One of the very great things about hosting this blog is that I’ve become the somewhat unwitting repository of a great wealth of Ridge arcana, running the gamut from tales of Days in the Vineyards to tasting notes of impossibly rare wines.
These tales come to me in many fashions; most commonly across the bar in the tasting room, or via e-mail, when some kind soul takes an extra moment to share something particularly special.
One such example of the latter occasion occurred not too long back, when a gentleman by the name of Bruce Macumber – whose history with Ridge runs deep, deep, deep — wrote an e-mail about a wine he’d recently unearthed from his personal vaults. It was such a brilliant story, such a great example of Ridge wine longevity, and such a charmingly crafted note, that I was desperate to share it. Fortunately, Bruce obliged my query, and here is what he wrote:
Wanted you to know i just enjoyed your 1979 York Creek NV Zinfandel which I purchased at the winery in 1982 from Dave & Paul. Good fill, never cellared over 65′, cork still but barely intact, nice 29 year old nose only showing faint oxidation. Color was lightly brown/amber/brick hue and taste still had berry fruit, mild tannins, and some/enough Petite Sirah structure/body to compliment our chicken dinner with mild sauces. Fully complex & completely developed. It shows what lots of harvest extract will do with extended bottle age and the bouquet was as good as it gets.
Nice!
And lest you not be feeling to the full extent just what all this wine has weathered in its many years on this earth, ask yourself, what, if anything, were YOU doing in 1979?
Were you making out to this?
While driving this?
Or were you more into dancing with this?
Or watching this?
Well, whatever your preferences, I think it’s safe to say that was a long, long time ago, and any wine that’s showing well still if, well, a really good wine.
Thanks to Bruce for sharing his story, and to all y’all out there with Ridge stories tucked into your pockets, reveal, reveal!
