Freddy R. Troya

10

Ridge Vineyards – Zinfandel – 2023
Benito Dusi Ranch – Paso Robles – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
An extraordinary single-vineyard Zinfandel from one of the most historic and consistent sites in Paso Robles. The 2023 vintage delivers depth, purity, and that unmistakable Dusi Ranch character—old-vine concentration wrapped in Ridge’s signature balance and finesse. This bottling remains one of the benchmark Zinfandels in California.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackberry compote, ripe plum, and raspberry preserve with accents of warm spice, licorice, dried herbs, and a touch of cracked pepper. Subtle cocoa and cedar from restrained oak play in the background.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied and richly textured, yet never heavy. Juicy acidity energizes the palate while fine, structured tannins keep everything focused. Long, plush, and satisfyingly powerful.

Food Pairings
BBQ ribs, grilled lamb chops, wood-fired pizza, smoky brisket, or aged Gouda.

Verdict
A stellar expression of old-vine Paso Robles Zinfandel, opulent, balanced, and deeply flavorful. A true standout in Ridge’s portfolio.

Did You Know?
The Dusi family has farmed this vineyard for generations, and Ridge has made wine from the site since 1967. These old vines consistently produce some of the most character-rich Zinfandel in the state, making Benito Dusi one of Ridge’s most iconic single-vineyard bottlings.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
This sits at the very top of my favorite Zinfandels, extraordinary from start to finish, and a reminder of why Ridge continues to define the category. — 6 months ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Reddish in color with medium intensity.

Red fruits on the nose with light wood and chocolate notes.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with raspberries, strawberries, cherries, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice, tobacco leaf, earth, coffee and peppercorn.

Spicy on the long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a really young Rhone style red blend from Paso Robles. Fruit forward with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel. Spicy and tangy.

Good right out of the bottle and better with after 90 minutes of airtime. Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

Well balanced and easy drinking. Good by itself or with food.

A blend of 40% Mourvedre, 28% Grenache, 22% Syrah, 4% Vaccarese, 3% Counoise and 3% Cinsault.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$70. — a year ago

Lee Lightfoot

9.4

Phenomenal balance Syrah character dominates, lush perfume and rich dark fruit. Crushed after a 30 min decant, could have used a lil more development time but too delicious to complain about how it was consumed — 5 years ago

melissa walker

9.0

loved it from the first sip. will buy again. — 6 years ago

Andrei Shustov

9.5

Always a blast!! — 8 years ago

Cameron Myhrvold

9.3

2008 l'Aventure Cote e Cote
A delicious Paso Robles GSM blend — 9 years ago

Mark Maruszak

9.3

Crazy awesome. Tons of black pepper, smoke, tobacco and bacon fat. Luscious dark fruits. Very fruit forward palate. Waaaaaay too young. — 11 years ago

Benjamin Hickey

8.9

Med body, good length,savoury but not too funky. — 11 years ago

Mark Lindzy

9.5

More please! — 13 years ago

Lori K

9.3

Great fruit, well balanced, almost case worthy — 6 months ago

romo

9.2

Called Chenin or old Riesling. Fox fur and oil can. Lovely peach. Chagrined. — 7 months ago

pkeros .

10

On the heavier side, a bit tart, plums — 8 months ago

Jeremiah Diaz

8.9

Medium ruby in color; black cherries, plums, and cedar on the nose; medium plus acidity; medium tannins, but smooth; tastes like blackberries, cherries, and a hint of bell pepper witha long finish. Not as complex as I would like, but pretty good. — 3 years ago

Nina

9.0

Juicy. Yummy. Great for price. $14. — 5 years ago

Mike Colantonio

9.4

Very smooth blend. Not too acidic. Not sweet. — 6 years ago

Lee Richey

9.3

2016 vintage, very reliable fun wine for the budget. Easy drinking yet flavorful. — 7 years ago

Shawn R

9.3

Delish with a 2 hour decant. Pairs well with chipotle bison burgers. — 8 years ago

Maynard Yu

8.9

Maynard had this 11 years ago

P A

9.2

Always a good bet — 12 years ago

Patti Petree

9.6

Yum. So good. — 13 years ago

Kapyrick Wine

9.0

v20. Never disappoints..ever! Soft dried herb and cedar nose. Juicy, rich, black currant fruit. Velvety, long, slightly astringent mocha and leather finish. Nicely balanced food wine. — 7 months ago

S.S. Mandani

9.3

Stewed berries, mulling spices, forestry.

Berry medley, cloves, baking spices. Great fruit character. Long finish. A bit high on acidity but a welcome zing. — 7 months ago

Miriam De Lyon

9.5

The 2009 vintage is still lovely! — 9 months ago

Douglas Braun

9.1

2019 Vintage - out of a 375 - nice Southern Rhône blend- Black fruit , licorice, Christmas spice medium acidity 14% abv elegant — 3 years ago

Brandon T

9.3

Always enjoyable - one hour decant, assorted red fruits. — 6 years ago

Miriam De Lyon

9.4

Always enjoy this blend - easy drinking with dark fruit — 7 years ago

Sam Reeves

9.0

Half-bottle at Sarabeths Central Park south — 8 years ago

Levi Glenn

9.5

I don't think people realize the aging potential of this wine. Poached pear, toasted hazelnut, and some saline notes complete the nose. Weighty mouthfeel but not overbearing whatsoever. Sublte acidity rounds out the long mouth-coating finish. Oh god, and this is out of a 375ml. Would put this against any other California white that's ten years old. — 10 years ago

Paul Carelli

9.1

I'm not sure why there are some low scores for this wine. Quite frankly it is one of the best QPR cabs on the market. Great structure and the fruit shines. Let it open for an hour and it is luscious Paso fruit perfect with some grilled steak. — 11 years ago

Newport Hobo

9.6

Delicious - blackberry jam and spice. — 12 years ago

with Scott, Isabel and 1 other