94+ 1999 Ridge Lytton Springs 9/27/08 ($28)
70%Zinfandel, 17%Petite Sirah, 10%Carignane, 3%Mataro 14.5% alc
Color: Very deep garnet. A little lighter than in its youth, but still not peak with no onion skin. (3.5) Bouquet: Concentrated blackberries with some cassis and boysenberry. Also smoky and briary with cigarbox. (3.5) Body: A heavyweight with wonderful balance of fruit to tannin to acidity to oak. Coats the mouth thoroughly without being thick or heavy. (4.0) Flavor: Parallels bouquet, but younger tasting with a wall of fruit and less complexity. The flavor profile is more like a Cabernet blend than a Zin. (3.0) Finish: Parallels flavor with lengthy liqueur-like fruit and a wonderful Bordeaux-esque gout de vieux. (3.0)
Overall: A great wine with Cabernet-like structure insuring 5+ more years of improvement. Its body, structure and balance are very impressing. It shows plenty of fruit and should continue to gain complexity with time. (17.0)