2018 Ridge - Pagani Ranch Zinfandel
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch, blended with 9% Alicante Bouschet and 7% Petite Sirah, is deeply scented with earth-laced blue and black berries and notes of licorice and dried herbs. The palate offers concentred fruits knit by grainy tannins and surprising uplift, and it finishes long and layered. This is youthfully wound and will have even more to offer with time in bottle. 4,600 cases produced.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch is superb. A burst of sweet red/purplish fruit, exotic spice, flowers and blood orange fleshes out in a Zinfandel of tremendous class. The Pagani has a level of textural breadth and resonance that separates it from most wines in this range. It also has a bit more new oak than the other wines here, but that should not be an issue in time. Bold, creamy and sensual, the Pagani just hits all the right notes. I wouldn’t touch a bottle anytime soon. Readers who can find it will own a small piece of history, as Pagani is one of the most pedigreed vineyard sites in the United States. The blend is 84% Zinfandel, 9% Alicante Bouschet and 7% Petite Sirah.
A rocking Zinfandel from Sonoma County, the 2018 Zinfandel Pagani Ranch offers a more ruby/plum color to go with a great nose of spice red and black fruits, sandalwood, chocolate, and new leather. This spicy, medium to full-bodied, incredibly seamless 2018 has fabulous tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. It's every bit as profound as the 2017, if not better. It's going to keep for 10-12 years.
About the producer
Best known for its iconic Monte Bello, Ridge Vineyards makes some of California’s finest wines – particularly Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. Long a pioneer of sustainable farming and minimal-intervention winemaking, Ridge makes an extensive range from Sonoma County and the Santa Cruz Mountains.