Dragon Phoenix Wine Blog

21st December 2007

Another look at the wonderful wines of Ridge hosted by Frank Siegel of the Sequoia Café (wines imported by Summergate).

We first tasted some of Ridge's exemplary wines, including the legendary Monte Bello (2004 vintage) in Hong Kong in November 2007 - see previous notes.

2005 Ridge Lytton Springs

Appearance: medium purple-red, pink rim.

Nose: crushed berry fruits, excellent oak. Complex.

Palate: grainy, slightly dusty tannins, strong fruit, considerable oak but this is well-integrated. Nice acidity and good length.

Conclusion: 77% Zinfandel, 17% Petite Syrah and 6% Carignan, this is very good and would benefit from mid-term ageing. Retail approx. 600RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2003 Ridge Geyersville

Appearance: medium purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: very fragrant clove, cinnamon and generally spicy nose with strong red and black fruits coming through.

Palate: chewy medium tannins, good acidity, dark savoury fruits (seems blacker on palate than nose at present). Integrated high alcohol.

Conclusion: 76% Zinfandel, 18% Carignan and 6% Petite Syrah, this is a complex wine that needs time, even although it is relatively approachable now. Drink now to 2013. Retail 576RMB.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains

Appearance: dark purple, clear rim.

Nose: sweet nose of blackcurrant and black plum, lovely fruit throughout, noticeable mix of American and French oak.

Palate: great fruit, lovely medium chewy tannins, excellent length.

Conclusion: a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot and 1% each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, this is a lovely wine whose fruit is sourced from the same vineyard as the legendary Monte Bello. Drink now or up to 2012. Retail 660RMB.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 2003, 2004, 2005, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Featured Tastings, Petit Syrah, Petit Verdot, red, Ridge, Summergate, Zinfandel

The following were tasted at Berry Bros. & Rudd's Hong Kong shop. Our thanks to Nicholas Pegna and his conscientious and informed staff:

2004 Ridge Lytton Springs, Sonoma County

Appearance: medium red-purple, clear rim.

Nose: restrained concentrated red and black fruits. Not obviously Zinfandel dominated (the problem is we’ve usually tasted much more sweet-smelling examples). Delicate and very balanced between oak and fruit.

Palate: medium not full-bodied, delicate medium chewy and slightly grainy tannins, lovely acidity and good length. Similar fruit character throughout. The high alcohol here is barely noticeable because of very good integration.

Conclusion: 79% Zinfandel, 18% Petit Syrah and 3% Carignan, this wine is aged for 13 months in American oak (20% of which is new). It’s certainly a restrained style of Zinfandel-based wine and it would be interesting to know more about what the Petit Syrah and Carignan contribute from these particular vineyards. Very good.

Rating: 18/20

2004 Ridge Geyersville, Sonoma County

Appearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: very aromatic and spicy nose – reminiscent of Primitivo at first – with a mixture of red and black fruits. Complex with integrated oak and considerable fragrance (perfumed, spicy, ‘sweet and sour’ notes).

Palate: medium-bodied, concentrated red and black fruits, but the wine has restraint within that concentration (i.e. it’s not a ‘fruit bomb’ by any means). Medium angular and slightly grainy tannins and considerable complexity throughout. Refreshing acidity and balanced high alcohol.

Conclusion: 75% Zinfandel, 18% Carignan, 7% Petit Syrah, this wine spends some 18 months in American oak. But it’s a testament to the quality of the fruit that the wine is not unduly influenced by oak. Very good.

Rating: 18.5/20

2004 Ridge Monte Bello, Sonoma County

Appearance: medium to dark purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: immensely attractive and refined nose with very complex mix of red and black fruits with a savoury and also sweet-smelling nose – these are elements of the fruit knitting with the oak here. Defies description.

Palate: very balanced beautiful mix of ‘warm and cool’ red and black fruits, deft oak, and very fine tannins (‘fine’ both in quality and texture). Superbly balanced. Superb length. Alcohol is slightly lower, but who cares? The balance is brilliant regardless.

Conclusion: Ridge’s Monte Bello has famously been top of the tops in the world’s Cabernet blends in both the 1976 Paris tasting and its re-match in 2006 (where the 1971 won in both challenges). This is the first time I’ve tried any vintage of the Monte Bello and it was stupendously good. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the wine spends 18 months in oak in a mixture of 92% new American oak and 8% in new French. Incredibly good.

Rating: 19.5/20

Labels: 2004, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, California, Carignan, Featured Tastings, Geyersville, Lytton Springs, Merlot, Monte Bello, Petit Syrah, Ridge, Sonoma, Zinfandel

Importer East Meets West teamed up with wine merchant Top Cellar in order to show the wines of Gérard Bertrand (from France’s Languedoc region) at Centro in the Kerry Centre Shangri-La.

2006 Gérard Bertrand 6’eme Sens Rosé

Appearance: attractive medium pink.

Nose: a range of red fruits including strawberry and red cherry. Clean and attractive.

Palate: slight residual sugar, but basically dry. Attractive fruit, some acidity, not flabby certainly.

Conclusion: pleasant, drinkable rosé. Fun. Food-friendly.

Rating: 16/20

2005 Gérard Bertrand Chardonnay

Appearance: medium yellow.

Nose: no oak here, ripe peach and melon fruit.

Palate: palate is smooth – this wine does actually go through malolactic fermentation, it just does so in stainless steel not oak – with more peach and melon fruit. Acidity is relatively low here.

Conclusion: pleasant, fruity Chardonnay, but not very exciting. Good with food, however.

Rating: 16/20

2003 Gérard Bertrand Minervois

Appearance: medium purple-red, essentially clear rim.

Nose: very fragrant, i.e. not just black fruits from the Syrah and Carignan blend here, but some spice and even perfume of sorts.

Palate: pleasant fruit, medium-bodied, soft on tannins.

Conclusion: this wasn’t as heat-damaged as I thought it might be (thinking of the 2003 vintage). The grapes were obviously picked judiciously. Good.

Rating: 16.5/20

2005 Gérard Bertrand Château L’Hospitalet Reserve

Appearance: medium purple, clear rim.

Nose: a range of black fruits, spicy, nice use of oak.

Palate: medium-bodied, plucky medium tannins, lifting acidity, nice fruit and oak.

Conclusion: a decent blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. Good.

Rating: 17/20

2002 Gérard Bertrand La Forge Terroir Boutenac, Corbières

Appearance: darkish purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: a mixture of red and black fruits (hard to define what) with lots of herbs, particularly Mediterranean ones, e.g. rosemary and oregano/marjoram.

Palate: elegant palate with good acidity, nice integration of fruit to oak, attractive medium chewy tannins and good length.

Conclusion: a lovely blend of Syrah and Carignan. Very good.

Rating: 18/20

2002 Gérard Bertrand Le Viala, Minervois La Livinière

Appearance: darkish purple-red, orange rim.

Nose: pleasant mixture of red and black fruits, good oak, distinctive Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, thyme).

Palate: elegant, complex fruit, good oak again, medium chewy tannins, good length.

Conclusion: made from old vines (50-80 years-old), this is probably less powerful than in other bigger vintages, but still impressive.

Rating: 18/20

Labels: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, Carignan, Chardonnay, Corbieres, East Meets West, Featured Tastings, France, Gerard Bertrand, Grenache, Languedoc, Minervois, Mourvedre, red, rose, Syrah, Top Cellar, white