93 1997 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Merlot 1/19/13 ($36)
100% Merlot 13.2% alc
Color: Deep garnet. Very slight browning, no clearing. (3.5) Bouquet: Restrained blackberries with cocoa, cedar and ashes. Elegant. (3.0) Body: Light heavyweight with excellent fruit, acidity and smooth tannins. Silky in the mouth. (3.5) Flavor: More blackberries with glycerin. (3.0) Finish: Long, smooth black pepper tannins and blackberries. (3.5)
Overall: Merlot elegance with blackberry cassis fruit and nuances of cedar, ashes and subtle cocoa. Outstanding concentration and liveliness for 15 years old with impressive structure. Wonderfully silky mouthfeel on a light heavyweight frame. Silky fruit and ashes linger. Classy. A bit closed when first opened, but kept on improving over the course of 2 hours. Drink now and in the next 2-3 years. This had austere tannins when young, but its finally smooth and delicious. Nobody does the tannic "comeback kid" style better than Ridge. (16.5)
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