92 1997 Ridge Pagani Ranch Zin 11/22/03($24)
Color: Very deep garnet with black olive hue. Dense!(4.0) Bouquet: Rich black cherry w. cedar and pistachio. Smells like a young $50+ Super Tuscan.(3.0) Body: Heavyweight with elegance. Good fruit, but also quite a bit of tannin and oak, no rough edges.(4.0) Flavor: Big and rich flavors paralleling the bouquet, but more closed. Cranberry and black pepper.(2.0) Finish: Cigarbox and concentrated black cherry and pepper. Tannic, brooding and minerally.(2.5)
Overall: Restrained power. This wine has great potential and seems to be developing more slowly than usual. Tastes like a super Tuscan that needs a couple of more years. I have found that Pagani sometimes does not hold together as well as Ridges more famous single vineyard Zins, so one must keep a close eye on this. More about size and structure than elegance and complexity, which is uncharacteristic of this wine. Still the quality is there. Give it 1-2 years.(15.5)