Hard to believe ZAP’s #ZinFest has already come and gone. We anticipate it for so long, then suddenly, it slips right past us, and the anticipatory cycle starts anew.
Fortunately, via the miracles and mechanisms of modern guerilla theater, we are able to preserve small traces of the memories in digital form, there to enrich us when we seek and need renewal.
Who likes Zinfandel? Google likes Zinfandel!
So much so that Google & ZAP got together to stage an event for Google’s Wine Tasting Club (yes, they have a Wine Club!) in advance of the big annual ZAP event.
And who was there? Ridge was there!
GoogleZap!
GoogleZap!
I yell, you yell
we all yell for Zinfandel!
That’s right folks, ZAP! Not Shazam, not Wonder Twin Powers Activate (form of an Ah So, shape of a Zinfandel bottle!), but ZAP!
Not familiar? ‘Tis an acronymn, and it stands for Zinfandel Advocates & Producers. From their Mission Statement:
ZAP and its members revel in Zinfandel’s mysterious history and its evolving story fuels the embers of discovery, entrepreneurship and agriculture that are truly American. ZAP is the only organization that has established and provided funding for education and research to study the history, genetics and propagation of a wine varietal to ensure its future. ZAP and its members not only enjoy growing and drinking Zinfandel, but they also value its character and its heritage.
Meaning, in short, these folks LOVE Zinfandel.
Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably already aware of ZAP, and quite possibly, you’ve actually attended their legendary Zinfandel Festival.
We’re huge supporters, and we participate every year. The highlight of the lovefest is of course the Grand Tasting. This is essentially Tantric Oenophilia.
We’re believers, and accordingly, we like to bring a really special roster of wines every year to share at the Grand Tasting. This year is no different. Dig the list:
1. 2009 Carmichael Ranch Zinfandel –
2. 2009 Lytton Estate Zinfandel –
3. 2010 Paso Robles Zinfandel –
4. 2010 East Bench Zinfandel –
5. 2010 Geyserville – (barrel samples, not yet released!)
6. 2010 Lytton Springs – (barrel samples, not yet released!)
7. 2010 Lytton Estate Zinfandel – (barrel samples, not yet released!)
8. 2010 Carmichael Ranch Zinfandel – (barrel samples, not yet released!)
As is hopefully evident, we like to put on a show. Come see us. We’ve got lovely wine to pour for you.
“Holy Ah So Wineman, it’s Zinfandel!”
Two truths:
1. The convention of the End-Of-Year list is most decidedly a media trope that is long overdue to be retired.
2. It is impossible to effectively summarize, in one go, an entire year.
So, that said, here are some End-Of-Year lists, and a summary of 2011!
First, the lists. Specifically, blog lists.
Top 5 blog posts on 4488: A Ridge Blog for 2011? (in terms of total viewerage)
2. The Oak Wars
3. Zoot!
5. Julia Child and Paul Draper
Top 5 Search Engine Terms that led people to 4488: A Ridge Blog in 2011?
1. Nadia G
2. Fugazi
3. Barrel
4. Black Friday
5. Thelonious Monk
Top 3 commentors on 4488: A Ridge Blog in 2011? (Thank you!)
1. Tom Wise
2. Robert Seaney
3. Dave Tong
Top 3 Videos viewed on 4488: A Ridge Blog in 2011?
1. Harvest 2011: Picking Lytton West
3. Harvest 2011: Jimsomare Chardonnay
Ok, enough lists. Onto our 2011 summary. We begin …
With January.
Seems so long ago. What on earth was happening in January of 2011? Well, it was a bit of the good and the bad. On the one hand, beloved actress Zsa Zsa Gabor had to have her leg amputated, and Roger Federer lost in the semis of the 2011 Australian Open, but on the other hand, I was auctioned by Nadia G!
How about February 2011? Well, another month of the good and the bad. One one hand, Tiger Woods was fined for spitting on a golf course. But conversely, The Ramones won a Lifetime Achievement Grammy. So, all’s well that ends well. And at Ridge? Well, February 2011 saw the Monte Bello Hospitality Team go pruning, and of course, it was ZAP! And that was all good.
Which brings us to March. The month in which I enjoyed the greatest tasting experience of my entire life. The Monte Bello Assemblage Tasting. Did I care that Hillary Clinton was in Egypt? That Space Shuttle Discovery was making its final landing? That Coptic Christians and Muslims were at each other’s throats in Cairo? That Phil Collins retired? That the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Force was stepping down? Nah, didn’t even notice. I was making Monte Bello!
Which means I almost didn’t even wake up for April. But good thing I did! Otherwise, I would have missed Penelope Cruz getting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! And I wouldn’t have known that Dennis Rodman was getting inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame! And heaven forfend if I wasn’t present and accounted for when they announced the guestlist for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton! And on top of all that, I wouldn’t have been there to celebrate the anniversary of The Judgement of Paris!!!
Things finally calmed down a bit in May. Not much going on. Osama Bin Laden was killed, and we hosted the Final Assemblage Tasting for the 2010 Monte Bello. But that was about it.
June was a whole different animal. Very emotional. There was some loss. I’m not gonna lie about it. We lost Peter Falk AND Clarence Clemons. That was hard to take. But there were new beginnings as well. We saw bloom on the mountain. That was beautiful. Samsara. The circle.
By July, we’d gotten our heads on straight again, and we were ready to rock. Everybody was ready. To rock, and to swing. The Arab Spring was rocking. The Queensland Reds of Australia were rocking (they defeated the Canterbury Crusaders of New Zealand 18-13 to win the Super Rugby championship). Jane Austen was rocking (A rare manuscript of an unfinished novel sold for 1.6 million dollars at auction!). Even Jürgen Klinsmann was rocking. He was named head coach of the United States men’s national soccer team. And Ridge Vineyards was rocking too. We rocked probably the hardest at Zinbo #1. That was some serious rocking. Zinfandel and BBQ. Yeah, that’s the rock. Let it rock, let it rock, let it rock. I want to rock. Rock and roll hootchie koo. I love rock n’ roll. For those about to rock. Rock you like a hurricane.
August is a funny month. You never can tell with August. Sometimes it’s groovy, sometimes it’s funky. It can have the funk, but it can also get in the groove. The 2011 rendition of August was mostly kind of funky. I mean, after all, dig this synchronicity. In the same month, Tim Pawlenty announced the end of his campaign for the Republican Party presidential nomination, and Jhala Nath Khanal resigned as the Prime Minister of Nepal! Crazy! And that’s not all! It only gets weirder! Dig this: Nick Ashford of Ashford & Simpson dies in the same month that Jerry Leiber of Leiber & Stoller dies! Crazy!!!!! And if that weren’t enough, both Lady Gaga and Katy Perry got banned by The Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China. Crazy!!!!!!!!!! Fortunately, things were pretty stable at Ridge Vineyards. In order to combat all that CRAZINESS out there, we relied on the consistency of a series; in this case, our Ten Questions with Paul Draper series. Something about checking in with Paul on a regular basis, all month long, felt soothing. He comforted us. He got us through.
By September, we were back in control. We knew what was going on, we were in the saddle. Sonya Thomas won the United States Chicken Wing Eating Championship without batting an eyelid. That New Zealand Emperor Penguin was back in the ocean. And Google+ hit the ground running. And as to us? Solid. We started the month with Fall Release Tastings at Monte Bello and Lytton Springs, and just kept on rocking in the free world after that. Rocking in the free world.
October was pretty crazy. There’s just no gettin’ around it. Things were nuts. The NBA went on lockout. Steve Jobs passed. Sarah Palin declined to throw her hat in the presidential ring. A swede won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Paul McCartney got married again. Wootton Bassett became Royal Wootton Bassett. And the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. S#*t was crazy. Here too. Harvest began on the mountain. Which was crazy.
November is recent enough that I feel I still remember it. I remember China launching the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft. I remember the 5.6 magnitude earthquake NNE of Shawnee, Oklahoma. I remember the resignation of Silvio Belusconi. And the sentencing of Dr. Conrad Murray. And most of all, I remember what I was thankful for.
Which brings us to December. The end of the year as we know it. And I feel wine.
And I hope that you do too!
On behalf of all of us at Ridge Vineyards, we thank you for an extraordinary 2011.
May you all have a safe, happy, and healthy 2012!
Cheers!
I mean, CHEERS!
It’s First Friday this evening, and we’re going to be debuting the latest release from the absolutely interstellar 2011 ATP roster, the 2008 Ridge Vineyards Carmichael!
I tasted this wine not too long back, with Eric Baugher, in advance of the ZAP event, but I wanted to give it a re-visit in advance of tonight’s festivities (if you want to see the earlier notes for comparison’s sake, you can find them here), and in the spirit of Ginsbergian First-Word-Best-Word, I decided to pull out the ol’ typer, get the ol’ 8mm rollin’, and go free-style with my tasting notes …
Here, then, is the video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeFB_G0PwUc
And here, then, are the notes, just as you saw them going down live on the typer!
2008 Carmichael: Typewriter Tasting Notes!
And just in case you need a translation (I was getting a bit of a sticky key phenomenon there at the end …), here is a transcription:
2008 Ridge Vineyards Carmichael
Very brambly aromatics, fairly dense fruit concentration, quite plummy, but not cloyingly so; rather, just nice rich fruit … medium-weight legs that are surprisingly viscous as regards bowl adhesions … very blackish belly, with a gorgeous magenta limn … hints of some black herbs on the nose as well, perhaps even a hint of Panda licorice … super, super concentrated on the palate; juicy, but lively, strong with tannins, but bouncing with acidity … the petite sirah in the blend, even at 8%, lends a nice dark earthy layer to the mid-palate, and a reasonably approachable chalky-esque minerality …. pretty big overall, with a lot of lusciousness to spare, though it wears its 14.7% ABV well; it’s ripe, certainly, but not jammy, and the fruit profile is plum first, boysenberry second, with hints of Logan and Ollalieberry coming in third … I’m most impressed by the structure, as the architecture is really front and center; again, lots of tannin, good minerality, more than enough acidity, etc. … Overall, a rich, luxurious, concentrated, deeply flavorful zin that still manages the affectations of a lighter wine.
Wow, just when you think you’ve seen it all from ZAP, along comes another one you just didn’t see coming! To borrow a line from the very great Ralph Kramden …
POW! Right in the kisser ...
Or, to borrow a great colloquialism I picked up whilst living in rural Ireland, I was GOBSMACKED to find out that I’d been auctioned off at ZAP! And for no small amount either!
Actually, it’s not me per se, it was our Wine Blogger’s Tastings, which I host.
Anyhow, being the arch supporters of ZAP that we are, we wanted to offer something special to the auction; here’s how the lot read:
Live/Super-Silent Auction Lot(s): Ridge Wine Blogger For A Day
Invitation for one person plus one guest to attend one of Ridge’s exclusive wine blogger tastings to be held in 2011. These private tastings are held in an intimate setting at either Ridge’s Lytton Springs or Monte Bello facilities and regularly include leading internet wine bloggers. The tasting is conducted by Christopher Watkins, Ridge Tasting Room Manager and host of “4488: A Ridge Blog.” You will receive a unique “behind the scenes” experience that you can chronicle in your own blog, or as a guest writer for the Ridge blog. You will also receive two Paul Draper signed magnums of 2008 Lytton Springs Zinfandel, two signed magnums of 2008 Geyserville Zinfandel, plus a case of assorted Ridge Zinfandels.
And as noted above, I’m happy to report that not only did the lot sell, but it went for well above the listed “fair market value!”
But really, none of that matters compared to the best lil’ piece of gossip I picked up (I say gossip because I wasn’t actually there, but got the story from an “insider” …); as you may know, the now very famous and very successful Nadia G (host of Bitchin’ Kitchin’) was the headliner/host of this year’s ZAP festival, and as part of her hosting duties, she was asked to introduce one of the lots at the auction. She apparently requested a list of all the items to be auctioned, as she wanted to make the selection herself. And what item do you think she chose??? Can you guess? Huh? Huh?
Correct.
So much still to come from this weekend’s ZAP festival, but suffice it to say (as I begin with the ending!) that leaving ZAP was a bit of an uphill journey!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ48dYdnStg
That said, San Francisco was, is, and always will be, an incomparably, inexpressibly beautiful city; such a joy to be there today …
Ok, now we’re into the real nitty gritty!
But first, if you need to catch up, here are the previous and relevant posts:
http://blog.ridgewine.com/2011/01/26/zap-pre-taste/
http://blog.ridgewine.com/2011/01/24/zap-bob-dylan-and-the-greatest-tasting-note-movie-ever-shot/
Ok, so here is the list of the wines that Eric and I tasted:
2009 Ridge Vineyards Geyserville (barrel sample)
2009 Ridge Vineyards Pagani Ranch (barrel sample)
2008 Ridge Vineyards Carmichael Ranch (in bottle, winery-only offering, pre-release)
2008 Ridge Vineyards Buchignani Ranch (in bottle, winery-only offering, pre-release)
2006 Mazzoni Home Ranch (current release, winery-only)
2009 Ridge Vineyards Paso Robles (in bottle, pre-release)
2007 Ridge Vineyards Old School (in bottle, winery-only offering, pre-release)
And here are some tasting notes! Hopefully, you’ll get to taste these at ZAP, and we can compare! I’ll be at the Ridge table Saturday afternoon, so don’t hesitate to say hello!
2009 Ridge Vineyards Geyserville (barrel sample)
Quite high-toned color, with a light, fresh, buoyant nose expressing lovely perfume and florality; very pretty! … Seamlessly structured, not a bump in the road; no bite, no aggress, no discordance, no nothing, just perfectly structured … fascinating hints of sweet baked apple pie, with the requisite sampling of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other such spices … the high tone aspects continue into the palate as well; lot of bright cherry notes coming through … the late assemblage MO that Eric employed has paid off handsomely as regards the complexities, there is an awful lot going on in this wine, and it’s all beautiful …
2009 Ridge Vineyards Pagani Ranch (barrel sample)
Utterly beautiful color! And classically Pagani-esque aromatics; rich, compressed, laden with a potpourri of pressed flower leaves, grilled orange pepper, and all-spice, with a great briny layer as well … Very light on the palate, very clean minerality, hinting at cornflower and talc … brighter, leaner acidity that the past couple of vintages, reminiscent of the 2006, one of my personal favorite Paganis … even delivers an almost Grenache-like dose of blood orange at the end! A great Pagani in my estimation, though again, a leaner, brighter one …
2008 Ridge Vineyards Carmichael Ranch (in bottle, pre-release)
This is just an ARCHETYPAL Ridge Zinfandel, perfectly expressing everything we love to do with zin production; it’s got pepper, it’s got exotic spices, it’s fleshy without being flabby, its opulent without being ostentatious, it’s fruit-forward without being over-ripe, it’s both professorially dignified yet sensuously giving … in short, delicious! … While Eric and I were tasting this wine, I started talking to it; I said, “Oh yeah, I’m drinking you tonight, I’m drinking all of you! I’m drinking most of you at dinner, and then I’m taking you to bed, and we’re going to take advantage of one another!” … That’s what I said. To this wine. When I was talking to it.
2008 Ridge Vineyards Buchignani Ranch (in bottle, pre-release)
If the above was quintessential Ridge, this is quintessential Buchignani. Funky, rich, concentrated and earthy, with loads of lower-tone boysenberry and blackberry notes, layers of dried herbs counterbalanced by a potent pepperiness, and a very firm tannin layer that definitely takes front seat while acidity rides in the back … This is one to watch, but still a little too muscular for current consumption …
2006 Ridge Vineyards Mazzoni Home Ranch (current release)
A consistently fantastic old-vine designation, and this a fantastic vintage. Rich, ripe, but tempered, in supreme balance … this has all the qualities of zin that, when excessive, can be negatives, but when integrated, are just pure delight … lean mouthfeel, great acidity courtesy of the high percentage of carignane, lovely old-vine concentration and significant yet supple minerality … an extraordinary food wine that had Eric and I rhapsodizing about tapas for a good ten minutes … the subtle hint of kirsch adds a nicely sweet underlayer beneath the exotic spice and the vibrant acidity … waiter, another dish of patatas bravas!
2009 Ridge Vineyards Paso Robles
Sweet, ripe, woody, great notes of cherry tobacco on the rose; pretty classic Paso fruit … Given the distinctly different micro-climate within which this fruit is grown, I’d say this is a very honest central coast zin offering, and very in keeping with previous vintages; particularly the 2007; with 2006 being notably leaner, and 2008 being somewhat uniquely more multi-dimensioned then Paso fruit can sometimes be … this is probably not the most complex zin in the Ridge portfolio, but its fewer dimensions are still good ones, and for those who like a riper style without the alcohol levels that tend to come with that style, this should be a great offering …
2007 Ridge Vineyards Old School
Wonderful red-wood character to the aromomatics, with a succulent savoriness reminiscent of a good cigar soaked in cherry juice or brandy … the sweet tobacco character permeates through to the palate as well, as do the cherry notes, making for a richly flavored, sweet and savory offering … there are also hints of caramel apple afoot, the tangy citricity from which lends itself well to the structure, and opulence of the fruit …
–
And just in case you missed it from a previous post, the greatest tasting note movie ever shot!
As noted in an earlier post this week (found here: ZAP, Bob Dylan, and The Greatest Tasting Note Movie Ever Shot), us card-carrying members of The Zee Party are gearing up for the oenophilic equivalent of a party convention; in this case, our PARTY Convention! Meaning, we’re getting ready for ZAP!
ZAP refresher required? Sure! ZAP! (Which is kind of like Shazam! Except with wine …)
http://zinfandel.org/default.asp?n1=15&n2=659
Anyhow, in advance of festiviticus commencementitus, I sat down with winemaker Eric Baugher to taste through some of the wines we’ll be showcasing at this year’s event: some barrel samples, some bottled-but-not-yet-released offerings, a current vintage flagship, and a limited-production winery-only release.
Stay tuned for tomorrow, when I’ll be posting tasting notes, but in the meantime, here’s the pictorial record of how it all went down!
 | Chard and sweet pota… on What’s Up … D… |
 | Tom Wise on A Monte Bello Vertical: Video … |
 | Christopher Watkins on Zin Monk |
| Christopher Watkins on Zin Monk |
| Tom Wise on Zin Monk |
