Ridge Pagani Ranch Sonoma Valley Zinfandel Red Blend 2017 with BBQ Ribs
Friday night finds us babysitting for kids/grandkids for the evening. Linda prepared BBQ ribs with baked potatoes and sweet potatoes to take for dinner. I pulled from the cellar a Big Red Blend for an ideal accompaniment.
This is from Ridge Vineyards known for single-vineyard designated labels sourced from exceptional vineyards across Northern California with distinctive terroir - climate, soil, and ideally matched varietals.
I wrote about Ridge Vineyards and other single vineyard designated releases including Zinfandels often in these pages such as these blogposts - Ridge Vineyards "Lytton Springs" Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2014, and, Ridge Lytton Springs at Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Naperville, and Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel Red Blend 2012.
Ridge Vineyards produce a broad portfolio of single vineyard designated Zinfandel labels. They are also known for their ultra-premium flagship Monte Bello red blend produced from their estate vineyard of the same name, first released in 1962. Two years later they released their first Zinfandel label.
Ridge Vineyards Pagani Ranch Sonoma Valley Zinfandel Red Blend 2017
This Zinfandel based blend is made from the Pagani vineyard on the western side of Sonoma Valley. The majority of the vineyard was planted ninety to one hundred and twenty years ago; portions of it were replanted between 2013—2018. Ridge first released this label in 1991.
The vineyard has been continuously tended by a quality-conscious family for four generations having been planted by Felice Pagani who began planting vines in Sonoma Valley in the late 1890s.
The site was maintained and therefore survived the thirteen years of Prohibition, and the Great Depression indicating proof of its merit.
Today, the site is tended by fourth-generation family members planted to Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, and Mataro, in addition to the main varietal, Zinfandel.
In my last blogpost I wrote about the Aglianico Italian grape varietal and I wondered if there was any connection with this Alicante Bouschet varietal. There is not, but it opens the door for the exploration here of another historic and previously unknown grape.
Alicante Bouschet is a red grape with red flesh and red pulp that is a cross of Petit Bouschet and Grenache grape varietals. It was developed by French Viticulturalist Henri Bouschet in 1866. The Petit Bouschet grape was created by his father Louis Bouschet who gave it his name.
Alicante Bouschet is a red grape with red flesh and red pulp that is a cross of Petit Bouschet and Grenache grape varietals. It was developed by French Viticulturalist Henri Bouschet in 1866. The Petit Bouschet grape was created by his father Louis Bouschet who gave it his name.
The resulting grape had high quality concentrated fruit with deep dense color, produced high yields, ripened early and was easy to grow and maintain. Its deep colour made it useful for blending to enhance light French table wines and to extend American wines.
Alicante Bouschet delivered rich, concentrated dark fruit flavors of ripe blackberry, black cherry, and blackcurrant with notes of pepper and fresh tobacco.
It was planted heavily during Prohibition in California as the intense red color was useful for stretching wine and was capable for export to the East Coast. The grape's thick skin allowed it to survive the long railway transportation from California to New York City which had an auction where the grapes were sold.
At the turn of the 21st century, Alicante Bouschet was the 12th most planted red wine grape in France with sizable plantings in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire Valley the Languedoc, Provence and Cognac regions and Alentejo, Portugal.
The Matero grape is also known as the popular French Mourvèdre and the popular Spanish Monastrell varietals.
This release of Ridge Pagini Ranch Zinfandel was awarded 96 Points by Zinfandel Chronicles, 94 Points by Jeff Cox of Decanter, 94 Points by Antonio Galloni of Vinous Media, Jeb Dunnuck of JebDunnuck.com and Erin Brooks of The Wine Advocate, and 93 Points by James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com and Wilfred Wong of Wine.com.
Winemaker Notes - “Focused jammy blueberry fruit and pepper on the nose. On the palate, fresh cherry, mineral, firm acidity, balanced structure and long lingering finish.”
Dark inky garnet purple color, full bodied, complex, round, ripe plum and brambly blackberry and blueberry fruits, notes of peppercorn, garrigue, smokey cresosote, spice box and leather with hints of mocha turning to sweet grainy tannins on a layered lingering finish.
RM 92 points.
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