Ridge, York Creek Petite Sirah, Spring Mountain District

More Bday shenanigans with a fun side/side of two 1980 Ridge Petite Sirah’s - York Creek and Devil’s Hill (which is also located in York Creek). They are both similar in color - deep/dark reddish black but more bricking on the DH while the YC is incredibly young looking in the glass. Beautiful. You’d never know either of these were 44 years young (kinda like someone else i know ) In the mouth: The York Creek is full of smokey …

1980 vintage

Like drinking a worn old boot. Sour, dirty, leather, and the barest hint of plum giving the only notion of fruit or sweetness. Immaculate bottle but probably not exemplary.

1980 vintage

Bricked medium dark red violet color; aromatic, tobacco, cigar box, dried mushroom nose; silky textured, tasty, tart roasted red fruit, tobacco palate with firm, drying tannins and medium acidity; medium-plus finish

1980 vintage

This one wasn't as musty out of the gate as some bottles I 've had, and came around beautifully in 30 minutes. Loads of black fruits with some dried herbs. Smooth and 20+ second finish.

1985 vintage

Excellent fill and solid cork. Plenty of funk on the bottle for the first hour of decanting. Once it fully blew off, there was only muted black fruits remaining. On the palate this wine was silky smooth but a little flat compared to other bottles I've had of this wine.

1985 vintage

High neck fill. No sign of age on this bottle. It took nearly 2 hours to fully open and even then it seemed like it was still in a bit of dumb phase. Almost creamy vanilla Oak with black cherries. Smooth as silk but a real mouthful. I've got a couple more of these and am tempted to let them sit for another couple years before I come back to them as I get the feeling the wine still has …

1985 vintage

Less funk and more mint, mushrooms and black truffles than other bottle I recently consumed, but some dried dark fruit that is very understated in its sweetness.

1985 vintage

The fill was into the neck, the cork soaked 2/3 of the way but solid. Color showed only modest signs of age. Still a dark plum to core. This bottle was spectacular, evolving in the glass over a couple hours but never dropping off. Upon first opening, tobacco, black currant and cedar dominated. After an hour, black cherry, some hard leather and menthol appeared. After a couple hours it was a blend of all three. The wine was smooth but …

1985 vintage

Impressive. Typical Draper nose with some bretty plums, prunes, wood and leather - deep and rich. Very complex palate of red and purple fruits, great balance, dry with resolved tannins, a good bit of food friendly acidity and just a touch of pleasant grandma's furniture polish-like notes for complexity. Smoothing over the two hours into a long, soft and warming finish. This bottle is at its perfect peak, where it will decline slowly over the next 10-15 years. Brilliant.

1985 vintage

Medium red-garnet. Leathery nose of plum, raisin, milk, American oak. Low tannin, low acidity. Essentially toothless but still serviceable at the table with with our charcuterie platters. There's a notable core of plummy fruit and a pleasant, milky texture to carry it along. Bottle # 5 of six.

1985 vintage

Mahogany red (a trademark of mature Ridge wines I'm finding) with salmon rim. Building nose of a mature Graves - hot gravel, asphalt, tobacco, dessicated ripe red and plummy fruits. Prunish at first, then becoming tar-like. The palate echoes the nose - tobacco-laden and earthen ripe red and purple fruits. This could have been inserted as a ringer at a mature Bordeaux tasting - I kid you not - and done well. Excellent, understated, well-made, mature, intellectual and hedonistic. Kudos …

1980 vintage

April Fools' Blindtasting - 4 Decade Pairs ('70, '80, '90, '00) (Tom's House, Palo Alto, CA) : Group's #4 (my #6) – 57 pts; 2, 0, 1, 0 - slightly bricking very dark red violet color; musty, mushroom, dried mushroom nose; mature, tart red fruit, plum, menthol palate; short-medium finish (I guessed '80, but was thinking Cabernet or Tempranillo, not Petite)

1980 vintage

Mature Petite Sirahs 1980-1985 Blindtasted (Rich and Peggy's Home in Los Altos, CA) : Group's #7 (my #8) – 51 pts.; 0, 2, 1, 1 - slightly cloudy and bricking dark red violet color with pale meniscus; nice, deep, herbal, bay laurel, herbal smoke and graphite nose; very tart, narrow, mature black fruit and bay laurel palate, with thin mid-palate, tannic; short finish (78% Dynamite Hill, 22% Lake)

1980 vintage

Amazing, after 23 years, this wine is still alive, with single dimensional aroma of characteristic blackberry jam; port like flavours, showing little sign of age, other than diminished tannins with no perceived flabbiness. When I open my last bottle of this jammy wine, I will make certain I accompany it with sourdough toast.

1985 vintage

1985s - Guess the Red Blindtasting (Los Altos, CA) : Group's #1 (my #2) – 29 pts; 1 1st place vote, 5 2nd place votes, 0 thirds, 0 last places – Dark red violet color; sweet beef jus and charcoal nose; light bodied, over-the -hill charcoal, graphite and smoke palate; medium finish

1985 vintage

Opened and poured into decanter...30min until consuming...cheese, dirty socks on the nose (old bordeaux) and initially absent of almost anything on the palate. Consumed over 2 hours or so...the opened and built a bit in size over the period with some pretty good tanins remaining but there was very little redemming quality to the wine...not bad just absent of any character at all. Disappointing as I love this vintage and tradtionally like this vineyard.

1985 vintage

DEEP BERRY AROMAS WITH MINT, LICORICE, AND DRIED FRUITS. BLACK CURRENT AND JAMMY FRUIT IN THE FLAVOR. MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH. 4/90 TASTING =17/22/28/23=90.

1985 vintage

TOOK 30 MINUTES TO OPEN UP. THEN EARTHINESS IN THE AROMA WITH NICE FRUIT. DEEP FRUIT, BLACKBERRIES IN THE FLAVOR. MEDIUM LENGTH FINISH.

1980 vintage

With MPL and BLR and Donn Reisen of Ridge at the London Wine Bar. Black ruby. Fabulous nose. Very, very deep. Beautiful wine on the palate. Elegant yet firm. Fruity, yet has good backbone. Perfect balance. 5-12-17-8: 92/100.

1985 vintage

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Ridge, York Creek Petite Sirah, Spring Mountain District

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