The Wino Files
Recently had the occasion to pull out a couple of Russian River Valley Zins from the Alegria Vineyard, made by two different makers, Rosenblum and Ridge. The Rosenblum was a '97 and the Ridge was a '96 (late picked).
It was interesting to find that, though they'd been stored side by side, the Ridge wine had aged much more gracefully than the Rosenblum, which, while still drinkable, was past its prime. The Ridge '96 Alegria was still power-packed, jammy and delicious - perhaps because it was late picked? I was surprised to find the Rosenblum had a higher alcohol content (15.8 vs 15.6). The Ridge was not really sweet, which I guess is the difference between late-picked and late-harvest? I'm just guessing here. Anyone else know? It had a residual sugar at bottling of only .1%, by the label. I think I read somewhere that we don't perceive a wine as "sweet" below .2%.
I'd love to get my hands on more of that Ridge Alegria - but I think the odds are slim with only 42 barrels produced. :-(
Well, kids, I have to say this will likely be my last posting for a while. I have been delinquent in getting this one published, and I am not drinking much wine these days as I am now 15 weeks pregnant...
Swirl girl signing off for now...
