2011 Ridge Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyards
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Tasting notes
(includes 3% petite sirah; all America oak, 20% of it new and the rest one to four years old): Bright purple. Fresh cherry, mulberry and vanilla on the fragrant, spice-tinged nose. Fleshy and gently sweet, offering focused dark berry and bitter cherry flavors that become sweeter and more fleshy with air. Closes on a smoky note, with rounded tannins shaping the expanding notes of black and blue fruit. In a relatively forward, fruit-driven style that makes for easy drinking now, but has the balance to age.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2011 Zinfandel Ponzo (97% Zinfandel and 3% Petite Sirah from the Russian River) tips the scales at 14.1% alcohol. The harvest was completed before the heavy rains of mid-October. Aromas of berry fruit and tangy strawberries/cherries jump from the glass of this clean, fresh, medium-bodied Zinfandel. It is a pleasant, bistro-styled red to drink over the next 3-4 years. Tel. (408) 867-3233
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.