes off as a light heavyweight. (3.5) Flavor: Very concentrated fresh figs. Absolutely, hedonistically delicious! (4.0) Finish: Parallels flavor, but not quite as intense. Still long and delicious with no rough edges and complex nuances of espresso and ashes. (3.5) Overall: This may be the greatest dessert wine I’ve ever drunk. Of course, I’m not a huge dessert wine person and I am a Zin lover, so I may be a bit prejudice in this regard. It’s very concentrated and elegant showing the multi-dimensional, complex fruit of a great Zin with the finesse and hedonistic qualities of a great dessert wine. Wonderful by itself or with Roquefort. This is about as high a score as I give. I don’t give 100s, but this comes very close to deserving it. (19.0)