People often ask us how long they can cellar Kinkead Ridge red wines. We are happy that Dayton blogger Dan McGrew (dogswine.blogspot.com) has quite a cellar and routinely opens up some older vintages. Here are some of his comments, as well as a comment from Jens Rosencrantz, well known in the Cincinnati wine scene. In general terms, we feel the wines will improve for 6 years and maybe longer.
From Dan McGrew, December 2010: 2005 Syrah
"No need to beat around the bush here so let's just go for a one word description. How about amazing.
About a month ago when I matched a physical inventory of my wine with the computerized inventory I found a discrepancy for this wine. The computer showed that I had one bottle, while the physical inventory proved there was really two bottles. A delightful problem. Of the four Kinkead Ridge red varieties the Syrah has usually been my least favorite. During tastings at the winery and elsewhere I've always liked the Syrah, but it was usually my least favorite of the reds.
I opened this bottle last night wanting a simple red with a pan seared, small steak. What popped out of the bottle and into the glass was anything but simple. The nose was classic, cold climate Syrah. It smelled of dark fruit, raw meat, white pepper, and spice. The color was a glorious medium red, and that was the only indication this wasn't a wine from the northern Rhone. The taste was fruity and spicy with a great depth of pure syrah fruit, wonderful acidity and just enough oak to balance everything. There was a natural sweetness to the wine that had nothing to do with sugar or over extraction, it was sweet because of perfectly ripe fruit. The tannins had settled to a supporting role, but they were still evident and gave the wine a great structure. It was good with the steak, but in this case the steak was almost secondary. Five years after the vintage, this wine was a shining star and a credit to the vineyard and the winemaker.
My only regret is that I only have one more bottle. Rest assured that the three bottles of the 2008 that I own will not be touched until 2013. And I know what local market still has a few bottles of the 2008 vintage sitting on the shelf - at least until the weekend."
From Dan McGrew, August 2010: 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
"We're still clearing room for the 2008 Kinkead Ridge red wines by drinking some older vintages. Last night was the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bright, clear red in the glass this wine lacks the depth of color of the 2007 wine. The nose is tart red cherries, cedar, a hint of cinnamon and a touch of vanilla. The taste is pure, sweet fruit that immediately livens up your tongue. There are some tannins, but they are well integrated and there is an almost perfect balance of acid to fruit. I was expecting a shorter finish, but the clean flavors persisted. Light, elegant, refreshing and classy. It's an afternoon wine or a Cabernet Sauvignon for a lighter meal as opposed to a hunk of beef or game.
Dinner was a chicken breast roasted in parchment paper and some pommes Parisian skillet roasted in duck fat. The potato balls were crisp and crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. We added some roasted corn with basil and along with the wine it made for a mid-week feast.
I loved this wine and fortunately there are two more in the cellar. 13.1% alcohol and $18."
From Dan McGrew's blog, November 2009: 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
"On Friday night we opened a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and couldn't have been happier with the results. This wine is doing great in the bottle - and is doing better out of the bottle and in the glass. Great Cabernet structure with some forward fruit, good body, nice acid and tannins and oak that have integrated into the fruit. The nose was fruit, wood and tannin and smelled like Cabernet should smell. It was extremely food friendly. Very good wine that has to be at its peak, but not showing any signs of fading."
From Dan McGrew's blog, February 2009: 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
"The wine of choice for last night was a local wine, a 2005 Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon.
There was a really nice bouquet when the cork came out with dark fruits and sweet oak. The color was medium dark and after a few swirls and a sip there were definitely some cassis and black cherries and just a hint of tobacco. A little more swirling and the tobacco faded. This was the first time for this wine other than tasting it at the winery when it was purchased on release. It has settled and matured nicely in the bottle into an extremely drinkable wine. There is nice acid, and there's a tremendous balance between the fruit and the oak. It's a sweet oak taste with soft tannins that sort of envelop your tongue. There's enough in this wine to last a few more years, but it is excellent right now."
From Dan McGrew's blog, 2005 Petit Verdot
"I've been sitting on half a dozen bottles of the Kinkead Ridge 2005 Petit Verdot for almost two years since its release, tasting it only at the winery on two occasions. Yesterday evening I was moving some wine from one location to another and decided it was time to see if the wait paid off. Dinner was two small lamb chops and some rosemary roasted potatoes and the weather was cool for this time of year. Out came the cork from the bottle.
The wine was intensely dark purple, almost black in the glass. After five or ten minutes it began to open up and offer dark, ripe plums and cassis and a few super dark cherries thrown in the mix. The nose was earthy and there were a few herbs and flowers coming out of the glass as well. The taste was equally about dark fruit, plums and blackberries mostly. The wine was very tannic, but the tannin never interfered with the fruit. During the course of the evening the tannin finally began to settle a little though it still had a wonderful grip. There was good acid and with the tannins softening the finish was smooth, clean and long.
I've had numerous bottles of Kinkead Ridge's wine, both red and white over the last few years and have appreciated all of them. Some are obviously better than others and bottle for bottle my favorite is still their Riesling. This wine, however, is the best I've had from them. It's hard to imagine that it could get any better. Total production was only 76 cases and the wine checked in at an almost perfect 13.4% alcohol. I'm very happy there are five more bottles in the cellar. "
Here's a 2007 Christmas review of the 2001 Syrah:
"I had family over for Christmas and I wanted a special wine for the occasion. I dug around in my wine cellar and I found a bottle of 2001 Syrah from Kinkead Ridge. It was the best I have had. It aged perfectly. The nose had a very light scent of oak/earthy. The taste up front was fruity (blackberry to current) with a pleasant amount of astringency. It finished with a wonderful amount oak/chocolate and even a little vanilla. It was great wine thanks." --Russ Berry
Write-up by Dan McGrew in November 2009: 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
"Earlier in the week there was a rib eye roast that was seasoned simply and cooked in in a moderate oven. I always make it a habit to take a bottle of wine with me so this year for the first time I took an Ohio wine, Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon from the 2004 vintage. Like the title of this piece says, taking an Ohio Cabernet to northern California is rather like carrying the coals to Newcastle to help the city burn a little more. It was a very good wine that is now at its peak. The tannins have matured and softened a little but the wine retained good acid and its currant flavors. Good match with the rib roast and not out of place in any way in some very good company. "
December 2010: Facebook post from Jens Rosencrantz, partner in LaPoste restaurant and former proprietor of the Cincinnati Wine Garage: "One advantage of having a poor inventory system in the cellar, is that you get surprised by a case that you entirely forgot about. 2004 Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon. Wonderful."
From Cleveland, September 2006 "I went to Jerry's wine store and bought his last bottle of 2003 Cab. Had it that eve with roast brisket & mash potatoes ... WOW what a surprise; what a great, well made wine ... the way you have successfully captured the "essence of the terroir" is amazing !!! This wine had all of the traits of a good Bordeaux in a great vintage year. I congratulate Kinkead. The next day I called Pat O'Brien wine store (they had zero left of any of your wines) and they raved at your abilities to make great Ohio wines. I then called J. Pistone's and they had 5 cabs left and 1 bottle of River Valley white ....... I bought all. I have a long history of wine tastings starting in 1978. I've been to Burgundy, California, Oregon, Washington & Ontario. I belong to several Wine Tasting clubs for over 25 yrs. I've tasted hundreds of wines, especially reds, and prefer pinot noirs and cabernets. Your '03 cab has a fantastic earthy, barnyard nose and a well balanced fruit and acid taste that goes well with food. The remarkable thing is it came from Ohio, and I've had many Ohio wines. I am not a wine "snob" and understand what it takes to grow and make wine in our climatic area. I'm a firm fan of supporting local farmers and food producers which I learned after owning my own restaurant for +20 years.
Good Luck, Lou Dorazio ....... a votre sante !!"
Lenn Thompson, Long Island: Reviewed 2004 Cabernet Franc in 2007
As someone who was born and raised in western Pennsylvania, four things come to mind when I think about neighboring Ohio:
- Bad drivers
- Sea World
- Cedar Point amusement park
- The much-hated Cleveland Browns.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was raised to loathe our neighbors to the west, but they definitely weren't looked upon fondly.
Now, after tasting the wines of Kinkead Ridge Estate Winery, there is at least one thing I can say that I love about the Buckeye State.
Located just outside of Ripley, Ohio, Kinkead Ridge Winery grows only vinifera grapes in their vineyard, including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Viognier, Roussanne and Sauvignon Blanc. The vineyard lies on ridges rising more than 400 feet above the nearby Ohio River and the soil is 30 inches deep to broken limestone, rich in clay and well drained. This drainage is ideally suited to growing fine wines, though winter can be cold enough to damage less hardy varieties.
Cabernet Franc is one of my favorite varieties, and if you love the red wines of the Loire Valley , I can't recommend Kinkead Ridge's 2004 Cabernet Franc enough.
A deep violet-crimson in the glass, black cherry dominates the nose with more subtle aromas of dusty cocoa, black pepper and violets. This is an extremely full flavored wine, with black raspberry, cherry, black pepper, and dark chocolate flavors mingling on a rich, balanced palate. Well-integrated, smooth tannins and just a little lick of acidity make this a wine of unusual character and balance.
Best of all, at $17 per bottle, it's an excellent value.
In February of 2009, David and Jan Lazarus held a vertical tasting. There will be another one on January 3rd at Water Tower Fine Wines, Cincinnati. Call David for details.
Your friendly wine blogger,
Nancy Bentley, Owner/Managing Partner, Kinkead Ridge
