I am hosting Mr. David Gates today (more on his latest adventures here!) for a lovely tasting, and he has requested some lovely wines.
Which I’ve been tasting, and finding to be, indeed, lovely …
Some of these I’ve tasted/written of lately, but some not so much, so some notes included below:
2011 Ridge Vineyards Estate Chardonnay
Aromatics: Toasted honey, beeswax, apricot, fig, lemon gelato, powdered sugar and bread yeast
Palate: Mouthfilling, round yet bright, weighty viscosity but supple structure, tropical; with notes of banana, pineapple, and kumquat
Finish: Long finish, fresh acidity, viscous and palate-coating, hitting every sensory receptor with precise and detailed accents; driven primarily by citricity and a subtle minerality
.
2010 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Chardonnay
Aromatics: Loads of limestone-y minerality, corn kernel, wet stone, bread dough, lemon zest and a jicama & celery freshness
Palate: Bouncily playful mouthfeel balanced against a deeply serious structure; concentrated and densely multi-tiered; dusky mineral on top, citrus-y acidity to the high side of the middle, stone-fruit warmth below that, and a creamy buerre blanc-ish stripe of decadence underlying
Finish: A continuation of the palate experience, with an extra emphasis on both the minerality on top and the skillet butter on the bottom; hard not to think about marinated garlic and butter mushrooms at this point …
.
2006 Ridge Vineyards Geyserville
Aromatics: Bramble & twig, forest floor, sweet cherry and tobacco, mid-berry red & blue fruit, some coffee ground, particularly Geyserville-esque spin on the claret vibe
Palate: Beautiful sweet fruit and bright acidity springing off an elegant and demurely austere structure; evidencing brilliant development from earlier, more angular showings
Finish: Very acidity-driven finish, high-tone and Bordeaux-esque in its structural make-up, old-vine and Alexander Valley in its concentration and precision
~
As noted, these were lovely wines, but the absolute highlight of the tasting was the following:
1999 Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs
Aromatics: Sweet tobacco leaf and campfire smoke, some plum and strawberry compote, touch of savory umaminess
Palate: Very round, very smooth, very supple, elegant, and velvety-y; totally seamless and perfectly structured; sweet character to the red fruit, earthy character to the low-tone herbality
Finish: Totally, decadently, seamlessly, sexually/sensually perfect
Tags: 1999 Lytton Springs, 2006 Geyserville, 2010 Monte Bello Chardonnay, 2011 Estate Chardonnay, David Gates
