Ridge Lytton Springs 2006 – Red Table Wine – Sonoma, California
Cost: $29/bottle ($16.99/half-bottle)
This predominantly zinfandel wine is perhaps one of the finer offerings from Ridge, and here I am drinking a half-bottle knowing full well I could have easily polished off a full bottle myself this evening— it was that good. Aromas of candied cherry gum drops with vanilla icing and sweet raspberry jam. It is young and fruity, candied, but remains dry on the palate. Ridge is no big secret; they provide perhaps the region’s finest Zinfandels, and this one is a textbook example of seriously good juice. Step up to the plate for some fine Zin. This is the one. Outstanding!
Rating: 92
Williams Selyem – Pinot Noir, Sonoma County 2006
Cost: $36/bottle
Dining at the Stable, one of the 50 or so BYOW restaurants in my neighborhood. Matching with a lunch that comprised of a spinach and chicken empanada and fork-splittable baby back ribs, a juicy pinot noir from the famed cult winery of Williams Selyem fit the bill. This is the low end entry level pinot of this prestigious winery, and it was decent with its fresh strawberry, cherry and iris flowers notes. It is light to medium bodied, a bit diluted in its crimson red color, with a bit of murkiness in clarity. A bit hot with it is 13.9% alcohol, but the flavors do roll through the palate undiminished except for a slight awkwardness on the back end. An okay pinot, not the greatest but provides a glimpse of the more higher end pinots that this wine produces, which are priced 2 to 3 times this one. This one still good as an entry level wine for those looking to get into the California pinot craze.
Rating: 87
= "personne extraordinaire"